Claretian Formation

FR. MARTIN ALSINA AND THE INCREASE OF THE CONGREGATION (1906-1922)

Death of Fr. Serrat and new Superior General

On January 6, 1906 Fr. Clement Serrat unexpectedly died in Segovia. The X General Chapter of the Congregation was convoked and celebrated in Aranda de Duero from June 5 to 17. In this Chapter Fr. Martin Alsina, till then Subdirector of the Institute, was elected as the new Superior General. The only novelty in the Government was the inclusion of Fr. Antony Naval, Francis’ brother. Until 1912, the quarters of the General Government would continue in Aranda de Duero.

The Revision of the Constitutions

As soon as the new government was elected, it began to work on the preparation of an improved text of the Constitutions. The new draft would be ready by April 1910, to be studied in the General Chapter of 1912.

The “divine pious motion”

In 1906 the new Fr. General wrote his first circular to the Congregation, entitled Remedies against Dissatisfaction in Religion. He had observed that dissatisfaction was one of the main evils that affected the missionaries and their vocational fidelity. As a remedy he proposed the “divine pious motion,” which was not a matter of intelligence but of will, of practical fidelity and dedication to one’s vocation. We could say that it was a call to joy and happiness.

The Quasi-Province of Chile

From 1905 to 1912 Chile was a Quasi-Province ad experimentum. In this period it had two Major Superiors: Fr. Thomas Sesé until 1909 and Fr. Anselm Santesteban until 1912. During the first mandate the new foundation of Ovalle (1907) was made. During the second, the orientation was changed and efforts were basically dedicated to the consolidation of the communities. However, the Congregation also expanded with new foundations in Bolivia (Cochabamba) and Peru (Lima), both in 1910; to these, that of Cocharcas (Peru) would be added in 1912.

The Quasi-Province of Argentina-Brazil

With Fr. Zacharias Iglesias at the helm, the Quasi-Province of Argentina-Brazil continued till 1908, when it was divided in two, in a climate of expansion. In Argentina foundations were made in Cordoba in 1906, in Tránsito in 1907 and in Bahía Blanca in 1908. Also in 1908 the first foundation was made in Uruguay, concretely in Montevideo. In Brazil the foundations of Curitiva (1906) and Rio de Janeiro and Porto Alegre (1907) were made.

In 1808 two independent Quasi-provinces were erected: Argentina-Uruguay and Brazil. In Argentina, Fr. Mariano Sahún was elected Major Superior in 1909. His priority concern was the consolidation of past foundations. However there were also new foundations in this period, like Goya (1911) and Mendoza (1912). In Brazil Fr. Joachim Bestué, from Lisbon, was elected Vice-Provincial Superior; he soon erected the foundations of Bahía (1909), Belo Horizonte and Livramento (1811).

The Visitorship of Mexico-North America

Fr. Raymond Prat continued as Vice-Provincial till the Provincial Chapter of 1909, when he was replaced by Fr. Felix A. Cepeda. During this period the houses of Querétaro (1908) and Tépic (1910) were founded and a push was given to the foundations in the United States: San Fernando (1907), San Gabriel (1908), San Antonio (1909) and Los Angeles (1910).

The Prefecture of Chocó

A series of circumstances made Fr. Martin Alsina decide to assume in 1909 the missions of Chocó, which would later give much glory to the Congregation. It was a vast territory with two provinces: San Juan and Atrato, with Istmina and Quibdó as capitals. Fr. John Gil, who was from Segovia and at the time Superior of Plasencia, was appointed first Apostolic Prefect. The first difficulties were immense and only men of untiring zeal could have been able to overcome them. Some of them however had to pay for the great effort with their own life, among them the Apostolic Prefect himself, who died shortly after drafting his first report. He was replaced with Fr. Francis Gutiérrez.

Soon they saw the need to found a community that would act as bridge and Procure for the mission, and Cartagena was selected for this purpose in 1909. The community of Bogotá was founded in 1912 with the same objectives. Here, at the request of the bishop, they assumed the responsibility of the Shrine of the National Vow to the Heart of Jesus, with Fr. Antony Pueyo, Consultor of the Province of Betica, in charge; later on, he would be appointed bishop of Pasto.

Equatorial Guinea

It would be impossible to describe all the works of the Missionaries in Equatorial Guinea in the course of time. But we cannot help stating here the names that will forever form part of this great Claretian epic: Batete-María Cristina, San Carlos, Musola, Concepción, Basilé, Banapá and Santa Isabel, as well as the islands of Corisco and Annobón. More important would be to consign here the names of those who gave up their life in this generous undertaking, but selecting just a few names would be unfair, and writing all of them up, too long. Let it suffice to say that all these efforts were somehow rewarded with the creation of the Seminary and the growth of the magazine “La Guinea Española.”

Missionary Expansion of the Congregation

During these years many expeditions were sent to America and Africa. The Congregation was fully missionary. The Propagation of the Faith assigned to it the missionary care of the Lower California, and the territories of Río de Oro in Africa. Many were the foundations, but many more were the offers received, which had to be rejected: The Prefecture of Arauca, the Apostolic Vicariate of Pará (Brazil), the Islands of Providence and of San Andrés…

Foundations in Spain and Portugal

The Congregation continued expanding in Spain: Seville (1906), result of the efforts of Fr. Pueyo, a man who greatly shone in the beginnings of the Betica Province. Cartagena (1906), San Fernando (1908), Berga (1909), Beire and Baltar (1910), El Ferrol, Salvatierra, Játiva…

In Portugal, however, the revolution in 1910 expelled all the missionaries; they would return however in 1920, this time to Freineda.

“Illustration of the clergy”

The section dedicated to priests in “El Iris de Paz” gained so much following that in 1906 it was deemed convenient to create a specific magazine for them, “Ilustración del Clero.” From the very beginning the acceptance was great both in Spain and in Latin America. Later on it would develop to become the present “Misión Abierta.”

The Mirror of the Postulant

This small directory for the postulants, which Fr. Alsina adopted for all the postulants of the Congregation, has neither an author’s name nor a date of publication. Through other sources we know that Fr. Raymond Ribera wrote it in Vic for the postulants of that centre in 1907. Several editions were made, and in 1962 it was adapted with the name of “Manual del Seminarista Claretiano [Manual of the Claretian Seminarian].”

Situation of the Congregation in 1912

In this year there were 112 houses in the whole Congregation, with a total of 1,633 professed members and 120 novices. Since the death of Fr. Xifré, the number of houses had almost doubled, but not the number of professed members who were 1,368 in 1899. The formation centres had been stabilised and there was already a Plan and Ordination of Studies. At last, the General and Provincial organisms had been consolidated.

Internal Events in the Institute

On April 28, 1912 the XI General Chapter of the Congregation began in Vic, and lasted till May 31. In it, Fr. Martin Alsina was again elected Superior General. In This Chapter the suppression of the general consultors for the provinces was requested, the Quasi-Provinces were definitively established, the regime of the Provinces was discussed, the coat of arms of the Congregation was changed and the abbreviated name of “missionaries” was adopted.

The following year the “General Dispositions” of the Chapter were published and the Constitutions were translated into Spanish.

Due to juridical and governmental requirements and interests, the General quarters were transferred from Aranda de Duero to Madrid in the year 1913.

First Foundations in Central Europe: England, Germany and France

In 1912, after untiring efforts of Fr. Raymond Genover, finally the foundation in London (Hayes) was effected, thanks to the zeal of Fr. Pueyo.

Very different was the road that led to the foundation in Trieste, city that belonged to the then Austrian-Hungarian Empire, which in turn led to the birth of the Congregation in Germany. In 1908, a young German youth had arrived from Italy to Spain, soliciting acceptance in the Congregation. He was admitted in the noviciate of Cervera. A “Memoria” about the Institute was drafted there and, translated into German, was sent to some German centres. The petitions were not slow in coming, and in 1912 there were no less than 22 German postulants. This precipitated the desire to found in Germany. The already experienced Fr. Genover was sent for this purpose and, after going through Germany and Austria, he ended up in Trieste, where the foundation was established in 1912.

In November of 1913, after long negotiations and preparations, a foundation was also started in Paris, a place with many Claretian echoes, due to the presence of the Founder there toward the end of his life.

Political Events

The main political events that affected the Congregation in this period took place in Mexico and Europe. In 1914 the Carranza revolution triumphed, and the missionaries had to flee. This revolution provided the Congregation with the opportunity to offer the second martyr, Bro. Mariano González, who was shot in Toluca on August 22, 1914.

In Europe the First World War flared up, which only economically affected the Congregation.

Again in Cuba

In the year 1918 the Claretian missionaries established themselves anew in Cuba, but this time in Palma Soriano. By then, the memory of Fr. Claret had been quite lost, in spite of the fact that the Saint had visited that city twice, the second time accompanied by Blessed Stephen of Andoaín.

Brief Statistics

The main increase was in personnel. In 1922 the Congregation had 1,943 members (not counting the 834 postulants), among them 3 Bishops and one Apostolic Prefect. Till then, 2 Bishops, 388 Priests, 244 Students and 283 Brothers had died, or a total of 917. There were 10 Provinces and Vice-Provinces with 154 houses: Catalonia, Castile, Betica, Chile, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Guinea and USA.