MARCH

14

1848. Claret arrives in Las Palmas, the Canary Islands with Bishop Codina.

1852. From Cuba, Claret sends a congratulatory letter to the French writer, Abbe Jean-Joseph Gaume, for some of his publications, which deserve high regard.

1868. In a letter to Fr. Joseph Xifre, Claret approves the foundation in La Selva del Camp (Tarragona) if the Jesuits leave the convent of San Agustin. Claret wants the communities of his missionaries to have independence and intimacy.

EXPANSION (1906-1922)

DEATH OF FR. SERRAT AND NEW SUPERIOR GENERAL

On January 6, 1906, Fr. Clement Serrat died unexpectedly in Segovia, therefore a new General Chapter, the 10th of the Congregation, had to be convened. It was held in Aranda de Duero (Burgos) from June 5th to 17th. Fr. Martin Alsina, who was elected as the new Superior General (1906-1922), had been Sub-Director General up until that point. The only change in the Government was the inclusion of Fr. Antonio Naval, brother of Fr. Francisco Naval, which required a certain legal discernment in favor of the election of the two brothers within the same General Government. They took advantage of the Chapter to modify some points of the General Rule. Norms were given for the election of Major Superiors as well as for the representatives to the General Chapter. In June, the new Father General wrote his first Circular letter requesting everyone to observe the norms and provisions of the Rule and asking for prayers and collaboration in his new position. The headquarters of the General Government remained in Aranda de Duero until 1913.

Antonio Peinador, CMF

Missionary and Moral Theologian (1904-1978)

Valoria de Alcor (Palencia, Spain). He dedicated his life fundamentally to teaching as a moral theologian. He taught in the center of theology in Zafra, in the International College of Albano, Italy, and the Pontifical University of Salamanca, where he became Vice-Rector. He published several volumes and wrote frequently in the magazine Vida Religiosa, of which he was director for six years. He was a peritus in the Second Vatican Council, which altered his discourse somewhat, but did not stop it entirely. He died on March 14th in Loja (Granada). He was the author of Cursus Brevior Theologiae Moralis which, despite the qualification of brevior, consisted of five volumes. It was an obligatory citation in subjects of morality, of ecclesiology and of states of perfection. He knew how to spice up his classes with the joy of knowledge and timely speech. He was an observant religious and a community brother who was simple and open to dialogue. He always tried to preserve the spirit before the letter of the law. In his classes, his tone was simple, colloquial, open and spontaneous.

The Example of Jesus Christ

I am ever more deeply impressed at the thought of Jesus moving from town to town, preaching everywhere -not just in big cities, but in little villages and even to a single woman. When he spoke to the Samaritan woman, he was tired and thirsty from traveling, and the moment was as inconvenient for him as it was for the woman. (Aut 221)

From the very beginning I have been thrilled by the preaching style of Jesus. What comparisons! What parables! I decided to imitate him with comparisons, similes and a simple style. And how He was persecuted! He was a sign of contradiction, persecuted for his teaching, his works, and his very person. Finally, they took his life amid affronts, torments, and insults, making Him suffer the most shameful and painful death imaginable. (Aut 222)

FOR PERSONAL REFLECTION

 

  • Is Jesus Christ really the center of your life?
  • What impacts you most about the missionary life of Jesus Christ?
  • Can you say, as Saint Paul did, that the love of Christ impels you? (Cf. 2 Cor 5:14).
  • What has helped you most in your adherence to Jesus Christ?
  • To whom have you made him known?

 

“Knowledge of the catechism is the foundation for the whole edifice
of religious and moral instruction.”

(Aut 275).

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