La Herradura doesn’t want to lose its priest and is moving Heaven and Earth… probably never better said, to keep him.

Father Rubén del Pino, originally from Maracena, has obviously made a big impact amongst the village’s churchgoers since his arrival in the parish five years ago, so much so that some proclaim that he is “the best priest that the village has ever had.”

All was fine and dandy until the Archbishop suddenly decided that Father Rubén was needed elsewhere – he had received his marching orders and announced his pending departure during his final Sunday service on the 12th of October.

Now, readers might remember that the said Archbishop did a similar spontaneous, shuffling trick seven years back in Albuñol which caused a veritable rebellion. Feelings ran so high that the good folk of Albuñol (the ‘bad folk’ couldn’t care less, naturally) refused to go to Mass and even threatened to turn their backs on Catholicism… In the end, it all blew over, but the Archbishop hasn’t received many Christmas cards from down Albuñol way since then.

Anyway, back in La Herradura, which has been an independent parish since 1907, the Hermano Mayor from the Cofradía de La Herradura, Antonio Almansa, announced that even though the Archbishop had seemingly made a snap decision without giving any warning of a pending move, they were going to fight it.

You see, quite apart from his spiritual duties, for which he was much appreciated, Father Rúben turned up in the village as the ‘crisis’ set in, with there being nothing but cobwebs in the parish coffers, and turned it around so that by the time that he left the kitty was 2,000 euros in the black.

Father Rúben left the village with these words upon receiving a parting gift from his parishioners, “I will always remember you all, but you can give me a greater gift: the most you can do for me is to take good care of your church and the church-going community – they are yours. We priests come and go but the parish belongs to all of you, your children and grandchildren. As for the rest, we’re all just passing through.”

(News: Herradura, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)