An annual Mass in honor and memory of Father Ignacio Larrañaga, OFM, Cap., founder of Prayer and Life Workshops, was held Sunday, October 27 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, with Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus Josu Iriondo, OFM, Cap., Archdiocese of New York, serving as principal celebrant and homilist.             

Bishop Iriondo knew Father Larrañaga. They were born and raised in Spain, where they were both ordained as Capuchin priests – Father Larrañaga in 1952 and Bishop Iriondo in 1962.

Ignacio Larrañaga (May 4, 1928 – Oct. 28, 2013) was ordained a Capuchin priest in 1952. Living in South America, he collaborated in Chile with the founding of the Center of Franciscan and Pastoral Studies for Latin America. Known as the “Prophet of Prayer,” he wrote 16 books and until 2007, he lived in Santiago de Chile (the capital of Chile). In that year, he celebrated his 55 years in the priesthood. For more than 35 years he traveled the world evangelizing and spiritually lifting many communities. He founded the workshops in 1984. 

The focus of Prayer and Life Workshops, according to informational material, is to enable the faithful to establish an intimate relationship with the Lord. The workshops, which span 15 weeks with two-hour weekly meetings, include reading and meditating upon the Word of God in the Bible, listening to doctrinal messages from the founder, and incorporating fifteen methods of prayer per day. They are designed to help participants reach “the heights of contemplation.”

“We must always have an interior life, and seek interior strength,” Bishop Iriondo said during his homily, citing the need to remain close to the Lord through prayer, for help in struggles associated with temptation and other challenges. More than 1,000 people attended the annual Spanish Mass, which began in 2019.               

Bishop Iriondo, who turns 86 in December, also spoke of the importance of the words in the first reading, from Lectionary 149: “They departed in tears, but I will console them and guide them; I will lead them to brooks of water, on a level road, so that none shall stumble.” He noted the practical and symbolic significance of water in the Bible, in the Church, and life, such as “the baptismal water.”

The bishop said praying to the Lord daily “gives us a peace, a serenity, a tranquility that makes a tremendous difference – and that is what Father Ignacio Larrañaga has taught us (through the workshops). It was an immense work that he did.” The bishop discussed Father Larrañaga’s priesthood and ministry and his dedication to guiding the faithful to “the maturity of prayer.” 

Maria Peguero, a lead organizer of the Prayer and Life Workshops in the New York area, joyfully told The Good Newsroom after the Mass, “It was beautiful – the homily was beautiful.” She said Bishop Iriondo has always been pastorally skillful in relaying the prayerful messages of Father Larrañaga.   

Jose Luis Diaz, national coordinator of the Prayer and Life Workshops, gave closing words of gratitude to Bishop Iriondo and all who helped make the Mass possible. 

For more information on New York-area Prayer and Life Workshops,  contact: 

Maria Peguero, Manhattan and Bronx | (347) 987-9047

Kathia Vasconez, Queens and Brooklyn | (212) 470-4479 

For all other information, the national website is www.tovpil.org.