Claretian Missionaries of the U.S. Western Province

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Click here to learn about the upcoming VOCATION EVENTS in your area.

CLARETIAN UPDATES (click here)

CLARETIANS ELECT NEW USA PROVINCIAL AND COUNCIL

Claretian Missionaries held their first USA Provincial Chapter during the third week of August in Chicago. The USA province was born on February 2, 2011 during an assembly of 80 Claretian Missionaries serving in the United States. The new province is the fruit of efforts of Claretian Missionaries who arrived in this country from Spain and Mexico in 1902. The missionaries served Mexican immigrants in San Antonio, Los Angeles, and Chicago, Illinois. (click here to read more...)

FATHER ALOYSIUS ELLACURIA MEMORIAL MASS

The 30th Annual Memorial Mass for Father Aloysius Ellacuria, C.M.F. was held at his grave site at the Old Mission in San Gabriel, San Gabriel, California, Saturday, April 9, 2011.

FATHER ALBERTO RUIZ, C.M.F.

MISSION IN SOUTH SUDAN

FATHER EDWARD WIDMER, C.M.F.

1922-2010

Funeral Mass and Burial took place Thursday, February 11, 2010 at San Gabriel Mission, San Gabriel, CA, for Father Edward Widmer, CMF , 87, a Claretian Missionary for 70 years, who died after several months of declining health on February 11, 2010 in San Gabriel, CA. (read more...)

HAITI EARTHQUAKE RELIEF

In light of the recent events in Haiti, I would like us all to join together to support our Claretian brothers, families and friends who are suffering in the aftermath of the devastation the earthquake caused. Our Province will be sending financial assistance to our brothers in Haiti in response to the current situation. If you or anyone you may know, would like to make a donation to the Haiti earthquake relief fund, please send your donations to the Claretian Provincial Office at 10203 Lower Azusa Road, Temple City, CA 91780 ; we will take care of sending all the funds to the relief effort in Haiti. Please keep our Claretian brothers in Haiti, their family, friends, and the Haitian people in your prayers during these difficult times. Please click here for further updates on the Haiti Earthquake Relief effort.

Joint Assembly of the US Eastern and Western Provinces, Sierra Madre, CA

"Rekindling our Fire in the USA"

Please keep all the Claretian Missionaries from the Eastern and Western Provinces in your prayers; They will gather for a week long Assembly, January 4-8, 2010, to further discuss, reflect, and pray for the unification of the U.S. Provinces.

BARRIOS UNIDOS EN CRISTO

A CLARETIAN PROJECT IN THE CITY OF JUAREZ

Social condition of Barrio Youth (read more...)

FATHER QUYEN NGUYEN, FIRST VIETNAMESE CLARETIAN

The Claretians ordained Father Quyen Nguyen, the very first Vietnamese priest in their order’s 158-year history. Several others from Quyen’s native land are also following the same path, pursuing their studies for the priesthood and brotherhood in the Claretian seminaries of Saigon and Manila .

The Claretian bishop of Lubbock, Texas, Placido Rodriguez, ordained Father Quyen Nguyen at San Gabriel Mission Parish, in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, California during the 11:00 a.m. mass on Saturday, August 4, 2007 in the presence of a large assembly of family, friends, fellow parishioners and brother Claretians.

Thanks to last minute interventions his aged mother was finally able to obtain a visa in Vietnam to travel to the USA and be present on the day of her 46-year-old son’s entrance into the priesthood.

The rest of Father Quyen’s family is still in Vietnam . He himself was one of the last to escape his war torn native land in 1979 as an 18-year-old boat refugee.

Vincentian Father Augustine Bihn Nguyen, whom Quyen met at St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo , directed him to the Claretians, whose multi-ethnic parish in SanGabriel , California , hosts a very large Vietnamese community. Claretian Father Bert Billet was the vocation director who admitted him into the Claretian formation program as a seminarian.

Quyen studied first at the Claretian houses of studies at Oblate College in San Antonio , Texas , and later at the Chicago Theological Union, Chicago , Illinois with several other young Claretians preparing to be missionaries to the US and other parts of the world.

This missionary community, founded by St. Anthony Mary Claret in Spain in 1849, now has 3,110 members announcing the Gospel in every part of the world, and putting it into action in 66 different countries, with China , Indonesia and Vietnam among the newest areas of attention.