INTRODUCTION

1.  Formation in the Congregation has received from the beginning a priority attention. So much so that, from the Founder himself, there has been in the Congregation a strong formative tradition, both oral and written. This tradition has been transmitted to the various generations of formators and has been continuously enriched with the teachings of the General Chapters and the Superiors, as well as with experience, the interchange among the formation centres and the commentaries to the Constitutions.

In the same way, our formation has ever been perfectly oriented and organised by means of well ordered and planned formative instruments. The Regulations written by our Fr. Founder, the directives of Frs. Xifré and Clotet, the diverse study plans, the decisions of the General Chapters and some of the circulars of the Superiors General, together with the various Constitutions, Dispositions and Codex Iuris Additicii (CIA), have been the sources that have inspired our formators in the fulfilment of their formative mission. This fact has always been very clear in the congregational awareness.

Fr. Martin Alsina acknowledged that we have in the Congregation all the necessary means for a good, integral formation:

“Thanks to God, in the Congregation we lack none of the necessary means for a good scientific, religious and apostolic formation. We have Superiors, Teachers, Constitutions and dispositions to form our will in such a way as to seek what is good and seek it steadfastly. We have Professors, conferences and good books to illustrate and educate our intelligence. We have models to imitate and not a few examples to admire. What else is needed? Our personal work.”1 

Years later, insisting on and developing the same idea, Fr. Nicholas García stated:

“The Claretian Missionary should not beg from other Institutes (formative) ways, methods, activities. All these things are worthy of respect but they are not his way or his type, because God has not given him that way of being and acting, but rather the way He inspired to the Blessed Father Founder. The formators should have a clear, precise, lively idea of Claretian form, Claretian asceticism, Claretian apostolate, Claretian being and acting. That being, that acting and that form are clear in our Holy Constitutions, in our additional Code, in the circular letters of the Superiors General; they are in our tradition (…). They will find that form aglow in the life of our Blessed Father Founder and in the lives of the Co-Founders, in the ascetical books written by our members, in the Spirit of the Congregation, Notes for the Coadjutor Brothers, Regulations for our schools, studies, Noviciates; Regulations for Missions and Spiritual Exercises, Instructions to Superiors, Professors, Teachers, etc….”2 

And the XV General Chapter of 1949, speaking on, non-academic, spiritual formation, affirmed:

“(The Chapter) has acknowledged that in this matter we have a magnificent theory: an exceptional chapter indeed, inspired on the Holy Constitutions, chapter XXV of part I, –De Scholasticis–, in addition to others devoted to the Novices, Novicemasters, and Prefects of Students. Moreover, there are very wise norms in our CODEX, which compiles the experiences of Experimental Psychology, as well as thorough circular letters from the Superiors General. The last General Chapter too gave practical norms for the formation of the personnel (…).”3  

2.  Although I have not directly dealt on the Constitutions,4  nevertheless they have been present throughout the General Chapters, dispositions, circulars and formative documents. In addition, on the one hand, our Constitutions included in the constitutional text many of the orientations given by our Fr. Founder and by Frs. Xifré and Clotet. And, on the other, they gave rise to our legislation in the matter of formation and to many other future orientations with regard to their interpretation as well as their practical application.

3. In principle, I have dealt exclusively on the vocational theme and on the process of initial formation. In some particular case I have touched on permanent formation when it was fit to emphasise a formative initiative of special importance.

When referring to a General Chapter, circular or document I have tried, in most cases, to set it in a context briefly with the motives and reasons that gave rise to them. Moreover, I have paid attention only to the vocational and formative dimension. In the development of the contents I have not been exhaustive; I have underscored the more universal and central aspects and I have compiled whatever has a clear reference to the whole Congregation. I have not made a complete study of each historical phase or a critical analysis of the superiors general, the general chapters or the documents. This work should be done later on by means of more profound monographic studies.5 

4. The division of the different chapters corresponds to conventional periods with a certain significance and unity.

The first chapter corresponds to the first organisation of formation, while our Fr. Founder was still alive (1849-1870). The second, to the period of incumbency of Fr. Joseph Xifré as General, which was very fruitful in vocational and formative material, already without the physical presence of Claret (1871-1899). Chapter 3 comprises the period of the Superiors General Clement Serrat and Martin Alsina (1899-1922) until 1922, coinciding with the beginning of a new stage of renewal. Chapters 4 and 5 include a very long and very dense period embracing the governance of the Superiors General Nicholas García, Philip Maroto and Peter Schweiger until the Vatican Council II (1922-1966). Chapter 6 refers to a very transcendental period and deals in great depth with the postconciliar renewal period (1967-1997). And chapter 7 is dedicated to the General Plan of Formation as a culminating moment of the postconciliar period (1994).

And within each chapter, when we refer to a Superior General in a particular context, we are referring to his teaching, normally expressed in his circulars. We exclude the vocational and formative documents published during his time. These are dealt with under a different section.