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Furniture used by Father Claret in the Canary Islands

The apostolic missionary D. Antonio María Claret arrived in Gran Canaria on March 12, 1848, accompanied by D. Buenaventura Codina, who entered as the new bishop of this diocese of the Canary Islands. Bishop Codina wanted to begin his pontificate with general missions to the entire diocese. He began them in the cathedral on the 18th of this same month of March, with the bishop choosing the city of Telde as the second missionary centre, immediately continuing the missions here, in Agüimes, with his entry on foot, on March 31 of this year, and closing them the following June 27.

It was here in Agüimes, where the people called him S. Antonio María Claret for the first time, and where he celebrated the only festivity of Corpus Christi, during his stay in the Canary Islands. His time in the Canary Islands was so important that our compatriot Mr. Joaquín Artiles divided the history of the Canary Islands into two stages: before Father Claret’s time and after his stay among us.

The apostolic missionary D. Antonio Claret, shortly after his departure to the peninsula, founded the congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. A few months later he was appointed archbishop of Santiago de Cuba, where he suffered an attack when he came down from the pulpit. Queen Elizabeth II appointed him as her confessor; He attended the First Vatican Council and, upon being exiled, accompanied her into exile. He died in Fontfroide (France), on October 15, 1870, days before the death of the former parish priest of Agüimes, during the mission, D. Juan Pedro Saavedra. His body lies incorrupt in the temple of his name, in the city of Vich (Gerona). He was beatified by Pope Pius XI on February 25, 1934 and canonized by Pius on April 13, 1951.

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Banished, but not lonely

The room – or perhaps better, the cell – was six meters long and almost five meters wide. It was outside the monastic cloister. It had a single window covered by a screen so that the light would not bother the sick person who lay there. Inside there were few things: a cot, a few chairs, a table with a crucifix and two candles and little else. It was located in the north wing of the Cistercian abbey of Fontfroide, the most beautiful in the south of France. Since 1901 there have been no monks there. The Fayet family, who bought the property in 1908, has turned it into a tourist spot. Only a discreet plaque in a side chapel of the beautiful Gothic church, now deconsecrated, reminds us that 30 years before the monks left, on October 24, 1870, at a quarter to nine in the morning, in a cell in the north wing, Saint Anthony Mary Claret died there. It’s been 154 years now.

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Misioneros claretianos en China

REBOLLAR BLANCO Agustín, Misioneros Claretianos en China  (Claretian Missionaries in China), Monte Carmelo Ed., Zamora 2002, pp. 313.

As read in the “presentation”, this book “tells the story of a group of young Claretians in the Chinese province of Anhwei” (p. 5). Or, as D. González writes: “It is a story of the hopes and sufferings of a group of young missionaries, (more…)

Definition

“Yo me digo a mí mismo” (Aut. 494)

Quien lleva el corazón en pura llama
para dejar ardiendo cuanto pasa;
a quien nada le arredra y nadie atrasa
su ímpetu, su voz que el Reino clama;

quien carencias, fatigas se reclama,
y en dolor y alegría se acompasa,
porque el amor del Padre entero abrasa
y el bien de cada prójimo le llama;

ese eres tú, Claret, el misionero,
que llevas en misión por compañero
a Cristo, y su palabra por tesoro.

Ese soy yo si vivo aquel primero
amor que tu viviste y que yo espero,
un resto de tu espíritu que añoro.

Jesús Aramendía, cmf.

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March 27

“Oh my God, who can help so that nobody can offend you! Alright, who can help me to let you be known, loved and served by all creatures! This is the only thing I want; nothing else draws my attention” (Aut 641).

THAT I MAY LOVE YOU AND LET YOU BE LOVED

“From the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Mt 12,34). This maxim of Jesus can be applied perfectly to Claret. Reading and re-reading his writings, there appears spontaneously these expressions from the good treasure of his heart where he expresses his intense filial relationship with God the Father, and his profound desire that He may be known by all, loved and served. (more…)

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Episode 2. The second episode titled “Nourishing the Fire” addresses aspects of the pre-founding and founding events of the Congregation helping the listener reflect on the importance of nourishing the fire of faith and vocation. Within the framework of the 175th anniversary of the foundation, our General Government in association with the CESC publishes different episodes explaining our history. You can access them in this Videos section of the Congregation’s website  ( https://www.claret.org/audio-visual/ ).

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