Going to Vic
Vic is a blessed town. Saving distances, actors and circumstances, what “Capharnaum” was for Jesus and his first community of disciples, Vic was for Fr. Claret and his first companions. In Vic, Claret lived, grew up, prayed, studied, suffered, dreamed… there he received his formation; there he was called by the Church to the ministry; in the seminary of the town, he founded the Congregation of his missionaries; from there he also, and although it did not last long, he established his “general centre” of missionary operations. The capital of the old Osona, deep and contrasting Catalonia, was a strategic centre from where Claret displayed his evangelizing desires. Perhaps by chance, the circumstances of life meant that his mortal remains remained there (forever?), silent witnesses of loves and adventures. (more…)
Forge-25: Silver anniversary in post-pandemic
May the Risen Lord grant us the peace we all need to listen attentively to his healing Word during this Easter season!
With our group already constituted and full of joy, the Forge Claretian renewal project reaches on this occasion its number 25 in Spanish language. (more…)
Claret and his preaching in the Basilica of Santa María del Mar of Barcelona
During the month of May 1844, Fr. Claret preached no less than 36 sermons, “with extraordinary eloquence and with plentiful examples”, in the famous basilica of Santa María del Mar, in the city of Barcelona. An eyewitness has told us in a booklet published that same year. He says that, despite the great capacity of that temple with three naves and without a choir in the centre (as it is the case, on the other hand, in the city’s cathedral), the church was completely filled every day. Furthermore, people waited one, two or more hours before the sermon, in order to find a free seat. Claret dedicated the remaining time to the administration of the sacrament of penance to hundreds of people in the same church, or even in his room. (more…)
Isabel II. Una Biografía
Isabel Burdiel. ISABEL II. Una Biografía (1830-1904). Ed. Taurus. Madrid 2010. 943 pages. plus 25 photo album.
(This review appeared in the magazine “Razón y Fe” 263 (2011) pp. 315-317. Madrid was the place where Saint Anthony Mary Claret lived the longest: for almost twelve years. Queen Isabel II called him from Cuba to go to that capital and to be his confessor. Hence the importance of knowing a little more about that real figure. (more…)
On July 24, 2022 we celebrate the bicentennial of the birth of Fr. Clotet, who was part of the founding group, as a witness and protagonist, and later had a decisive role in the life and development of the Congregation. It is good to refresh his memory to realize his importance in the establishment and development of the Congregation.
Fr. Severiano Blanco, CMF shares with us some important dimensions of Fr. Clotet’s life. Father Blanco is currently one of the best connoisseurs of the life and spirituality of Fr. Claret, co-founders and those around them.
