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SAINT ANTHONY
MARY CLARET
AUTOBIOGRAPHY AND COMPLEMENTARY WRITINGS
Bicentennial edition
(Publisher)
2
SAINT ANTHONY
MARY CLARET
AUTOBIOGRAPHY AND COMPLEMENTARY WRITINGS
3
SAINT ANTHONY
MARY CLARET
AUTOBIOGRAPHY
AND COMPLEMENTARY WRITINGS
Transcription, introductions
and footnotes by
JOS MARA VIAS
and
JESS BERMEJO
Claretian Missionaries
Introductions by
JOSEP MARIA ABELLA
Superior General
and
GUSTAVO ALONSO
Former Superior General
Claretian Missionaries
(Publisher / city/ date)
4
Bicentennial Edition revised and updated.
Cover photograph: Antoine Trinquart, Paris, 1868
Spanish text revision: Jess Bermejo
Autobiography translated from Spanish by Joseph Daries
Footnotes and additional texts translated from Spanish by James Overend
English Text revision and editing: S. Jesu Doss and Anthony Ejikeme of the
Center for Claretian Spirituality (CESC) in Vic, Spain and Rosendo Urrabazo
in Rome
1st Edition (Spanish), February 2008.
All rights reserved.
Printed in Argentina
English Edition,
All rights reserved.
Printed in India
Vias, Jos Mara,
Original title: San Antonio Mara Claret: Autobiografia y escritos complemenatarios / Jos Mara
Vias and Jess Bermejo 1st ed. Buenos Aires: Editorial Claretiana, 2008. 1104 p. : il.; 20 x 14 cm.
ISBN 978-950-512-646-0
1. Antonio Mara Claret, Santo - Biografa. I. Bermejo, Jess
II. Title
5
To the entire Claretian family,
heir of the spirit and mission
of Saint Anthony Mary Claret
on the bicentennial of his birth,
with fraternal affection,
Jos Mara Vias
and Jess Bermejo
6
TABLE OF CONTENTS
List of Illustrations
Introduction to the present edition
Introduction to the 1981 edition
Note on the bicentennial edition
Abbreviations
Old Testament
New Testament
Other important abbreviations
Important notices
PR E LI M I N ARI E S
Claret Timetable Synopsis
GE NE R AL IN T RO D U C TI O N
The Apostolic Mission
of Saint Anthony Mary Claret
I. An Extraordinary Mission
II. Claret Apostolic Missionary
III. Missionary Vision
The Social Sin
The Ideologies
IV. Evangelization as a Response
Evangelization of People
Evangelization and Human Development
Evangelization and Slavery
Evangelization and Politics
V. The Evangelizers
VI. I have completed My Mission
General Bibliography
A) Claretian Manuscripts (Mss. Claret)
B) Works by Claret
Apostolic Missionary (1840-1850)
Archbishop of Cuba (1850-1857)
Royal Confessor (1857-1869)
7
Father of the Council (1869-1870)
Posthumous Works
C) Edited or Attributed Works
D) Writings
E) Letters
F) Pontifical Documentation
G) Biographies
Unedited
Published During the Life of the Saint
Published After the Death of the Saint
H) Studies
I) Anti-Claret Writings
AU TO B I O G R AP H Y
Revised Edition, Introduction and Notes
by Jos Mara Vias and Jess Bermejo
Introduction to the Autobiography
Historical Dates
The Autobiographical Codices
Literary Form
Historical Value
An Interpretation of His Own Life from the Perspective of His Missionary Charism
Spirituality for Mission
The Congregation of Missionaries
The Publication of the Autobiography
How to Read the Autobiography
The Bicentenary Edition
Editions of the Autobiography
Prayer Before Reading the Autobiography
Autobiography of Saint Anthony Mary Claret
Biography of Archbishop Anthony Mary Claret
Preface
F I R S T P A R T
CHAPTERS
8
I My Birth and Baptism
II Early Childhood
III First Inclinations
IV Early education
V At Work in the Factory
VI First Devotions
VII Early Devotion to Mary
VIII In 1825, Around My Eighteenth Birthday, I Move to Barcelona
IX Why I Gave Up Manufacturing
X My Resolve to Become a Carthusian Monk at Monte-Alegre
XI From Barcelona to Vic
XII Ordination
XIII Assistant Pastor and Administrator
S E C O N D P A R T
About the Missions
CHAPTERS
I Gods Call to Preach Missions
II Departure from Spain
III Events of My Journey through France
IV Events Aboard Ship
V Arrival in Rome and Entering the Jesuit Novitiate
VI Prayers I Wrote During the Novitiate
VII Departure from Rome and Arrival in Spain
VIII Beginning of the Missions
and Healing the Sick
IX On Healing the Possessed, and on the
Many Fictitious Cases of Possession
X The Importance of being sent
XI The Goal I had in Mind Whenever I Went to a
Town to Which My Superior Sent me
XII How I was Moved to Preach Missions
by the Example of the Prophets, of Jesus Christ,
of the Apostles, the Fathers, and Other Saints
XIII The Example and Encouragement I Received
From Certain Women Saints
XIV On the Same Subject
XV On the Same Subject
XVI Means I Used to Achieve Success
9
XVII Other Means I Made Use of to do Good
XVIII Adult Instruction
XIX Sermons
XX The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius
XXI Books and Pamphlets
XXII On the Same Subject and on Everyday Conversations,
on Medals, Pictures, Rosaries and Scapulars
XXIII Virtues I Consider Essential for an Effective Ministry:
The First Virtue: Humility
XXIV The Second Virtue: Poverty
XXV The Third Virtue: Meekness
XXVI The Fourth Virtue: Modesty
XXVII The Fifth Virtue: Mortification
XXVIII The Virtue of Mortification (continued)
XXIX Virtues of Jesus that I Resolved to Imitate
The Virtue of Love of God and neighbor
XXX Towns I have Preached in and Persecutions I have Suffered
XXXI Topics I Preached on, and the Care I Took in Presenting Them
XXXII Preaching Missions in the Canary Islands
XXXIII The Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
XXXIV Accepting the Appointment as Archbishop of Santiago, Cuba
T H I R D P A R T
FROM THE CONSECRATION AS
ARCHBISHOP ONWARDS
CHAPTERS
I Consecration, Voyage, Arrival, and First Ministries
II Persecutions in El Cobre and Events at Puerto Prncipe
III Missions in Puerto Principe, Manzanillo, San Fructuoso, and Bayamon
IV The Earthquakes in Santiago
V The Cholera Epidemic in The Diocese of Cuba
VI Journey to Baracoa, Mayar and Santiago. Outcome of my First Pastoral Visit
VII Various Arrangements I made for the Good of the Diocese
VIII How I was Wounded and the Events Surrounding My Cure
IX How I was Summoned to Madrid
X Biographical Sketch of My Co-workers
XI How I Disliked Living in Madrid
XII How I have Never Sought Positions or Meddled in Politics
XIII My Conduct has Never been Self-serving
XIV Ordinary and Extraordinary Occupations
10
XV The Plan of Life and Resolutions I will Strive to Keep with Gods Help
XVI Some Particular Devotions
XVII Some Homely Animals that have Served Me as Examples of Virtue
XVIII Some Noteworthy Things that God and the Blessed Virgin Mary have Made Me Understand
XIX The Most Notable Dates in My Life
Continuation of the Biography of the Archbishop
Anthony Mary Claret
CHAPTERS
I On Tour With Their Majesties and Highnesses in Andaluca
II Things Done for the Sisters of Andaluca
III Damages and Errors Spread by Protestants
and Socialists in the Provinces of Andaluca
IV The Slanders Malicious Men have Spread about Catholic Priests
V Things I have Done Since my Return from Andaluca
VI Account of Conscience to My Spiritual Director Toward the End of 1862
VII An Account of My Mission to the Palace
VIII Account of Conscience to My Spiritual Director for the Year 1863
IX Retreat Resolutions
X An Important Chapter for The Congregation
XI Account I Made to My Spiritual Director of
My Activities During the Year 1864
XII Cases for Confessors and Preachers
XIII More Examples That May Serve as a Warning
XIV Punishments Occasioned by Cursing
XV Some Cases of Punished Sins
XVI Some of My Experiences
XVII (Blank in the Manuscript)
XVIII Resignation from the Court
XIX Letter of His Holiness
XX Letter of the Nuncio
XXI A Gentlemans Defense
XXII A Report Published in LE MONDE
AU TO B I O G R AP H IC A L DO CUM E NT S
I On Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary (1812-1831)
II A Student Devoted to Our Lady of the Holy Rosary (1831)
11
III A Model Seminarian at Prayer (1829-1835)
IV Vocation to the Apostolate (1831-1835)
V Confraternities (1819-1840)
VI Declaration Made on Entering the Society of Jesus (1807-1839)
VII Apostolic Missionary: Self Portrait (1840-1846)
VIII Rsum of His Life (1813-1856)
IX Graces Granted by the Blessed Virgin Mary (1807-1867)
X Imitating His Model, Jesus (1858-1864)
XI Witness to the Truth (1807-1864)
XII The Librera Religiosa (1851-1869)
XIII Royal Confessor (1857-1869)
XIV Uncertainties About His Office As Royal Confessor (1865)
XV Benefits and Graces Obtained Through Mary (1807-1869)
XVI Notes Concerning the First Vatican Council (1869-1870)
1. Matters that Should be Discussed
2. Notes on Themes for the Council:
3. Council Documents and Dates
4. Daybook of the Congregations
De vita et honestate clericorum
5. Discourse on Papal Infallibility
6. Address to Spanish Bishops on Seminaries
7. Address to Spanish Bishops on a Uniform Catechism
8. On the Margin of the Council
RE S O L U TI O N S A ND S P I RI T UA L NO TE S
Introduction and notes by Jos Maria Vias
General Introduction
Resolutions
1843
1844
1845
1846
1847
1848
1849
1850 - A
1850 - B
1851
1852
1853
1854
1855
1856
12
1857
1858
1859
1860
1861
1862
1863
1864
1865
1866
1867
1868
1869
1870
Spiritual Notes
Introduction
Archbishop of Cuba (1850-1857)
Royal Confessor (1857-1869)
Father of the First Vatican Council (1869-1870)
L I GH TS A N D G R AC E S
Introduction
1855
1856
1857
1858
1859
1860
1861
1862
1863
1864
1865
1866
1867
1868
1869
1870
AP P E N DI CE S
Introduction
Appendix I
13
Notes of Fr. Lorenzo Puig
Appendix II
A visit of Claret to the Bishop of Huesca in Rome
Appendix III
Six recollections of the Claretians in Prades
Appendix IV
Fr. Claret in Fontfroide
Appendix V
Biographical notes
Appendix VI
The Processes
Closing Document
Letter-message of Pope Benedict XVI
I ND E XE S
Name and Place Index
Thematic Index
14
ILLUSTRATIONS
1. Claret at his writing desk.. Page I [PAGE NN. FROM SPANISH EDITION]
2. Coat of Arms - Librera Religiosa ... Page 283
3. Plan of the Academy of St. Michael Page 284
4. Map of Catalonia ............................... Page 331
5. Map of Grand Canary Island . Page 343
6. Writing and seal of Archbishop Claret.. Page 350
7. Four maps: pastoral visits of Claret in Cuba... Page 394-5
Following Page 407
8. Panoramic views of Sallent .. 1st Page
9. Birthplace of Claret; Virgin of Fusimanya; Chapel of the Virgin of Fusimanya... 2nd Page
10. Weaving machine in the time of the Saint; Sallent - Home of Claret . 3rd Page
11. Barcelona Cathedral; Barcelona La Lonja (Exchange Building)... 4th Page
12. Vic - Queralt Bridge over the Mder River; Vic - Main Square ... 5th Page
13. Vic Holy Cross Hospital; Vic Seminary...6th Page
14. Rome - St. Mary in Traspontina; Rome - St. Andrew in Montecavallo...7th Page
15. Viladrau - Tower of the parish church; Pencil drawing of Claret .8th Page
16. Our Lady of Montserrat;
Las Palmas of Grand Canary Island Cathedral ..9th Page
17. Las Palmas, Grand Canary Island - San Telmo Park;
Room of the Foundation of the Congregation, Vic 10th Page
18. Scene of the Foundation;
Painting of the Immaculate Heart of Mary of Divine Love ...11th Page
19. Santiago, Cuba: Cathedral;
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, Cuba ..12th Page
20. Our Lady of Charity;
Claret and several of his collaborators, Cuba 1853 (1st photo of Claret).. 13th Page
21. Episcopal seal used by Claret in his books;
Baracoa Mountains, Cuba14th Page
22. Mother Mara Antonia Paris;
Pulpit of the main church in Holgun, Cuba.. 15th Page
23. Isabel II, Queen of Spain; Madrid - Royal Palace..16th Page
24. Map of Spain Page 449
25. Facsimile of first edition of Solace of a Slandered Soul. Page 479
26. The philosopher Jaime Balmes; Facsimile of his writing ...Page 529
27. St. Peters Basilica, Rome: Floor plan of the Council Hall. Page 583
28. Clarets handwriting (1861). Page 814-15
15
29. Death-bed of Fr. Claret .Page 881
Following Page 886
30. Seal of the Congregation (1857); Monastery of the Escorial 1st Page
31. Lisbon Tower of Bethlehem; Lisbon Palace of the Hieronymites... 2nd Page
32. Paris Champs Elises; Paris Notre Dame des Victoires .3rd Page
33. Painting and Photograph of Claret in Madrid, 1858 &1860 4th Page
34. Painting of Claret in 1860; Photograph of Claret, Madrid, 1867. 5th Page
35. Photographs of Claret, Paris, 1868 6th Page
36. Paintings of Claret, Paris, 1869 & Rome, 1869. 7th Page
37. Rome, Basilica and Plaza of St. Peter (1869) &
Palace of the Chancellery ..8th Page
38. Painting of Claret at First Vatican Council;
Rome, Church of St. Adrian 9th Page
39. Clarets room, Convent of St. Adrian, Rome;
40. Cistercian Monastery of Fontfroide 10th Page
41. Cloister, Monastery of Fontfroide;
Sepulcher of Fr. Claret in Fontfroide .11th Page
42. Sepulcher tombstone of Claret in Fontfroide ..12th Page
43. Sepulcher of Fr. Claret in Vic; Crypt of St. Claret Church in Vic 13th Page
44. Paintings of Fr. Claret . 14th Page
45. Drawing of the Saint; Painting of Claret for India;
Model for Engraving 15th Page
46. Mosaic of Claret in the Basilica of St. Peter..16th Page
16
INTRODUCTION TO ENGLISH EDITION
To open ones heart to the story of another persons life is always an enriching
experience, often awe-inspiring. The narrated events and the various resonances that these
found in the heart of that person are transformed into messages of life for us who receive
with great respect, the testimony that is given to us.
Anthony Mary Claret wrote the story of his own life because someone who was
profoundly inspired by it and ardently desired that it continue being an inspiration for many
asked him to do so. It was difficult for Claret to respond to this request and he only did it
because, in that moment, the one asking, Fr. Jos Xifr was the superior of the Congregation
of Missionaries that Claret himself had founded. Anthony Mary Claret has left us in his
Autobiography a living testimony of those events and experiences that marked his life and
guided his tireless apostolic work.
The life of Claret, like that of each human being, had it moments of light and of darkness.
Reading the Autobiography will reveal them. It is important to make oneself a fellow
traveler to be able to take in all of the force of the testimony presented to us.
It is of capital importance to discover the underlying principles that guided his life and
that appear, in various ways, during the different periods of the same. Reading the
Autobiography draws us into the spiritual experience of a man who allowed himself to be
questioned and guided by the Word of God, who felt with a very strong intensity the call to
dedicate his life to the proclamation of the gospel and who knew how to bring many others
into that work. The Autobiography allows us to peer into the interior of the person and see
how the Spirit of the Lord guided him to new horizons of sanctity and apostolic
commitment.
The Autobiography of St. Anthony Mary Claret is available in many editions and in
various languages. Many people from diverse countries and cultures have been able to
approach these pages born in the heart of one who lived passionately for Christ and for the
proclamation of the Gospel. The Spanish and English editions had finished and there were
calls for new editions. It is a joy, dear reader, to be able to put this now into your hands. Fr.
Jess Bermejo, an expert in St. Anthony Mary Claret, and the team of the Center for
Claretian Spirituality (CESC) in Vic, Spain, have done a revision of the text and its notes
and have prepared some pedagogical materials that will facilitate greater comprehension of
the pages of the Autobiography.
With regard to this English edition, I cannot but thank the work done for many years by
Fr. Joseph Daries, who has dedicated countless hours so that the person of Anthony Mary
Claret might be better known in the English-speaking world. To him do we owe the basic
translation of the Autobiography and many of the autobiographical writings contained in
this volume. I also want to acknowledge the invaluable collaboration of Frs. Rosendo
Urrabazo who together with the CESC team of Frs. Anthony Ejikeme and S. Jesu Doss have
reviewed and revised all of the English texts. Special thanks also to Fr. James Overend who
translated the interesting and extensive notes by which this edition has been enriched.
17
I hope that contact with the testimony of Claret touches your life and increases your love
for Jesus and the ardent desire to work for the kingdom. I place this edition in the hands,
even more, in the heart of Mary, for whom St. Anthony Mary Claret felt so loved and
accompanied in the growth of his faith and missionary commitment.
Rome, August 4, 2009
JOSEP M. ABELLA
General Superior
of the Claretian Missionaries
18
INTRODUCTION TO THE
1981 EDITION
The edition of the Autobiographical and Spiritual Writings of Saint Anthony Mary
Claret published by the Biblioteca de Autores Crisitianos (BAC) in 1959 placed an
exceptional document, the Autobiography of the Saint, at the disposal of the public-at-large
for the first time; which until that time had been the private patrimony of the Missionary
Sons of the Heart of Mary. As a matter of fact, the two previous editions (1915 and 1951),
although with different characteristics, had only been planned for a limited distribution
among the communities of the Congregation.
However, starting from the 1959 edition, the Claret Autobiography has been published in
several languages (French, Portuguese, English, Italian), in addition to anothermanual
sizeedition in Spanish. This has resulted in a widespread distribution of this document
which has subsequently been extended even more with this new edition that the BAC now
presents, with the intention of being critically more refined, while at the same time better
situating the period, mainly through introductions and notes.
In presenting this new edition, I do not think it is necessary to refer to literary or historic
aspects of the text. Even though they have their validity and it would be fair to focus on
them when the time comes, these aspects do not correspond to what the author and editors
specifically intended. I would like, therefore, to underline that the Autobiography of Saint
Anthony Mary Claret is, above all, a testimonial and pedagogical document. Its greatest
values and the key to its optimum reading are found there.
But most of all, it is a living testimony, in the sense that it communicates, emotionally
and personally, a special experience of God and man, through which existence itself takes
on a sense of mission, as it did with Jesus Christ. It is the testimony of a lived experience
through a long process of search and affirmation, of action and passion, of dedication and
martyrdom, and which little by little makes a total identification with Jesus Christ, the only
measure of the missionary vocation.
It is a fact that the 19th century for Christians (especially in Spain) has much greater
weight for its living testimonies than from its elaboration of a theology or a spiritual
doctrine. For this reason, also is this autobiographic document of Claret of some importance.
It can help in the understanding of an historic fragment of ecclesial life. Moreover, above
all, it illustrates the encouraging presence of the Spirit in the ever-current praxis of the
mission, which, through a total and unifying experience, gives meaning to life, placing it
before the Father of Jesus, unchangeable source of the sending, and before the sometimes
turbulent events of the people to whom we are sent.
On the other hand, the Autobiography of Saint Anthony Mary Claret has a stated
pedagogical intention: to serve in the formation of those called for the mission. It entered
into the plans of whoever imposed upon the Saint the obedience to write these pages. And,
on the other hand, it fit in with Clarets constantly sought purpose, since the first years of his
priesthood, in which he invested so much time and effort to cultivate in priests the
19
dedication and adequate preparation for the missions. The Congregation of Missionaries that
he founded has considered his Autobiography a living interpretation of the Constitutions and
a necessary place for the encounter with his spirit.
But, going beyond this particular reference, it is natural that a document of this type,
profoundly evangelical and vivid, retains a contemporary relevance in times when,
everywhere, the Lord is arousing vocations for the service of missionary evangelization
throughout the Church. It is truly a manual of missionary spirituality that introduces the
experience of a life dedicated to the Gospel, to the proclamation of the Good News, the
same as the life of Jesus. Transmitted in clear and warm pages, full of serenity and strength,
this living proposal of Father Claret is fostering today the birth of many consecrated, as well
as secular missionary, vocations from the most diverse latitudes.
Claret, moved by his apostolic keenness, having written extensively about many diverse
subjects, found nothing more repulsive as in narrating his own life. Maybe because of this,
with a sense of death to himself by which he planted this seed, today it has such force and is
producing an abundance of missionary vocations. And, by the same token, nothing is more
pleasing to his spirit, which yearned for the formation of a large family of evangelizers.
I hope that the optimum work carried out by the responsible persons of Studium
Claretianum of Rome and by the BAC in the presentation of this volume is blessed by this
same fruit: a new emergence of vocations for the mission, in a Church that is again clearly
conscience of its everlasting condition: sent, as Jesus, for the salvation of mankind.
GUSTAVO ALONSO, CMF
Superior General
of the Claretian Missionaries
(1971-1991)
20
NOTE TO THIS BICENTENNIAL EDITION
Since the publication of the previous edition of this work (1981) more than twenty years
have gone by. Around the time of the canonization of Saint Anthony Mary Claret (1950),
there was an abundant flourishing of studies, whose results were integrated into the first
BAC edition (1959). Later, over several decades, the scholars have continued their difficult
task in both the historic and the spiritual fields, trying to highlight aspects that maybe the
zeal of glorification had blurred or placed out of focus. A new climate of greater serenity,
exempt from apologetic concerns, has allowed a new settling and clarification in this regard.
The 1959 edition contained the autobiographical and spiritual writings of Saint Anthony
Mary Claret. The 1981 edition only included the autobiographical writings and the same is
included in this edition as well. It was decided to leave the Spiritual Writings for a second
volume, which was published also by BAC in 1985. In other courses of action, the
Epistolario Claretiano was published in Madrid in three volumes: the first two in the
Editorial Coculsa in 1970 and the third in Publicaciones Claretianas in 1987.
The present work includes the Autobiography, fifteen autobiographical documents,
Resolutions and Spiritual notes, Lights and Graces and six appendixes.
Guided by the criteria of fidelity, all the Saints hand-written manuscripts have been
carefully checked. In the introductions and notes, we have tried to incorporate the results of
the findings carried out during these last years.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all those who made possible the first
and the second edition of this work and to all those who have collaborated in the
bicentennial edition. All are Claretian Missionaries, whose names are the following: Jos
Luis Albistur, Jordi Alsina, Augusto Andrs Ortega, Eleuterio Briongos, Jos Mara Ciller,
Juan Manuel Lozano, ngel del Molino, Isidro Muoz, Joan Sidera, Jaime Torras and
Francisco Vives.
This edition has been noticeably enriched with the numerous literal biblical citations or
allusions of the Autobiography. Tracking them were Fathers Rudolf Mainka and Manuel
Garde.
In the preparation of this new edition, the following have rendered valuable
collaboration: Fathers Joan Sidera, Manuel Casanovas and Aldo Luis Cooper, as well as
Brother Leopoldo Snchez Cardenas, Sister Mara de la Cruz Bermejo, JST.
This initiative is that of the (2003-2009) General Government: Frs. Josep Maria Abella,
Rosendo Urrabazo, Vicente Sanz, Domingo ngel Grilla, Marcelo Ensema, Gonzalo
Fernndez, Mathew Vattamattam and Jos Flix Valderrbano.
21
The revision of the text has been done by the members of the CESC-Vic team, under the
direction of Fr. Antonio Bellella and made up of by Frs. Jess Mara Palacios, Jesu Doss S.
and Anthony Ejikeme.
Finally, the printing of the Spanish Edition was undertaken by the team of the Editorial
Claretiana of Buenos Aires, under the direction of Fr. Gustavo Larrazbal and composed of
Fr. Ral Mehring, Mara Gabriela Spalla Fuentes, Mara Gabriela Tavelli, Agustina
Santarelli, Veronica Ferraro and Ramiro Pazo with the collaboration of Fr. Gustavo Alonso.
To all of them, we extend our most sincere gratitude with the hope that the effort we
have carried out contributes to a greater understanding of one of the most significant figures
in the Church of the 19th century.
J.M.V. and J. B.
22
ABBREVIATIONS (Latin Citations)
OL D TES T AM EN T
Chr ..
Dn..
Chronicles
Daniel
Dt.. Deuteronomy (Deut)
Eccl.. Ecclesiastes
Ex.. Exodus
Ez.. Ezekiel
Ezr Ezra
Gn Genesis
Hos
Is
Hosea
Isaiah
Jer Jeremiah
Job Job
Jon
Judg
Jonah
Judges
Lam Lamentations
Num Numbers
Prov Proverbs
Ps Psalms
Sam
Sir
Samuel
Sirach or Ecclesiasticus or Ecclesiasticus of Ben Sirach (Eccli)
Songs
Tob
Wis
Song of Songs
Tobias
Wisdom
Zep Zephania
1 Esd 1 Esdras
2 Esd 2 Esdras
1 Mc 1 Maccabees (Mac)
1 Sm 1 Samuel (1 Sam)
2 Sm 2 Samuel (2 Sam)
23
NE W TES T AM E N T
Acts.. Acts of the Apostles (Acta Apostolorum)
Col.. Colossians
Eph .. Ephesians
Gal.. Galatians
Heb Hebrews
Jas James (Iac)
Jn John
Lk Luke (Luc)
Mk Mark
Mt Matthew
Rev Revelation or Apocalyse (Ap)
Rom. Romans
1 Cor 1 Corinthians
2 Cor 2 Corinthians
1 Jn 1 John
2 Jn 2 John
1 Pt 1 Peter
1 Thes 1 Thessalonians
2 Thes 2 Thessalonians
1 Tim 1 Timothy
2 Tim 2 Timothy
OTH E R IM P O R T AN T AB B RE VI AT I ON S
AAS.... Acta Apostolica Sedis
ACV.. Arxiu Claret Vic (mimeographed magazine)
AHN.. Archivo Histrico Nacional (Madrid)
AP.. Arxiu Pairal Vic [Family Archive]
APT Apostolic Process of Tarragona
APV Apostolic Process of Vic
Arch. Post. CMF Archives of the Postulation CMF Roma
Art. Article
Autob. Autobiography of St. Anthony Mary Claret
Autob. Doc. Autobiographical Documents of St. Anthony Mary Claret
BAC Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos
24
BPC Bolletin of the CMF Province of Catalonia
CESC Vic
Cf.
Center for Claretian Spirituality in Vic, archives, library and museum
Con fer, see.
CL
Claret-Nunc
Claretian Bulletin published in Rome.
CMF Cordis Mariae Filius (Son of the Heart of Mary, Claretian Missionary)
CpR Commentarium pro Religiosis (magazine of the Claretian Missionaries,
Rome)
DHEE Diccionario de la Historia Eclesistica de Espaa
DIP Dizionario degli Istituti di Perfezione (Rome)
EC Epistolario de San Antonio Mara Claret, prepared and annotated by
Jos Maria Gil (Madrid 1970) vol. I and II; Madrid 1987, vol. III.
Ed. Edition
Ex libris Personal library of St. Anthony Mary Claret
Fr.
HC
Father
Ritzler-Sefrin, Hierarchia Catholica Medii et Recentioris Aevi.
GA CMF General Archives of the Claretian Missionaries (Roma)
HD Fernndez, Cristbal, El Beato Padre Antonio Mara Claret. Historia
Documentada de su vida y empresas (Madrid 1946) vol. I and II.
Hist.Arch.CMF
IC
Historical Archives of the Congregation of Missionaries Sons of the
Immaculate Heart of Mary, J. Postius, ed. Vol. I (Madrid 1915) 432 pp.
Ilustracin del Clero (magazine of the Claretian Missionaries, Madrid)
IP Iris de Paz (magazine of the Claretian Missionaries, Madrid)
IPB Informative Process of Barcelona
IPL Informative Process of Lrida
IPM Informative Process of Madrid
IPT Informative Process of Tarragona
IPV Informative Process of Vic
J.M.J. Jesus, Mary and Joseph
LR Librera Religiosa
Mss. Claret Manuscripts handwritten by St. Anthony Mary Claret
n. (nn.)
NUNC
op.cit. (o.c.)
Number(s)
Nuntii de Universa Nostra Congregatione, CMF Congregation bulletin
published in Rome
opere citato, in the work cited
Pal. Lat. Palaestra Latina (Claretian magazine, in Latin)
PL Patrologia Latina
PUG Pontifical Gregorian University
25
RC Revista Catlica
RMI Religious of Mary Immaculate Claretian Missionary Sisters
SC Studia Claretiana
Ses(s)
SL
Session(s)
Selected Letters from the Correspondence of St. Anthony M. Claret,
Vol. I, 1832-1857, Trans. by J. Daries, (Bangalore, 2007)
VL Virtud y Letras, magazine of the Claretians of Colombia
WORKS II, III
v.g.
Works of St. Anthony Mary Claret, vol. II Autobiographical Writings
(1995) and vol. III, Selected Spiritual Writings (1991).
Verbi gratia (=for example)
IMPORTANT REMARKS
So that the reading, study and meditation of the Autobiography answers the needs of the
reader and helps to guide him throughout, some prior notes are offered here to keep in mind.
1st. As opposed to the previous editions of the Autobiography, that may have been
lacking, this is presented not as a critical edition, but rather as an one that is fully faithful to
the original text. For this reason, another patient and tedious task has been carried out in
collating the Saints original manuscripts.
2nd. The integral text of the work is offered, with the exception of some chapters for
reasons that are indicated in their corresponding location.
3rd. The only corrections that have been made had to do with mistakes in spelling very
frequent in that time, even among people with a high level of education and in
punctuation, also somewhat careless in that time.
4th. At times, to complete or clarify incorrect phrases, we put some words or literal
meanings in brackets. The words or phrases added subsequently in the margins by the Saint
or by some of his closest friends (we believe by Fr. James Clotet or Don Carmelo Sala) are
placed between parentheses.
5th. The footnotes have been thoroughly revised, completed, and updated. They help us to
accurately represent the historic facts and significant figures cited throughout the narration,
and allow us to highlight the apostolic personality and as well as the intense life of Saint
Anthony Mary Claret in his untiring work throughout more than over thirty years of
apostolate. For the English edition, references to the English translations of cited works are
added whenever possible.
6th. In order to draw as near as possible to the biblical texts used by the Saint, the Spanish
26
versions of the texts that we provide in the notes are taken, for the Old Testament, from
SCO DE SAN MIGUEL, FELIPE, La Santa Biblia, traducida al espaol de la Vulgata latina
(Librera Religiosa, Barcelona 1852-1853), 4 volumes; and, for the New Testament, from
TORRES AMAT, FLIX, La Sagrada Biblia nuevamente traducida de la Vulgata latina al
espaol (Madrid 1832) volume V, 2nd. Edition; except for the Gospel of Saint Matthew,
which is quoted from to Clarets version, El santo evangelio segn San Mateo (Librera
Religiosa, Barcelona 1856) 230 pp. For the English edition, we have placed in the notes the
excellent translation of the Latin texts done by Fr. Daries and where necessary have used the
Revised Standard Version-Catholic Edition1 for scripture quotes.
7th. In the General Bibliography (Clarets own works), the first edition of each work is
indicated, and successively, where applicable, the last edition of the same published during
the life of the Saint. In addition to a translation of the title, when available, the bibliographic
reference for the English edition of the work is added.
8th. When a work is cited and its author is not specified (and the word Anonymous or
CMF is not placed there), it is understood that the authorship belongs to Claret.
9th. The illustrations, photographs, etc., that appear in this work, are given to help to
visualize the person of St. Anthony Mary Claret as well as the geographic and historical
surroundings in which is lived out his life and mission.
1 (San Francisco: St. Ignatius Press, 2006).
27
PRELIMINARIES _____________________
28
CHRONOLOGICAL SYNTHESIS OF
CLARETS LIFE AND WORKS
The following chronological synthesis offers an overall vision of the life and works of St.
Anthony Mary Claret, together with the most important events in Spain and in the world.
From this point of view it will be easier to frame the autobiographic works that later were
acquiring significant relevance. In drafting it we have omitted almost completely all
interpretative judgment, limiting ourselves to consigning year-by- year, and, when it has
been possible, day-by-day, the raw events that make-up the life of the saint.
This synthesis is based, summarizing and at times correcting, that which Fr. ngel del
Molino wrote for the first edition of this work. For the English edition, some changes and
additions were made especially of those world events of particular relevance to Africa and
Asia.
Although critically based, it does not have the finality of a rigorous review. Because of
this, we do not cite the sources that endorse it. We only note here the principle studies that
scientifically lay the foundations for each one of the outstanding events.
BERTRANS, PERE. Petjades apostliques del Beat P. Antoni Maria Claret en el Bisbat de
Solsona (Barcelona 1934) 52 pp.
CLARET, ANTHONY MARY. AUTOBIOGRAPHY (published in this work).
FERNNDEZ, CRISTBAL. El Beato P. Antonio Mara Claret. Historia documentada de su
vida y empresas. (Madrid 1946) 2 vols. 1,065 and 930 pp.
_______. El confesor de Isabel II y sus actividades en Madrid (Madrid 1964) 518 pp.
FORT I COGUL, EUFEMI. El Beato Claret y el arzobispado de Tarragona (Tarragona 1949)
198 pp.
_______. Itinerari de Sant Antoni Maria Claret per Catalunya (Barcelona 1970) 62 pp.
GASOL, JOSEP MARA. Sant Antoni M. Claret i la ciutat de Manresa (Manresa 1970) 64 pp.
GIL, VICENTE. Itinerario Claretiano (Pocr 1987) 276 pp. mimeograph copy.
GUTIRREZ, FEDERICO, San Antonio Mara Claret, apstol de Canarias (Madrid 1969) 586
pp.
HUSU, FRANCESCO. Sant'Antonio Maria Claret (Roma 1950) 780 pp.
SANZ, VICENTE. Huellas de Claret (Madrid 1997) 3 ed., 170 pp. Translated by Jess
Vasquez under the title Traces of Claret (Quezon City, Philippines: Claretians
Publications, 2001).
SERRA FIT, JUAN. Dietari del Venerable Servent de Du P. Antoni Maria Claret i Clar
(Barcelona 1931) 76 pp.
29
YEAR SPAIN CLARET WORLD
1801 War with Portugal Unification of Great Britain and
Ireland.
1802
Creation of the House of Charity of
Barcelona.
Prohibition of the importation of
cotton fabric.
Peace of Amiens marked the end of
the French Revolutionary War
1803
First mechanical spinning jenny
using hydraulic energy in Rec
Comtal.
Beethoven composes the Third
Symphony (Heroic), inspired by
Napoleon.
1804
Definitive suspension of colonial
commerce.
War with Great Britain
Proclamation of the Empire of
Napoleon. Napoleon, emperor.
Promulgation of the Napoleonic
Civil Code. Haiti declares
independence from France.
1805 Battle of Trafalgar (British victory) Battle of Austerlitz (defeat of
Austria)
1806
Beginning of the continental
blockade (until 1870). Discourses
to the German Nation by Fichte.
1807
Treaty of Fontainebleau.
Napoleon orders the occupation of
Spain.
The musician Hilarin Eslava is
born.
On December 23, Claret is born in
Sallent (Barcelona). On December
25, he received the Sacrament of
Baptism
Peace of Tilsit between Russia and
France. Abolition of slave trade in
the British Empire. Fultons steam
ship.
R. Morrison, first protestant
missionary in China. Translated
Bible into Chinese.
1808
French occupation. Revolt of
Aranjuez
Fall of Godoy.
Abdications of Bayona.
Joseph I (Bonaparte), King of Spain
Constitution of Bayona.
War of independence begins
against the invasion of Napoleon.
Local Councils and Supreme
Council.
Battle of Bailn.
Beginning of the separatists
movements of the American
colonies.
The delicate health of his mother
obliged her to seek-out a wet nurse.
Napoleon's France invades Spain
and Portugal
Great Britain and the United States
abolish the slave trade in Africa.
Birth of Napoleon III, future
emperor of France
1809
Anti-French conspiracy in
Barcelona.
Siege and occupation of Gerona
and Zaragoza.
First efforts towards independence
in Bolivia. Austria revolts against
Napoleon. Death of musician
Joseph Haydn. British enact
Hottentots Code in African
colonies.
1810
Joseph I (Bonaparte) occupies
Andalusia
Beginning of the Court of Cdiz.
The Supreme Court of Catalonia
demands the restitution of the code
of law.
Governing bodies in America.
Establishment of provisional Juntas
in Caracas (Venezuela) and in the
provinces of Rio de la Plata
(Argentina/Uruguay). Insurrection
of Miguel Hidalgo in Dolores
(Mexico). Simon Bolivar in
Venezuela begins an independence
war against Napoleonic Spain.
30
YEAR SPAIN CLARET WORLD
1811
Abolition of seigniorial rights by
the courts.
Sacking of Montserrat.
On a trip to the country, while the
relatives were collecting firewood,
Anthony is caught-up in a fire. He
succeeds in putting it out and
remains unscathed.
Independence of Venezuela and
Paraguay. First Luddite worker
revolts in the United Kingdom.
1812
Constitution of Cdiz, first Spanish
constitution, of a unifying and
liberal nature.
Battle of Arapiles (near
Salamanca).
Annexation in fact of Catalonia to
the French Empire.
Sleeps little. Thinks about the
wretched eternity of sinners.
Always, always. A very pious
childhood.
Napoleon invades Russia. Franco-
Russian war: war of Russian
Liberation. The USA declares war
against Great Britain. Great Britain
limits working day for children to
12 hours.
Jos de San Martn leads the
insurrection in Argentina
1813
Battles of Victoria and San Marcial.
Treaty of Valenay.
Joseph I abandons Spain.
Abolition of the Inquisition.
Attends the school of Don Antonio
Pascual. Learns the catechism by
memory. Leads the recitation of the
rosary in church and in his fathers
shop.
War of German liberation. Birth of
philosopher Kierkegaard and
musician Giuseppe Verdi.
1814
Armistice and evacuation of the
French troops.
Return of Fernando VII, who reins
till 1833.
Manifesto de los Persas and the
return of absolutism.
Coup dtat by absolutist. Period of
absolutistic restoration.
Reestablishment of the Inquisition.
Receives Confirmation in Sallent,
at the hands of the titular
Archbishop of Palmira, Don Flix
Amat de Palou y Pont.
End of Napoleonic empire.
Napoleon confined to the isle of
Elba. Stephenson invents the steam
engine. On December 24 in Ghent,
Belgium, USA and England sign a
perpetual peace agreement. Birth
of Russian anarchist Mijail
Bakunin.
1815
Spanish offensive in America, in an
effort to recapture the colonies.
Reestablishment of the guilds.
Return of Napoleon. Battle of
Waterloo and exile of Napoleon. -
Congress of Vienna, in which Pope
Pius VII gives back almost all the
papal territories. Holy Alliance.
On April 10, the 13,000 foot Mount
Tambora on Sumbawa Island,
Indonesia erupts killing 50,000
islanders and shrouding the planet
in debris.
Birth of St. John Bosco on August
16.
1816
Reestablishment of Spanish power
in Venezuela and New Granada.
Congress of Tucuman and the
Independence of Argentina on July
9.
Shaka Zulu becomes chief of the
Zulu in Africa.
1817
Treaty with Great Britain. Victory
of San Martn in Chacabuco
(Spanish defeated in Chile). Slavery
abolished.
F. Cros creates in Barcelona a
chemical products industry.
Receives First Communion. Great
love for Jesus in the Blessed
Sacrament. A tender devotion to
the Virgin. He makes frequent
visits to the Sanctuary of the Virgin
of Fusimanya with his sister Rose.
1818
Defeat of Spanish troops in the
battle of Maip, Chile.
On February 12, Chile attains
independence from Spain. Birth of
Karl Marx on May 5.
31
YEAR SPAIN CLARET WORLD
1819
The United States buys Florida.
Queen Maria Luisa dies.
He begins to study Latin with Don
Juan Riera. His father makes him
an apprentice in the family
business.
Simon Bolivar obtains the
independence of Colombia. In
England children less than 10 years
of age are prohibited from working.
1820
Reigo military uprising in Cdiz.
Liberal Triennium (till 1823).
Return to the Constitution of 1812.
Foundation of the Commission of
Factories (Barcelona).
First wave of liberal revolutions in
Europe. Liberal revolution in
Portugal and Naples. Belgrano
creates the flag of Argentina.
1821
First worker actions against
machines in Alcoy, Alicante
(destruction of textile mills).
San Martin enters Peru.
Independence of Peru, Venezuela
and the formation of the Great
Columbia. Independence of
Mexico. Iturbide proclaims himself
the emperor of Mexico. Greek
revolution.
1822
Creation of National Militia. Failed
monarchical coup dtat. Sucre
defeats the Spanish in Pichincha,
Ecuador.
First action of workers against the
machines of Camprodn
(Catalonia).
Congress of Verona. Independence
of Ecuador. Brazil becomes
independent. Birth of Louis
Pasteur.
1823
Intervention of the Hundred
Thousand Sons of St. Louis of
France. End of Liberal Triennium.
Return of the absolutist (till 1833)
(Ominous Decade). The French
army occupies Barcelona (till
1827).
Absolutist reaction in Portugal.
Monroe Doctrine in the USA.
Guatemala, Costa Rica, El
Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras
organize themselves into the United
Provinces of Central America.
Death of Jenner, inventor of the
small pox vaccine.
1824
Proclamation in Mexico of the
federal republic, after the
dethronement of the emperor.
Union legislation in Great Britain.
Appearance of the first unions
(Trade Unions). Histoire de la
Revolution Franaise, by Michelet.
1825
Battle of Ayacucho (Peru). End of
the Spanish domination in America
(only Cuba, Puerto Rico and
Philippines remain as colonies).
Travels to Barcelona to perfect
himself in the textile arts. In La
Lonja he studies drawing, grammar
and French.
Independence of Alto Peru
(Bolivia). Independence of almost
all of Spanish and Portuguese
America. G. Stephenson builds the
world's first public railways.
1826
Publication of the Manifesto de los
Realistas puros. Beginning of the
policy of tariff protectionism:
protective tariffs.
Congress of Panama. Failure of the
Bolivar project to create a United
South America. First railway in the
United Kingdom.
1827
War of the Malcontents. Fernando
VII visits Catalonia.
Is freed from the temptations of a
bad woman by invoking the Virgin.
Is cheated by an unfaithful friend.
First photograph of N. Niepce.
1828
A house collapses in Sallent during
a dance. 28 people die. Anthony
had been there just before it
happened. He is saved from
drowning at the beach of the
Uruguay declares independence.
Birth of Jules Vern on February 8.
Hottentot Code abolished in Africa.
32
YEAR SPAIN CLARET WORLD
Barceloneta of Barcelona. Crisis
evoked by the question Quid
Prodest.
1829
Trade Laws. He is admitted to the seminary in
Vic. He lives in the house of Don
Fortin Bres. He makes a general
confession.
Pius VIII is elected Pope.
Louis Braille creates a system of
reading for the blind.
1830
Publication of the Pragmatic
Sanction (allowing a female heir to
the throne). Birth of Isabel II.
He decides to enter the Carthusians
of Montealegre (Barcelona); but, a
furious storm makes him change his
mind.
Second wave of liberal revolution
in Europe. Revolutions in France,
Belgium and Poland. Independence
of Greece and of Belgium. French
occupation of Algeria. First
passenger railway (Liverpool-
Manchester). Creation of the
National Association for the
Protection of Labor in Great
Britain. Showing of the dramatic
work Hernani, a play by Victor
Hugo.
Beginning of the publication of the
Course in Positive Philosophy by
A. Comte.
Gregory XVI is elected Pope.
Death of Simon Bolivar.
Period of 1831-1840
Year SPAIN CLARET WORLD
1831
During his second year of
Philosophy he suffers a great
temptation against chastity. The
apostolic vocation is awakened in
him while reading the Bible and the
lives of the Saints. He joins various
confraternities in Vic. He strikes-
up a friendship with Jaime Balmes.
The German philosopher Hegel
dies. Faraday discovers
electromagnetic induction.
Notre-Dame de Paris, by Victor
Hugo.
1832
Foundation in Barcelona of the
Bonaplata factory (first steam
factory in Spain). Prohibition of
importation of foreign cotton. First
blast furnace in Marbella.
Receives tonsure at the hands of the
Bishop of Vic, Don Pablo de Jess
Corcuera, and takes possession of
the benefice of Santa Mara de
Sallent. Finishes the third year of
Philosophy. Stands out in science
and mathematics. Begins Theology.
British abolish slavery in West
Indies
S. Morse invents the electric
telegraph.
1833
Death of King Fernando VII.
Regency of Mara Cristina (till
1840). Start of the First Carlist
War, confronting liberals and
absolutists.
Division of Spain into provinces.
Cholera epidemic.
First great wave of Catalan
industry. Beginning of the
Renaixena catalana.
Receives minor orders at the
Church of St. Philip Neri in Vic.
Abolition of slavery in the United
Kingdom.
33
YEAR SPAIN CLARET WORLD
1834
Royal Statute
Freedom of industry.
Definitive suppression of the
guilds.
On May 24, he receives the
subdiaconate at the same ordination
in which Jaime Balmes is ordained
Deacon. On December 20, Claret is
ordained Deacon at the Church of
the Presentation in Vic
Quadruple Alliance. End of
Absolutism in Portugal. The
Zollverein or German Customs
Union formed among the majority
of the German Confederation states.
1835
Progressive uprisings in the cities.
lvarez Mendizbal, head of
government. Dissolution of
religious orders (exclaustration).
Popular uprising in Barcelona
(burning of convents).
On June 13, in the episcopal
palace, the Bishop of Solsona, Fray
Juan Jos de Tejada, Mercedarian,
ordains Claret to the Priesthood.
On the June 21, in Sallent, he
celebrates his first Mass. He is
named paroquial vicar and then
administrator of St. Marys Church
in Sallent.
Birth of USA writer Mark Twain.
1836
La Granja revolt. Laws related to
the sale of Church lands and
severance of ties (until 1837).
Mendizbal begins sale of Church
goods. Establishment of the
business Nueva Vulcano in
Barceloneta. First steam ship.
Lives a life full of ministerial
activity. He lived in the rectory
with his sister Mary in Sallent.
J. Ericsson patents boat propeller.
Texas declares its independence
from Mexico.
1837
Progressive constitution. The
Carlists reach the gates of Madrid.
Moderates come to power.
Definitive abolition of seigniorial
rights and the tithe.
Beginning of the reign of Queen
Victoria I in the United Kingdom
(until 1901).
1838
Foundation of the most important
textile businesses in Catalonia
(until 1847).
People's Charter presented to the
British House of Commons.
United Provinces of Central
Americas dissolved.
1839
Vergara Treaty. Beginning of a new
progressive period (until 1843).
In September, he travels to Rome to
offer himself to the Propaganda
Fide. On October 2, he travels by
boat from Marseilles to
Civitavecchia. On October 6, he
arrives in Rome. In November, he
enters the novitiate of the Society
of Jesus.
L. A. Blanqui, French political
activist, calls utopian the
contemporary social thinkers.
1840
End of the Carlist war in Catalonia.
Law of Municipal Governments.
Constitution in Barcelona of the
Association of Weavers (first
worker association).
Espartero Government.
Exile of Queen Maria Cristina.
Creation of the first society of
workers.
The Father General of the Jesuits
advises him to return to Spain. On
May 13, he is named regent of
Viladrau. On August 15, he asked
to be freed from his responsibilities
to dedicate himself more freely to
giving popular missions.
Explorations of D. Livingston in
Equatorial Africa (until 1873).
England produces the first postal
stamp.
Period of 1841-1850
1841
Regency of Espartero.
Abolition of the Basque privileges.
Beginning of the demolition of the
Barcelona citadel.
Economic free-trade measures.
Movements for the free association
On January 23, he moves to Vic to
dedicate himself completely to
preaching. On July 9, he receives
from Rome the title of Apostolic
Missionary.
.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Confederationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France34
YEAR SPAIN CLARET WORLD
and organization of workers.
Birth of federal republicanism with
Abdn Terradas.
1842
Uprising of Barcelona against
Espartero and the bombing of the
city.
Abdn Terradas proclaims the
Republic in Figueras.
Foundation of the Catalan society
for gas lighting.
Adverse political circumstances
prevent him from preaching. In
June, he is named vicar of San Juan
de Ol.
France begins the conquest of
Algeria.
Treaty of Nanking, ending first
opium war in China.
1843
Anti-Espartero uprising.
Isabel II is declared to be an adult,
rules (till 1868).
The political situation eases. On
March 1, he begins his intensive
missionary activity in Catalonia.
Publishes The Straight Path.
March 21, date of the end of the
world, erroneously set by American
preacher William Miller.
1844
Beginning of the Moderate Decade
(till 1854).
Creation of the Civil Guard.
Creation of the Bank of Isabel II.
Prohibition of workers societies.
Preaches the month of May in
Santa Mara del Mar, in Barcelona.
A great crowd is moved to hear
him. His missionary campaign
continues with great conversions.
The Dominican Republic gains
independence from Haiti. Birth of
Friedrich Nietzsche. Treaty of
Wanghia establishing diplomatic
relations between the US and
China.
1845
Moderate Constitution.
Reform of state finances.
Publication of El Criterio by J.
Balmes
Missionary activity continues. He
establishes in Matar the The
Spiritual Society of Mary Most
Holy against Blasphemy.
Annexation of the Texas territory
into the United States.
1846
Second Carlist war: war of the
Martiners (till 1849): carlist and
federal republicans against liberal
unionists.
In Tarragona gets to know Don
Jos Caixal. With him he
establishes the Brotherhood of
Good Books. In May he preaches
the famous mission in Lrida. In
this mission the people begin to
calling him Father Claret.
Campaign of defamation begins.
The planet Uranus is discovered.
MexicanAmerican War,
annexation of California to the US.
Pius IX is elected Pope. His
pontificate lasts until 1878.
Polish author, Henryk Sienkiewicz,
is born, winner of the Nobel prize
for literature 1905.
1847
Fusion of the Bank of San
Fernando with that of Isabel II.
Assembly of factories of Catalonia.
He founds the Librera Religiosa
with Don Jos Caixal and Don
Antonio Palau. In March, he retires
to Vic. In August, he founds in Vic
the Archconfraternity of the Heart
of Mary.
Independence of Liberia.
1848
Dictatorship of Narvez.
Republican and progressive
political parties.
The first railroad in Spain between
Barcelona and Matar.
On March 6, he embarks for the
Canary Islands from Cdiz. On
March 11, he arrives in Santa Cruz
de Tenerife and on the 14th he
arrives in a Las Palmas and
preaches missions throughout the
Grand Canary Island. He becomes
known as El Padrito.
Third wave of liberal European
revolutions. Parliament of
Frankfort. Italian war of
Independence. California gold rush.
Communist Manifesto of K. Marx
and F. Engels. Declaration of
Seneca Falls. USA-Mexico war
ends, the USA acquires almost half
of Mexico's territory (New Mexico,
Nevada, Arizona, Utah and
California)
1849
End of the War of the Martiners. On July 16, in a cell at the seminary
in Vic, he establishes the
Congregation. On August 11, he
receives his nomination as
Archbishop of Santiago, Cuba and
on October 4, he accepts the
Independence of Hungary.
35
YEAR SPAIN CLARET WORLD
nomination.
1850
He is dedicated to missionary
preaching while awaiting his
episcopal consecration, which takes
place in Vic on October 6. He is
ordained by the bishop, Luciano
Casadevall. On December 28 he
embarks in Barcelona for Cuba.
Growth of suffrage movement
(until 1900).
Death of General Jos de San
Martn, Liberator of Argentina,
Chile and Per,
and of Jos Gervasio Artigas, hero
of the independence of Uruguay.
Period of 1851-1860
1851
Concordat with the Holy See.
Madrid-Aranjuez Railroad.
On February 16, he arrives at
Santiago, Cuba. On March 3, he
visits the shrine of Our Lady of
Charity of El Cobre. On April 2, he
begins the diocesan pastoral
visitation.
Napoleon III staged a coup d'tat
and seized dictatorial powers of
France. First World Exposition in
London. First performance of
Rigoletto by G. Verdi
1852
Foundation in Cuba of the A. Lopez
and Company shipping company.
In October there is a great cholera
epidemic. Almost 3,000 victims in
three months. Claret visits
hospitals, confesses, counsels,
distributes alms.
1853 Claret continues untiringly his
pastoral activity in Cuba.
Crimean War (until 1856).
1854
Uprising of progressives in
Barcelona.
Barcelona-Granollers Railroad.
Military uprising in Viclvaro.
Popular revolt in Barcelona (July).
Manifest of the Manzanares.
Fall of the moderates.
Beginning of the Biennial of the
Progressives (till 1856).
Economic expansion.
Reorganization of worker
movement (till 1856).
On February 15, he establishes
savings banks.
Pope Pius IX proclaims the dogma
of the Immaculate Conception of
the Virgin Mary.
Births of playwright Oscar Wilde.
Death of philosopher Fichte.
1855
Law of Civil Desamortization of
Pascual Madoz.
Bank laws. Railroad laws. Blast
furnace in Vizcaya. First national
telegraph network in Spain. First
general strike in Catalonia.
On January 8, he begins the
Agricultural Farm of Puerto
Prncipe.
On July 12, he finishes a letter
about the Immaculate Conception.
On August 25, he issues the decree
of the foundation of the Claretian
Missionary Sisters.
Bessemer converter for making
steel. Foundation of the Young
Mens Christian Association
(YMCA). Alexander II named czar
of Russia.
1856
Fall of Espartero.
Beginning of a new era of a
moderate government (until
1868).The Bank of San Fernando
becomes the Bank of Spain. Bank
laws. Worker organizations return
On February 1, he suffers an
attempted assassination in Holgun.
On the 23rd he writes to the Pope
putting his miter at his disposition.
Pius IX suggests that he continue in
the archdiocese.
Birth of Sigmund Freud.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_coup_of_185136
YEAR SPAIN CLARET WORLD
to clandestine existence.
1857
First modern census of the
population: 15 million inhabitants.
Revolts caused by the subsistence
crisis.
Moyan law regulates education.
First Fontaine turbine to use the
energy of water.
On March 18, he receives a letter
from Queen Isabel II asking him to
return to Madrid. On April 12, he
leaves the island of Cuba. On May
18, he enters the port of Cdiz,
Spain. On May 26, he arrives in
Madrid. Is interviewed by Queen
Isabel II, who has chosen him as
her Confessor. On June 5, the
official nomination arrives. In the
fall, he gives various spiritual
exercises in Madrid.
March 9, death of St. Dominic
Savio.
First India struggle for
independence repressed by the
British.
1858
First government of the Liberal
Union.
The Railroad Company of
Northern Spain is organized for
the construction of the Madrid-Irn
line.
In May, he travels with the Queen
to Levante; in July and August to
Castile, Len, Asturias y Galicia.
On September 19, the Queen names
him president of the royal
monastery the Escorial. On
November 1, he establishes the
Academy of St. Michael.
Birth of Theodore Roosevelt.
India comes under direct rule of the
British crown.
Birth of G. Puccini.
1859
War against Morocco for having
destroyed their fortifications in
Ceuta.
Mining Law. Approval of the Cerd
Plan for the extension of Barcelona.
First immersion of the submarine
Ictineo.
In May, he travels with the King
and Queen to Catalonia and
Valencia. On May 28, he presides
at the First General Chapter of the
Congregation. On July 11, he
moves with the King and Queen to
their summer residence in La
Granja (Segovia).
Austria-Italian war. First oil well in
Pennsylvania, USA. Publication of
Origin of Species, by C.R.Darwin.
On April 25, Suez Canal
construction begins. Civil war
between the Buenos Aires and the
federal government.
1860
Peace treaty signed between Spain
and Morocco.
Birth of musician Isaac Albniz.
Failure of the Carlist military
uprising at San Carlos de la Rpita.
In June, he finishes The Well-
instructed collegian or Seminarian.
On July 13, he is recommended to
be Archbishop of Trajanpolis. In
September, he travels with the King
and Queen to the islands of
Baleares, Catalonia and Aragn.
Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of
the USA. J.H.Speke and J.A. Grant
discover the source of the Nile.
Death of German philosopher,
Arthur Schopenhauer. Peking
convention ending second opium
war in China.
Period of 1861-1870
1861
Expedition to Mexico.
Expansion of the railway network
(until 1867). Railroad from
Barcelona to Zaragoza passing
through Lrida.
Fifteen thousand Catalan workers
ask the Cortes freedom of
association.
Foundation in Barcelona of the
Cultural Association of the Worker
Class.
In July, he travels with the royal
family: Valladolid, Palencia and
Santander. On August 26, he
receives an important mystical
grace of the sacramental species in
the Church of the Rosary, in La
Granja.
Proclamation of the Kingdom of
Italy (Italian Unification). Vctor
Manuel II, King of United Italy.
Civil war (1861-64) in the United
States.
Abolition of servitude in Russia.
Production of soda (E. Solvay).
Birth of Rabindranath Tagore,
Indian Nobel prize writer.
37
YEAR SPAIN CLARET WORLD
1862
Notary Law. First Spanish sewing
machines.
Railroad from Barcelona to Gerona.
From January to May, he is
dedicated, by obedience, to write
the Autobiography, begun in the
final months of the previous year.
From July 7-14, he presides over
the second General Chapter of the
Congregation of Missionaries in
Gracia (Barcelona). In September-
October, he travels with the Queen
to Andaluca. Continuous activity.
Bismarck, chancellor of Prussia.
War in Mexico. Dungan revolt of
Muslim ethnic groups in China.
1863
England, France and Spain
designate Maximilian I emperor of
Mexico.
Established the Congregation of
Catholic Mothers.
Abolition of slavery in the United
States. Construction of the
metropolitan railway system in
London (6km). Foundation of the
Red Cross (in Switzerland).
1864
Railway from Madrid to Irn.
Birth of Miguel de Unamuno.
In July, he presides at the third
General Chapter of the
Congregation, in Gracia
(Barcelona). Throughout the year
he is slandered and persecuted by
the secular press.
Creation of the First International
(AIT-International Working Mens
Association) in London.
End of the war of Prussia and
Austria against Denmark (Peace of
Vienna).
France crowns the archduke
Maximilian of Austria emperor of
Mexico.
1865
Military uprising of General Prim.
Spain abandons Santo Domingo.
On July 15, Isabel II recognizes the
Kingdom of Italy. On July 20, he
leaves Madrid for Catalonia.
November 7 and 23, he is received
by Pius IX, who is informed about
Spain. On December 1, he arrives
in Barcelona and on the 22nd by
order of the papal Nuncio he
returns to Madrid to continue his
post as confessor to Queen Isabel
II.
G.J. Mendel publishes his work on
inheritance, first step of genetics
(laws about genetic inheritance).
End of the US Civil War. Abraham
Lincoln assassinated.
1866
San Gil barracks events.
Ostende Accord to expel the
Bourbon Monarchy.
Economic and financial crisis.
In August, he travels with the queen
to the Basque country. In December
he travels to Portugal. Preaches in
Ciudad Real, Mrida, Badajoz and
Lisbon.
War between Austria and Prussia.
Italy occupies Venice. First
successful transatlantic telegraph
cable between Europe and America.
A. Nobel invents dynamite.
1867
Railway between Barcelona and
Valencia via Tarragona.
Birth of musician Enrique
Granados.
On May 14, he travels to
Extremadura and in June to
Burgos. In October God reveals to
him about the amount time left in
his life: two years and ten
months.
British electoral reform.
Dual Monarchy Austria-Hungry.
Canada is declares independence
from the United Kingdom.
Karl Marx publishes the first
volume of his work Das Kapital.
USA buys Alaska from Russia.
1868
Military uprising of Admiral Juan
Bautista Topete in Cdiz.
September revolution that
suppresses the Bourbon Monarchy
(fall of Isabel II).
Beginning of the democratic period
of the Sexennium Revolution (until
1874).
Beginning of the first Cuban war
(the ten years war).
On May 31, he submits his
resignation as president of the
Escorial, which Isabel II accepts on
June 22. In August he travels with
the King and Queen to San
Sebastin. On September 30, the
Queen is exiled to France. Fr.
Claret accompanies her. He resides
in Pau (France). On November 6,
he arrives in Paris. Resides in the
End of the shogunate and triumph
of the Meiji revolution in Japan.
Discovery of prehistoric human
remains, Cro-Magnon man.
Patent of the typewriter (C.L.
Scholes).
Yangzhou riot-revolt against
missionary presence in China.
38
YEAR SPAIN CLARET WORLD
The peseta, new Spanish monetary
unit begun.
Freedom of association.
school of the Sisters of St. Joseph
of Bourg.
1869
New constitution, democratic,
monarchic based on national
sovereignty.
Serrano, regent, and Prim head of
government.
Establishment of an agency for the
Fomentation of National Production
Creation of nuclei of the
International (International
Working Mens Association) in
Spain.
Catalan federal republicans propose
a return to the Catalan-Aragon
confederation under a republican
state with a federal character.
Protectionist campaigns.
Establishment of the union: Las
Clases de Vapor.
In Paris he lives a poor and simple
life. March 30, he decides to
separate himself from the court.
Leaves Paris for Rome. On April 2,
he arrives in Rome. Is put up at the
rectory of the Mercedarians of San
Adrin, at the Roman Forum. On
April 24, Pius IX receives him. In
Rome he is dedicated to prayer,
study, writing, visiting hospitals,
preaching. The book Legoismo
vinto (Selfishness conquered) is
published in Italian. On December
8, he attends the opening of the
First Vatican Council.
Suez Canal inaugurated in Egypt.
On December 8 First Vatican
Council begins.
Mendeleievs Periodic Table of the
Elements.
First successful electric motor in
industry (Z. Gramme).
Birth of Mohandas Gandhi.
1870
Strong growth in organized worker
movements.
First Congress of Spanish Workers,
with the framework of the
International, in Barcelona (Worker
Congress of the Spanish Regional
Federation of the International
Workers Association). The thesis of
Mijail Bakunin is adopted.
Revolt against the obligation to
serve in the military.
Assassination of Juan Prim.
Queen Isabel abdicates from the
Spanish throne. Amadeo de
Saboya, King (parliamentary
monarchy) Death of Gustao Adolfo
Bcquer.
He continues his participation in
the Council. On May 31, he
delivers a moving address in
defense of infallibility. On July 23,
the Council is interrupted. He
arrives in Prades (France). On
August 6, he finds refuge in the
Cistercian monastery of Fontfroide,
near Narbonne, where he dies on
October 24, at 8:45 a.m. He was 62
years and 10 months. His funeral
was celebrated with simplicity on
October 27. His body was placed in
a tomb in the monastery cemetery.
On a simple memorial tablet were
engraved these words of St.
Gregory VII: I loved justice and
hated iniquity; for this I die in
exile.
Franco-Prussian War. Proclamation
of the III French Republic.
Italy occupies Rome.
Disappearance of the Papal States.
Principles of Psychology by H.
Spencer.
Death of C. Dickens. Tianjin
Massacre, attack on Catholic
institutions in China.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_motor39
GENERAL
INTRODUCTION
_________________
40
THE APOSTOLIC MISSION
OF SAINT ANTHONY MARY CLARET
I. An extraordinary mission
As the 19th century acquires historic perspective, the figure of Saint Anthony Mary Claret
is also finding its proper place. Clarets personality, made of contrasts, created an even more
contrasting circumstance: slandered and celebrated in his time, discussed and praised in the
beatification process with the obstructions of the devils advocate and the arguments of the
defense lawyers. These contrasts of light and shadow have helped little to reach an objective
vision of his mission and his real influence in the Church. Nevertheless, when it came to the
moment of truth, on the occasion of his beatification and the canonization, what the Supreme
Pontiffs Pius XI and Pius XII, said respectively, and which could have sounded like
extravagant praise due to the circumstances, is now repeated by historians from the viewpoint
of rigorous scientific objectivity.
Pius XI said that, among the providential men that God sends to His Church in
extraordinary circumstances, among the greatest men of the 19th century arose Anthony
Mary Claret.1 Pius XII proclaimed that Claret had served the Church up to the end of his life
more than anyone.2 Now, the historians express that Father Claret centers the Spanish 19th
century with his saintly and apostolic life.3 There is none more distinguished than Saint
Anthony Mary Claret among those who were dedicated to the rough task of improving the
customs and religiously instructing the people.4 The movement of evangelization to re-
catholicize the Spanish society is linked to Father Claret, apostle of Spain.5
Father Claret, at first sight called to be a popular missionary, had an extraordinary mission
in the Church because of his extraordinary gifts of the Spirit and because of his multiform
and submissive action in the same Spirit. From his self-identity as a missionaryconsecrated
and configured with Christ, the evangelizerhe had a prophetic vision of the world, of the
Church and of the urgent needs of his time. As a missionary, he endeavored to give an
appropriate response using the most effective methods and he stirred-up this same vision and
this same response in others: secular, religious and priests, inspired by this same apostolic
spirit.
II. Claret, apostolic missionary
1 PIUS XI, Apostolic Letters Magnus vocabitur, February 25, 1934: AAS 26 (1934) 174. 2 PIUS XII, Litterae decretales: Beato Antonio Mariae Claret, confessori Pontifici Sanctorum honores
decernuntur: Quos Spiritus Sanctus, May 7, 1950: AAS 44 (1952) 351. 3 JIMNEZ DUQUE, BALDOMERO, Espiritualidad y apostolado, en: BAC, Historia de la Iglesia en Espaa. V: La
Iglesia en la Espaa contempornea (1808-1975) (Madrid 1979) p. 468. 4 MONTALBN, FRANCISCO JAVIER, Historia de la Iglesia catlica, V: BAC (Madrid 1953) p. 607. 5 CARR, RAYMOND, Espaa. 1808-1939 (Barcelona 1970) p. 280. (cf. R. Carr, Spain, 1808-1975, USA,
Oxford Univerity Press; 2nd edition, 1982.)
41
In the first biography of Anthony Mary Claret, written a year after his death, Fr. Francisco
de Asis Aguilar, well-informed about the Saint as a friend and collaborator, gave him his first
title on the books cover and with highlighted typography, that of the apostolic missionary,
leaving in second place, and in smaller type, that of Archbishop of Santiago of Cuba and
Trajanpolis.6 This fact is very significant, because apostolic missionary describes the most
authentic and profound personality of Anthony Mary Claret.
Apostolic missionary, in its original and legal sense, means a priest sent by the Apostolic
See to raise-up the Church where it is not established; it also means a priest recommended by
the Apostolic See as Ordinary of an established Church with the canonical mission of
animating or re-evangelizing it.7 Claret obtained the title of apostolic missionary ad honorem
in 1841; but for him it was not an honorific title, but a definition of his being, a recognition of
his charisma and a commitment with the Church.8
For Claret, to be an apostolic missionary means to be one who continues in the mission of
Jesus Christ, the Son sent by the Father, and of the Apostles, sent by Jesus Christ to the whole
world to make God known as Father and to raise-up his Kingdom through the announcement
of the Gospel. First, he was sent to the universal mission of the Church. Because of this, he
found the boundaries of a parish to be too narrow,9 likewise, those of a diocese, no matter
how vast it would have been, such as that of Santiago of Cuba,10 and also those of a country,
when exercising the role as confessor to Isabel II.11 Universal mission is in the widest
geographic sense: the salvation of all the inhabitants of the world,12 and in sense of classes:
hierarchy and faithful, saints and sinners, evangelized and evangelizers, rich and poor, wise
and ignorant, kings and vassals.
In second place, the evangelizing mission. The Word is the first means, so to speak, of
salvation. Among the elements of the apostolic ministry magisterium or prophecy,
sanctification and shepherding, Claret felt called to favor, by vocation and in an integrated
manner, the first: magisterium; but through evangelization and prophecy: the Word that
converts and transforms. Because of this, when it was in his hands, he renounced being a
parish priest and sacramental maintenance in favor of missionary, and for the same reasons,
itinerant evangelization.13
In third place, he chose evangelical witness, according to the lifestyle of Jesus and the
Twelve. Itinerancy brings with it poverty, and he felt the call to live it in a concrete manner,
following exactly the letter of the Gospel: he traveled on foot and with no supplies, and, to be
totally free to preach, he did not wish to be a burden, and did not accept money for the
ministry.14 In Cuba, where distances demanded a means of transportation, he adopted the
horse, but bought at a very low price and which he sold at the end of the missions so as not
to defraud the poor with its maintenance.15 At the beginning, he lived this radical life as a
6 AGUILAR, FRANCISCO DE ASS, Vida del Excmo. e Ilmo. Sr. D. Antonio Mara Claret, misionero apostlico
(Madrid 1871). 7 Urbaniana, Sylloge (Roma 1939) 13, III. 8 HD, I, pp. 271-397. 9 Annales CMF 35 (1939) 165. 10 Besides, I would thus be tying myself down to a single archdiocese, whereas my spirit goes out to all the
world. (letter to papal nuncio Brunelli, August 12, 1849: SL, 179). 11 Autob. n. 762. 12 Constituciones CMF, 1857, n. 2. 13 Autob. nn. 193, 460. 14 Autob. Doc. VII, 2. 15 Cf. Report of Marqus de la Pezuela to the Director General of Ultramar: Havana, February 7, 1854: AHN
Ultramar leg. 1662, n. 81. Photocopy: CESC-Vic: FC-H 3.
42
lonely pioneer. Afterwards, the Lord gave him the possibility of living in community, in the
likeness of the evangelizing community of Jesus and the disciples.16
This way of understanding the apostolic mission is not the fruit of study, but of an
experience of the Spirit and of a charismatic reading of the Gospel, of a personal identity with
Jesus Christ the evangelizer. It is the fruit of much soul-searching prayer, and likewise he was
only able to accomplish it by responding with much prayer and meekness to the Spirit.
As a missionary, he felt possessed by the Spirit, which had consecrated him to evangelize
the poor and heal those of a contrite heart.17 This possession was so full, that he felt like an
instrumentarrow, horn; from another came the strength and the drive, or the wind;18 at
times, up to the roar of thunder. The spirit was the charity of Christ, which stirred in him the
intimacy of the Father or pushed him in all directions in search of sinners who had gone
astray.19
He knew through the Gospel, inherent in the Spirit and through the life he lived, that
Christ the evangelizer is a sign of contradiction, and therefore, hardships, slanders, and
persecutions, are the badge of the apostle.20 Claret experienced this in slander, forged
writings, cartoons, songs, shows; in threats and intimidation, including a bloody attempt on
his life.21
A Chapter book of the Tarragona Cathedral has left us this suggestive portrait of the
apostolic missionary in his first years: Anthony Claret, apostolic missionary, accomplishes
his mission in the towns to where he is called and sent by the prelates. He is thirty-eight years
old, a truly apostolic man, of great zeal and fervor, tireless and extraordinary. He is always on
foot; does not accept money or gifts under any pretext. His work is imponderable, because
from four oclock in the morning up until the time he goes to bed, he hardly has time to pray
and take necessary food, always going from the confessional to the pulpit and from the pulpit
to the confessional.22
III. Missionary vision
An outstanding characteristic of Claret was his sensibility to understand the popular soul,
his capacity to enter into communion and share the feelings of the people, the fruit of his gifts
of human goodness and apostolic zeal.23 His evangelization did not spring from a laboratory
of self-sufficiency, which drives his methods and programs, but from that which comes
forward from a vision of reality. A vision that sprung from the eyes of the heart, ignited by
apostolic zeal.
When Father Claret showed himself to the people, the first thing he saw and felt was the
hatred between brothers, triggered by the question of succession to the throne, but which had
deeper roots. The consequences, in addition to death, fires and pilferage, were fear, sadness
and sorrows, and psychic diseases.24
16 Autob. nn. 488-491. 17 Autob. nn. 685 and 118. 18 Cf. Declaration of D. Carmelo Sala: IPT ses. 3, art. 58. 19 Autob. nn. 439-488. 20 Autob. n. 427. 21 Autob. nn. 573-584,798. 22 HD, I, p. 227. 23 MONTSONIS, S. DE, Un segle de vida catalana (Barcelona 1961) II, p. 786. 24 Autob. nn. 288, 291.
43
He saw, in spite of all this, that the people kept their faith, though dimly lit, due to a
general illiteracy and a lack of catechists and proper catechisms.25 These believing people
were sinners because the three concupiscences had been triggered by the same passionate
environment as the war.26 On the other hand, the ministers of pardon, influenced by a baroque
pastoral style and even by Jansenism, terrorized, but did not convert.27 There were also social
causes that had negative consequences upon popular piety, among them, industrialization,
with all its problems of urban concentration, of injustices, of recriminations. He himself, who
had experienced the enthusiasm of manufacturing as a specialist and the progress of being a
worker in a large factory in Barcelona, had also seen how it breaks from Christianity when it
serves greed, and, by the same token, is converted into oppression.28
Another conquest of technology steam locomotion was also going to have a strong
impact on society. The railroad made possible the transportation of the masses previously
anchored to their native soil with their customs and traditions as norms of life, but without
deep prin