Who are the Claretians?

We are a Congregation of Missionaries founded by St. Anthony Mary Claret on July 16, 1849, in Vic, Spain, together with Frs. Stephen Sala, Joseph Xifré, Dominic Fabregas, Jaime Clotet, Manuel Vilaro.

The official name of our congregation is the Congregation of Missionaries Sons of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, commonly known as Claretians.

A CLARETIAN is a Son of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, a man on fire with love who spreads its flames wherever he goes. He desires mightily and strives, by all means possible, to set everyone on fire with God’s love. Nothing daunts him: he delights in privations, welcomes work, embraces sacrifices, smiles at slander, rejoices in all the torments and sorrows he suffers, and glories in the cross of Jesus Christ. His only concern is how he may follow Christ and imitate him in praying, working, enduring, and striving constantly and solely for the greater glory of God and the salvation of humankind.

At the end of our names, we put the C.M.F., the acronym for the Latin words Cordis Mariae Filius which means Son of the Heart of Mary.

We are Missionaries. The Mission belongs to the core of our most fundamental identity. We have received from the Spirit a charism that conforms us to Jesus and makes us similar to the apostles, in a communion of life, totally dedicated to the Father and to the Kingdom (cf. CC 3-4). One hundred and fifty years ago, our Claretian community experienced a great joy when the Church approved our Constitutions and recognized, with joy, that our Congregation of Missionaries is a gift of the Spirit. Today, also with great joy, we proclaim gratefully with Mary the greatness of the Lord.

We are Missionaries “with Spirit.” We have been graced with a particular spirituality, inherited from St. Anthony Mary Claret and from our rich tradition. As Sons of the Heart of Mary, we are called to be men open to the Spirit, led by him and always docile to his motions; men on fire with love.

We are listeners and Servants of the Word of God. Our charismatic heritage defines us as “listeners and servants of the Word”. We are in the Church and in society an echo of Claret (cf. Aut 686), passionate minister of the Gospel in season and out of season, using all means at his disposal. We, like Mary, as Sons of her Heart, want to welcome and meditate upon the Word in our hearts and to proclaim it with passion.

We are missionaries in Community. As witnesses and messengers of the joy of the Gospel, in apostolic community, we strive to have a common vision in addressing the human peripheries that challenge us in every place to have an attitude of missionary outreach.

We are sent to evangelize listening to the poor. One cannot be Claretian if he acts as if the poor did not exist. Nor can he be Claretian without denouncing unfair structures, fighting against the system that subjugates the poor and proposing alternatives. For our Congregation the dimension of “evangelizing with others”, multiplying evangelizing leaders, and shared mission is an indispensable charismatic trait (cf. CC 3, 7, 48) that we understand and carry out in various ways.

We are open to the Whole World in Prophetic Dialogue. Dialogue takes different forms: dialogue as presence – living more than doing–, inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue which promotes peace and reconciliation; dialogue with creation that leads to ecological conversion. In this dialogue we live the announcement and the denouncement that is part of prophecy, a dialogue which we also extend to the new digital continent and to the new generations of youth to evangelize and to be evangelized. We are men on fire with love (charity) and “dialogue is the new name of charity” (VC 74).

We DREAM of a pilgrim Congregation, rooted in faith in Jesus Christ and in Claretian spirituality.

We DREAM like Claret of a Congregation that, following the example of Mary, treasures in its heart, fulfills and proclaims the Word of God.

We DREAM of a Congregation of Missionaries who share our lives, diversity, and resources in communities shaped by the mission and ministries God has entrusted to us. We encourage and accompany one another as brothers through mutual listening, without excluding anyone.

We DREAM of a Congregation, audacious and itinerant, that, sent by the Spirit of the Lord (cf. Lk 4:18; Acts 8:28, 39) goes forth towards the peripheries, approaches the youth, walks with them, and encourages them to respond to the call of God. We DREAM of a Congregation that has as its starting point the biblical animation of all pastoral ministry (cf. VD 73), evangelizes with all possible means in shared mission, interreligious dialogue, and the intelligent use of the various forms of communication media.

We DREAM of a Congregation committed to universal brotherhood (Fratelli tutti), justice, peace, and the care of the common home (Laudato si’). In a spirit of synodality, we collaborate with people of different cultures, ethnicities, and religions for the transformation of the world in accord with God’s plan (cf. CC 46).

We DREAM of a Congregation prepared to respond to new challenges through an integral and continuous process of formation, open to the universal mission, according to the spirit and charism of our Father Founder.

We are present in 70 countries around the world dedicated to rendering quality education, publishing of bibles and religious books, run parishes, uplifting and helping in the social welfare of the people and the care of our common home.