Transcript Claret, the man who challenged the impossible

• Works a great deal, but he is not a workaholic
• Prays very often, but he is not a spiritualist man
• Writes a lot, but he is not a professional writer
• Is well known, but he is not a superstar
• Suffers, but he is not bitter person
• Is a holy man, but he is not stupid
He was born at Sallent in Spain
on December 23, 1807
Since he was a child he wanted to
become a priest
He works in his father’s workshop.
Manufacturing is in his blood
When he is only 17 he leaves Sallent
and goes to the big city of Barcelona:
there is a new world to explore!
He works during the day. He studies at
night. He dreams of becoming a great
textile industrialist.
But God has a “new” proposal
for him
“In the midst of this whirligig of ideas,
while I was at Mass one day, I
remembered reading as a small boy those
words of the Gospel: "What does it profit
a man if he gain the whole world and
suffer the loss of his soul?" This phrase
impressed me deeply and went like an
arrow to my heart. I tried to think and
reason what to do, but to no avail.”
The time of a radical option
has come!
He studies to become a priest in the
seminary of Vic, Catalonia, Spain
He is ordained a priest on June 13,
1835 at Solsona, not far from Vic
After an attempt of going to foreign
missions and of joining the Society of Jesus
in Rome, he becomes an itinerant
missionary preaching in many towns and
villages in Catalonia …
… and in the Canary Islands, where
he is known as “El Padrito” (The
Little Father)
Always “poor and on foot”, preaching the
Gospel to the poor, in the style of the
prophets and the apostles
On July 16, 1849 he founds the
Congregation of Sons of the
Immaculate Heart of Mary in this
small room of the diocesan
seminary in Vic
Together with five other
companions
“My God, may you be blessed for
condescending to choose your humble
servants to be Sons of the Immaculate Heart
of your Mother! Most Blessed Mother, may
the courtesy of your Immaculate Heart, in
accepting us as your Sons, be praised a
thousand times! Mother, make us cooperate
with such kindness by becoming daily more
humble, fervent, and zealous for the
salvation of souls.”
On August 4, 1849, astonishing news:
Pope Pius IX appoints him as Archbishop of
Santiago, Cuba
“Overwhelmed by the
nomination, I had no desire to
accept it because I considered
myself unworthy and
incapable of such a great
dignity, for which I lacked
both the necessary knowledge
and virtue.”
1851-1857:
Archbishop
of
Santiago,
Cuba
In Cuba he fought against injustice, helped
the poor, visited and organized the
diocesis, preached the Gospel to all
In 1855, along with Mother Antonia M.
Paris, he founds the Religious Sisters of
Mary Immaculate (Claretian Missionary
Sisters)
He suffered many attacks, but he
intensively loved people and was
committed to them
1857-1868: Confessor to Queen
Isabella II of Spain in Madrid
“I was a few days into the
mission when I received a
royal summons to Madrid. The
Archbishop of Toledo, who was
confessor to the queen, had
died, and Her Majesty had
chosen me as her new
confessor.”
1857-1868: During these years
he wrote many books and
pamphlets
Accompanying the Queen, he toured
Spain preaching the Gospel
He promoted the vocation of the lay
people for evangelization
“In these last times, it seems
that God wants the lay people
to play an important role in
the salvation of souls.”
He founds the Academy of St. Michael,
presides the Patronage of the
Monastery of El Escorial, works
actively for the reform of the Church.
In 1850 he published the book
“Daughters of the Most Holy and
Immaculate Heart of Mary”, basis of
the present secular institute
“Cordimarian Filiation”
His mind and his heart progressively
opened to a more and more universal
mission : “My spirit is for the whole
world”
1868: Exile in Paris
1870: Bishop of Vatican I
Defender of the infallibility of
the Pope
Exiled in a Cistercian
monastery in Fontfroide,
France
He died on October 24, 1870
“I have loved justice and hated
iniquity. Because of this I die in exile.”
Since 1897 his sepulchre is at Vic,
in Catalonia, Spain
Canonized by Pope Pius XII
on May 7, 1950
Fire
“A Son of the Immaculate Heart of
Mary is a man on fire with love,
who spreads its flames wherever
he goes. He desires mightily and
strives by all means possible to set
the whole world on fire with
God's love.
Nothing daunts him; he
delights in privations,
welcomes work, embraces
sacrifices, smiles at slander,
and rejoices in suffering.
His only concern is how he
can best follow Jesus Christ
and imitate Him in working,
suffering, and striving
constantly and singlemindedly for the greater
glory of God and the
salvation of souls.”
“Formed in the forge of
your mercy and love”
“He was a great soul, born as it were
to assemble contrasts.
Though of humble origin, he was
glorious in the eyes of the world.
Small in stature, but giant in spirit. Modest in
appearance, but very capable of imposing respect
even to the great of the world.
Strong in character, but possessing the soft
gentleness of one who knows the restraint
of austerity and penance.
Always in God’s presence, while in the
midst of his prodigious external activity.
Slandered and admired, honoured and
persecuted.
And amidst so many wonders, like a soft
light that illumines everything, his devotion
to the Mother of God.” (Pius XII)
The spirit of Claret is
still alive
• Claretian Missionaries
• Claretian Missionary Sisters
• Cordimarian Filiation
• Lay Claretians
THE CLARETIAN MISSIONARIES IN THE WORLD
CHINA
Fr. Gonzalo Fernández Sanz, CMF