MADRID, Spain.
Almar Cultural Center, in the vicinity of Santa Teresa Academy and the headquarters of the Teresian Association (TA) in Málaga, is the place of an artistic exhibition with some paintings, from December 11-20 to initiate the celebration of the centenary of said Association in this province of southern Spain.
October 1, 1914 marks the beginning of an Academy-boarding school for education students in Malaga (Casapalma Street) with the aim to help students coming from neighboring towns to study to become teachers. On October 24 of that year, the Bishop of the diocese issued his license and blessing to this emerging Teresian work.
100 years of the TA in Málaga: Life and Mission spread across diverse presences
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Several panels, one on loan from Alameda Space, Los Negrales, provide a brief tour of these decades of service to education and culture, promotion of women, and the patient transformation of small scattered rural communities in a province, Malaga, best known for its touristic “Costa del sol.”
There is much life and many hidden names in this story. Thousands of people who, over one hundred years, have joined Poveda in the answer he gave, in fidelity to the Gospel, to the demands of his time. Therefore, as noted in the opening of the exhibition, celebrating this centenary is areason for joy and gratitude, in addition to the commitment to continue providing meaning to those who today seek and need hope.
As a tribute to this diverse life, a painting exhibition with works donated by members and friends of the TA, and coordinated by Ana Maria Garrido, presents a pluralistic and colorful view of the local reality.
When opening the exhibition, Maria Medina emphasized, among other things, the type of education that Pedro Poveda was looking for at the academies and the values he stressed: participation, balance between order and spontaneity, responsibility, trust in the students ... These and other features that continue to be evident in the today’s Santa Teresa Academy in Málaga and in the mission of TA members, engaged in various fields and places, are also reflected in other paintings.
The current director of Santa Teresa Academy, Carmen Ortega, explained how the Association has adapted to the laws and situations of each moment: what was created in 1914 as a girls' boarding school for education students is now a subsidized Child Education center, a primary and secondary school. The students have also creatively reflected their vision of the centenary, as is shown in another panel.
This is the first public act of a series of activities, which include a Eucharist of Thanksgiving open to the entire diocese in April 2015, and a panel discussion on the social and ecclesial reality.
Text: Centenary Committee, Málaga
Photos: Commission and Conce Holgado.