St. Josemaria died on this day in 1975, he was 73 years old. The current prelate (bp. Javier Echevarria) said in a get-together in Villa Sachetti on June 19th, 1999, after arriving in Villa Tevere:
“We went up the stairs to Villa Vecchia, some three steps. I went ahead to open the doors, and don Alvaro was holding our father’s arm. When we got to the Cortile Vecchio don Alvaro told me: I thought that we wouldn’t make it because the father couldn’t go on. At the Chapel’s door our father again made a genuflection, a paused and deep one. When we arrived at the Soggiorno we called the doctor. Our father was sitting a few minutes while he checked his pulse. Then he said: Let’s go upstairs, we can’t be here wasting time. We took the elevator. Those present were our father, don Alvaro, the doctor and I. Don Alvaro moved to one side, to explain to the doctor what had happened. Our father entered don Alvaro's study and when I was closing the door of the elevator he called me: "Javi!". I was shocked when I saw him: He fell on his back and hit his head quite strongly on the floor. We were trying to get him back in his senses, struggling, doing cardiac massage, until don Alvaro said: It seems that God has taken our father. From the first moment don Alvaro gave him the absolution. It was the 31st anniversary of don Alvaro having given him the absolution for the first time (When don Alvaro heard the founder's sacramental confession, the day after his ordination). When the doctor pronounced him dead, everyone knelt before our father. Don Alvaro then removed the crucifix that our father carried since many years ago which has a relic of the Holy Cross and put it on himself saying he would carry it until the successor was elected.
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