Fr. Manuel Casanova SJ
1932 - 2009

On receiving the news of Manuel's death through the Socius of the Tarragona Province I checked "Google' and obtained the following brief report:
"Fr. Manuel Casanova S.J. has just died. He was the pioneer in Spain of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. A few days ago he took part in a prayer group in Manresa. He was an excellent person and a great priest."

Manuel was born on Christmas day of 1932 and joined the Society in 1949. After his novitiate and juniorate, he came to India in 1953 and then spent one year of regency at St. Mary's. His philosophy studies at DNC were followed by two more years of regency at St. Stanislaus. After a year of Marathi at Manickpur, he went to DNC for theology and was ordained a priest at St. Mary's on March 24, 1963. Later on he was sent to Paris for a course on liturgy and then spent two years at Vinay, working with the Juniors as Spiritual Director and teaching liturgy and music. After a short stint at St. Stanislaus and St. Peters, he went back to Spain in 1973 for a medical checkup and never came back to India.

In Spain he did a lot of pastoral work and from 1977 he became the National Coordinator of Prayer Groups for Charismatic Renewal. From 1987 to 1997 he was sent to Rome where he was Director of the "Project of Evangelization for Europe 2000". From 1999 onwards he continued this type of work in Spain staying at Manresa, near the cave of St. Ignatius. Manuel was a man fully committed to his work and very approachable to all. People felt very much at home with him. He knew how to listen caringly, and always came across as a very lovable person doing a lot of good to many by his expert guidance and counselling.

One month before he died, he sent me a letter by e-mail saying: "Greet all your companions of the community and parish: Joe D'Abreo, Vincent A. D'Souza and Ozy Gonsalves. Is Vincent D'Mello also there? I am keeping fairly well in health. The stomach cancer has passed to the liver and I am being treated for that now. With less chemotherapy I feel better, but the affected modules keep growing. Pray the Lord to give me strength and good courage to go ahead and place myself in his Divine Providence. HE KNOWS BEST."

Frs. J. M. Feliu & Tony Jurschik, ,SJ