This coming Saturday, April 11th, the fifth Easter Proclamation will be delivered in our town. This event is organized by the Confraternity of Souls of Cieza and is part of the Octave of Easter. Father José Luis Bleda Fernández, priest and current parish priest of the Parish of San Juan Bosco in our town, will announce the mystery of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The event will begin at 7:00 p.m. in the Parish of San José Obrero in Cieza with the celebration of Holy Mass, followed by the Easter Proclamation.
José Luis Bleda was born in Barcelona to parents from Jumilla. He was baptized in the parish of Saints Juliana and Semproniana with the names José Luis Esteban Juan Emilio. His family moved to Murcia in September 1974, and he studied at the Salesian school in Cabezo de Torres and at the Marist school in La Merced. He studied Geography and History at the University of Murcia, obtaining a degree specializing in General History of Spain in 1990. He then began studies in Philosophy and Theology at the San Fulgencio Center for Theological and Pastoral Studies, affiliated with the Pontifical University of Salamanca, graduating with a degree in Ecclesiastical Studies in 1996. He was ordained a deacon on December 17, 1995, in San Mateo de Lorca. On July 13, 1996, in the parish of San Francisco Javier in the San Antón neighborhood of Murcia, he received the sacrament of Holy Orders.
José Luis served as a priest in various towns and parishes throughout our region during his priestly ministry. From 1997 to 2002, he was a missionary in the Diocese of El Alto, Bolivia, accompanying Mariano Caballero. From 2005 to 2007, he studied at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, where he earned a licentiate in Missiology. During his time in Rome, he published the article "A Missionary Motivation: The Lord of Huanca" in the journal "Missionalia." His strong missionary vocation led him to serve as Episcopal Delegate for Migration from 2007 to 2019, as well as Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS). From 2008 to 2014, he served as parish priest of San Juan Bautista in Jumilla. From 2019 to 2020, he was a member of the missionary team in the Diocese of San Pedro Sula, Honduras. In 2021, he was appointed parish priest of San Juan Bosco in Cieza, a position he holds to this day. He is a member of the presbyteral council from 2021 to 2024.
During this proclamation, the sisters of the Confraternity of Souls, Claudia Aroca, María Herrera, and Sofía Martínez, will perform several processional marches.
