Digitalisation of our photographic collection
Last October we started working on digitising this part of our archive. With the help of Fr. Placide Sumbula, cmf, we have begun to carry out this task. At the moment we have produced about 150 first photographs corresponding to the themes: Congregation (photographs of Claretians or people linked to Claretians) and Buildings (photographs of buildings related to the history of the Claretians).
The photographs are posted in our website in the Claret Archive section (subsection: Photographs), on the homepage menu, with a short description. Once you have accessed there, please take into account the following: (more…)
Saint Oscar A. Romero and our community of Vic
On October 14, 2018, Pope Francis proclaims two great Christians of our time as Saints in St. Peter’s Square (Rome), namely, Pope Paul VI, Pope of Vatican II and the post-conciliar years (1963-1978), and the bishop from El Salvador Oscar Arnulfo Romero, martyr.
Oscar was born in Ciudad Barrios on August 15, 1917, and died in San Salvador on March 24, 1980. He is well-known for his strenuous public defense of the poor and human rights, and his solidarity with the victims of violence existing back then in his country. Due to this, he was killed by a military sniper during the celebration of the Mass in the chapel of the Divina Providencia hospital in the capital city. He is buried in the cathedral. In America, the simple folk began immediately to call him as “Saint Romero of America”. (more…)
Commemorating Adversities
On September 18, 1868, the so-called Glorious Revolution broke out. On the 30th of the same month, Fr. Claret left for exile in France with Isabel II and his royal entourage; and the Congregation lived its first martyr experience with the death of Fr. Francisco Crusats. All the Claretian communities, except Huesca, were evicted and the missionaries sought refuge where they could. On October 18, the government suppressed, among others, our Institute at a civilian level. Meanwhile, Father José Xifré, threatened with death and hidden, tried to govern a dispersed Congregation touched by discouragement and despair. As we celebrate the 150th anniversary of these events, let us turn our attention to this memorable page of our history to discover the spirit with which our brothers faced each other and tried to overcome the difficulties. (more…)
My experience with Claret
I must admit that my experience with Claret was appearing as I was growing in age and Missionary responsibility. In my first years of postulancy I do not remember being told about Claret. However, some Missionaries from the Philippines who used to visit the formation centers did tell us about their work in the Mission, tired though joyful and enthusiastic and always missionaries in the style of Claret. Working for the Kingdom with humility and affiliation to the Heart of Mary (more…)
Apostolate Meeting
The Prefects of the Apostolate of Catalunya, Euskal Herria, France and Italy convened in Vic some 50 religious and lay people (more…)
December 15
“I bought a ranch for the poor of Puerto Principe…My object in starting this ranch was to gather together poor boys and girls, many of whom were wandering the streets begging. At the ranch they were fed, clothed, and taught their religion, as well as reading, writing, and whatever art or trade they wanted to learn” (Auto. 563-564).
SOLIDARITY WITH THE POOR
“It is more important to teach the poor to fish than giving them fish”, people say that it is a Chinese adage. The christian charity, human solidarity, natural goodness of sharing from one´s own belonging, should never produce dependency. (more…)
Interview conducted on July 5, 2018 in Santiago de Chile, by the student Ezequiel Takaya, cmf, from the Province of San José del Sur, to Fr. Carlos Sánchez, cmf, Director of the Claretian Spirituality Center of Vic, about some aspects of Claret and Claretian spirituality.
