Last Wednesday, June 13, 2023, we bid farewell to an emblematic figure of our religious community, the priest Pedro Roncero Menchén, who passed away at the age of 102 in Manzanares. Don Pedro, who was known as the oldest priest in the diocese, served as a priest in Herencia from 1971 to 1984, leaving an indelible mark on our town. You can read an interview with Pedro Roncero that we published on Herencia.net a few years ago.
Don Pedro Roncero, born in Membrilla in 1921, entered the seminary in 1935, but his education was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War. He later resumed his ecclesiastical studies in Ciudad Real and completed them in Pamplona. He was ordained a priest on April 4, 1948, at the San Pedro parish in Daimiel, celebrating 75 years of priesthood this year.
His first pastoral assignment was in San Lorenzo de Calatrava, where he served between 1948 and 1951, also attending to the parish of Huertezuelas. From 1952 to 1963, he worked as an assistant priest in his hometown parish of Membrilla, and then was appointed parish priest in Montiel until 1971.
It was in that year when he began his journey in Herencia, being appointed parish priest until 1984, when he became the pastor until 1988. During this period, he also held prominent roles in the regional ecclesiastical structure, serving as the secretary of the archpriesthood of Alcázar de San Juan and a consulting priest between 1976 and 1984.
After retiring, he spent several years in Membrilla, then moved to Puertollano, and finally lived in the residence of the Daughters of Charity in Manzanares. He passed away on the morning of June 14 at the Virgen de Altagracia Hospital in Manzanares.
The funeral mass, which will be presided over by Bishop Gerardo Melgar, will be held on June 15 at 10:30 am at the Santiago el Mayor parish in Membrilla.
From Herencia, we pay tribute to this tireless servant of faith and fondly remember his legacy in our town. Our condolences and sympathies go out to the ecclesiastical community and all those who had the fortune of knowing Don Pedro Roncero. May his spirit of service and dedication continue to be an example for all of us.
Spanish post in Fallece a los 102 años el sacerdote Pedro Roncero, ex-cura de Herencia
