Fr. Julio Peñacoba, one of our beloved former chaplains, has gone to his eternal resting place in Heaven on October 19, 2019. We fondly remember him as being very holy and ever cheerful. The Woodrose community is blessed and grateful for his spiritual guidance for many years.
We share here excerpts from the eulogy delivered by our School Chaplain, Fr. Roque Reyes, who among the priests of Opus Dei, spent the longest time working with Fr. Peñacoba from September 2010 to September 2018.
A theologian once said that if Jesus was the uncreated Word of God whose very life was a message of God’s unconditional love for us, we human beings are also the Word of God but created, and through our life, God is going to deliver a message for all mankind.
What would be the message of Fr. Julio’s life?
9 years ago, Fr. Julio and I started working in the Chaplaincy of PAREF Woodrose School. Looking back now, those years we worked together were some of the most joyful years in my pastoral ministry, despite the stresses of the job.
In Woodrose, Fr. Julio spent most of his time inside the confessional. He was always available to hear the confessions of the parents, teachers, the staff, and the students. Many of us who went to confession to him experienced the joy after every confession, not only because our sins were forgiven but also because of the very gentle, kind, understanding ways of Fr. Julio as a confessor. He was always very encouraging, always very positive and optimistic. After sitting in the confessional for 2-3 hours, he would come out smiling. He would comment about the students of Woodrose: “they are very good and they are getting better. They have improved a lot. Getting deeper in their spiritual life.”
His joy is even more noticeable when he celebrates the Holy Mass. For many years, Fr. Julio would say the Wednesday Mass in Woodrose. One could feel his joy, deep and interior, when he celebrated the Holy Mass. There was always that gentle smile upon his lips, as if telling Jesus really present after the Consecration, Jesus, thank you for being with us, for loving us, for saving us.
For him, the Holy Mass is a joyful celebration of the Paschal mystery. He wanted to emphasize the joy of our redemption through the Paschal mystery, to the point that he wrestled against the idea of the Holy Mass as the renewal of the sacrifice of Calvary. I remember that once, we were arguing about it and I insisted that the Holy Mass is the renewal of the Sacrifice of the Cross, and in a louder voice, he told me: there is no cross, there is no cross, in the Mass. I kept quiet and went away, thinking in my head: Ala, Fr. Julio is becoming heretical.
When the document on the Eucharist written by St. John Paul II entitled Ecclesia de Eucharistia was published, Fr. Julio finally was at peace because it is written there that yes, the Holy Mass is sacrifice, but it is also a fraternal banquet, a joyful celebration of our redemption, the Paschal Mystery made presence once again on the altar.
In May 2017, Fr. Julio found out after a check up that he had cancer and that it could not be cured anymore. He intimated his thoughts upon hearing this from his doctor in an email to someone who lived with him in the same center.
The email Fr. Julio received was the following:
Why is it that when I hear from you, or hear others tell stories about you, these lines of David come to mind?
I’m asking GOD for one thing,
only one thing:
To live with him in his house
my whole life long.
I’ll contemplate his beauty;
I’ll study at his feet.
That’s the only quiet, secure place
in a noisy world
Sharing in your longing for Him. Been telling Him in fact to keep me desperate for Him as I easily wander when I don’t feel my need for Him. Take care, Fr Julio.
And Fr. Julio’s reply was:
… I quite understand the quote and your longings…. Do you know what? I used to be on that base line in my spiritual journey. There is some joy and peace because I know he loves me, and longing because I do not experience him or very seldom or very “thin.”
All changed the day of my initial diagnosis in May 2017. First, I got an explosion of Joy from the certainty that I will see soon since I know that my type not curable and in fact I decided not to spend money on the “thing” and go for herbs. I was walking going home from Makatimed leaping inside and a bit outside, pitying all those people around me that have to stay on…But then in the p.m. …I “woke up” that this was not the attitude we have learned but that of the squeezed lemon…After only a short struggle…the grace came with Phil 1:20-25.
Since then, I have had a joy and peace – one way or the other…at this time or later…and then the longing began to calm down and now I just feel clearly his silent but peaceful company – it is another world…ha ha ha
Philippians 1:20-25. What is written there?
20 My eager expectation and hope is that I shall not be put to shame in any way, but that with all boldness, now as always, Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.
21 For to me life is Christ, and death is gain.
22 If I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. And I do not know which I shall choose.
23 I am caught between the two. I long to depart this life and be with Christ, [for] that is far better.
24 Yet that I remain [in] the flesh is more necessary for your benefit.
25 And this I know with confidence, that I shall remain and continue in the service of all of you for your progress and joy in the faith.
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And here is a reflection from Woodrose students, Class of 2020, who grew up going to confession with Fr. Peñacoba:
Just as Father Reyes has said, if there were one word to describe Fr. Julio Peñacoba Muñoz, it would be “JOY.”
Our batch, batch 2020, has been lucky enough to bear witness to the wonderful life of service of Fr. Peñacoba. We witnessed his happiness as he celebrated the Holy Mass, his gentleness and understanding when hearing our confessions, and his genuineness when smiling at us when we passed by him. He never failed to make us feel welcome and understood.
Ever since the second grade, we were lucky enough to already be receiving confession and spiritual direction, or at that time, “talks with the chaplain,” from him. Looking back at it now, we are extremely grateful to have heard the words “Jesus loves you very much and he forgives you” from a very young age. We’re sure that as innocent children, we were automatically filled with happiness. What was surprising was that as we grew up, Fr. Peñacoba never stopped encouraging us the same way he did 10 years ago. Up until our last confession with him, he would commend us for our good confession and remind us of how much Jesus loves us. We think this is why, over the years, many of us have become more comfortable going to confession. He would replace our fears, our guilt, and our shame with love and gratitude for our Lord, motivating us to become better each time and begin anew.
When we heard that he had fallen sick and would be taking a break, we were filled with sadness. The entire Woodrose community had grown fond of his smile and the joy that radiated from him. We were worried, but he never gave us reason to be. When some of us ended our confession with him by saying, “Get well soon, Father!”, he would reply saying, “I’m fine because God is looking after me and I am doing what I love.” Even when he was suffering and in pain, he sat in the confessional reassuring us when it was supposed to be the other way around. He was always thinking of others and always thinking about God. He was so humble and grateful, never showing the struggle he must have been experiencing.
Fr. Peñacoba has taught us many things, many of which we see as a reminder of the power of kindness and goodness. The beauty of his teachings was that they were timeless and not limited to our spiritual life. From his kind words, we learned the importance and elegance of a positive mindset and how it impacts the lives of others. From his pain, we learned to persevere even in suffering, discouragement, and fear. Many of his teachings were rooted in the years he spent as a devoted chaplain, a friendly spiritual director, a genuine friend, and a loving child of God. We appreciate and understand these learnings as more than words of kindness and motivation, but as a message from God himself.
We, the Woodrose community, now mourn the loss of Fr. Peñacoba, but we know that if he were here, he would tell us not to worry. We will keep in our hearts these memories as a remembrance and a reminder of a truly Christ-like man. Death shouldn’t be thought of as negative for it is the time when man finally returns to where he belongs: heaven, with God, watching over all of us, praying for and guiding the lost, and encouraging those who are found. It is in Fr. Peñacoba’s passing that he has been reunited with God.
We know for certain that Fr. Peñacoba is watching us from above with a smile on his face. Thank you, Father, for the years that you have served us and guided us. Thank you for the joy you spread and the love you embodied. You will always be remembered as a symbol of JOY in our hearts.
With love,
Batch 2020