The Parish Centre: a fun and collaborative space
The Parish Center has always played a prominent role in the Escolania’s activities. Although personally the school services did not mean any effort or burden for me, the Center was, we could say, the most playful part of the activities.
On Sunday afternoons, after catechesis, we headed to the Center. In those years, the Road Parish Center was the building we associate with these memories. Although the main entrance for the public was on the Carretera, between the Cal Pere Bernades drug store and the bar-restaurant, the venue’s seating area faced the rear, on Josep Maria de Molina Street.
Collaboration for the construction of the new Center
To raise funds for the construction of the new Centre, we participated in the Bottle Campaign after the Christmas holidays and in the Tombola during the Festa Major. We were going to Sant Sadurní d’Anoia in a truck to collect the bottles of wine that the Marquis of Monistrol gave away. As schoolboys, we helped put the necklaces and labels on the wine bottles.
At Cal Donadoni, we received the prizes from the Raffle, such as small pocket notebooks, diaries and cardboard folders. I remember that during the holidays we used to go to the workshop on Passeig Bertrand, near the Coro, to help with manual work related to the products they gave us. My favorite part was punching the holes and putting the metal eyes on the folders. We would stand in front of a small machine to punch the cardboard, make the holes, insert the eyes and press to crush them.
Collaboration with Enric Borràs Theater Company
In addition to fundraising activities, the students often collaborated with the Enric Borràs Theater Company of the Parish Centre. We always took part in Folch and Torres’ play The Shepherds, acting as demons and shepherds. We also participated in other plays.
In the work “El Divino Impaciente” by José María Pemán, at the end of a painting in which the scene represented Saint Francis preaching, some children came out to sing a song dressed and made up as Chinese. We would sing and then sit on the floor around him as he recited a paragraph. I remember that Sant Francesc was Mr. Llorenç Sans and Manel Badet, his daughter Angelina Badet and Angelina Remolà also participated.
In the play “La Puntaire” by Salvador Bonavia, which took place in Arenys de Mar between men fishermen and women punters, the school children acted as fishermen who were on stage. I remember that María Cinta Prats, Montserrat Sans, Elisa Corbeto, María Rosa Magriñá and Aleix Badet participated.
A memorable anecdote
I remember a very special anecdote during the performance of the play “The Cardinal”, but not precisely because of the participation of the students. This anecdote reflects the atmosphere of that time.
It was December 8, the day of the Immaculate Conception. It was a designated day: only on this day of the liturgical year, the students wore a white robe and a sky-blue cape with white fur trim. When the Rosary and the evening celebration ended, we were in a hurry to go to the Center like every Sunday or holiday. But Monsignor Francesc Nicolau saw us and said very seriously: “I guess you won’t go to the Centre. This play is not suitable!”, referring to the play “The Cardinal”. Days before, at the meeting of Catholic Action Aspirants, I had already warned us that whoever went to see her would be expelled from the Aspirantate.
We, however, ran even harder to go there. I remember the local actors Josep Maria Grau, who played the protagonist and Cardinal, and also Joan Blanch and Angelina Reverter. I think Mn. Francesc must not have believed that we were going there, because we were not expelled from either the Aspirantate or the Escolania.
Footnotes
Parish Centre: this organization was set up in 1942, sponsored by the Parish and with the dual objective of religious activity and civic and cultural activity. In its beginnings, it played a very important role in the activities to collect funds for the reconstruction of the Parish. Initially, it was located in the Centro restaurant, which had had a movie theater. In 1967 it moved to its current location.
Aspirantate for Catholic Action: a movement that arose in several parishes, driven especially by young vicars, with the intention of welcoming the children of the parishes and offering them a space for recreation, culture, excursions, etc. It was the only space for children’s and youth activities outside of street games that existed in Sant Feliu until the creation of the Escolta Group in 1965.
