The municipality honours the man who for twelve years has been much more than its parish priest, and who is now leaving Manilva having won the affection and respect of its residents.
Some farewells are hard to put into words. And that of José Antonio Melgar Muriana is one of them.
Twelve years after his arrival in Manilva, the municipality has wanted to give back a small part of everything he has represented for many residents during this time. The Municipal Corporation, meeting in an extraordinary session in the council chamber, has approved his appointment as Adopted Son of Manilva.
This recognition comes just as the priest prepares to leave the parishes of Santa Ana in Manilva and San Luis in Sabinillas, after the Diocese of Málaga announced the new appointments for the coming pastoral year, and perhaps for that reason this distinction carries an even more special meaning.
José Antonio Melgar arrived in Manilva in 2014 as parish priest and, twelve years later, he leaves behind something much harder to achieve than any post: the affection of the people.
His approachable way of understanding the priesthood, his open and conversational nature and his willingness to be at the side of residents have meant that, over the years, Melgar has become a person deeply tied to life in Manilva and Sabinillas.
For many parishioners, news of his departure has been received with sadness and even a degree of incomprehension. It is not easy to understand that after so many years, so many shared celebrations, so many good and difficult times and so much involvement with the municipality, the time has come to say goodbye. The Church has decided to open a new chapter and Melgar will now take on new pastoral responsibilities.
A life also dedicated to helping others
His time in Manilva cannot be summed up solely in terms of religious celebrations. Over these years he has also shown a deep commitment to those most in need.
One of the most significant examples was the launch of Cáritas Manilva in 2022, an initiative born from the residents themselves, with Melgar as its president. The aim was clear: to help the most vulnerable people and to work towards a society with greater equality, respect and opportunity.
His commitment to solidarity has also gone beyond the borders of Manilva. As president of the NGO ACISS, he has for years taken part in humanitarian missions in Africa, accompanying doctors and nurses from hospitals in Málaga who used their holidays to travel to Ghana.
There they have carried out surgical operations, delivered medicines and medical supplies and helped train local professionals. Melgar was already doing this work before arriving in Manilva and has continued to do so during these years.
Manilva says thank you
The mayor of Manilva, together with all the members of the municipal corporation, wished to publicly thank the priest for his extraordinary work over all these years and noted that he takes with him the respect and affection of everyone, an affection that is also officially recorded in the history of the municipality.
The appointment as Adopted Son of Manilva recognises that, although José Antonio Melgar was not born here, Manilva has become an important part of his life and he, in turn, has become part of the recent history of this town.
Thank you for these twelve years. For the celebrations, for the words of encouragement, for being at the side of those who needed him and, above all, for having made a priest who arrived in 2014 as a stranger leave as an Adopted Son of Manilva.
Because some people are not born in a town, but end up belonging to it, and José Antonio Melgar is now part of Manilva.
Tonight, Manilva will say thank you again
And the tribute did not end in the council chamber yesterday.
Today, Friday 11 September, Manilva will pay tribute to José Antonio Melgar for his twelve years of service to the municipality with a charity tribute dinner to be held at the Manilva multi-purpose hall.
The event will be attended by the mayor of Manilva, Mario Jiménez; the Social Welfare councillor, Laura Salazar; and representatives of the parishes of Manilva, Sabinillas and El Castillo, who wished to join in this tribute after the handover announced by the Diocese of Málaga became known.
It will therefore be a particularly emotional evening. An opportunity for colleagues, parishioners, residents and municipal representatives to share a few last hours with Melgar before he begins his new pastoral chapter.
