The Congregations in the Church are often compared to a beautiful flowergarden with a variety of flowers spreading out fragrances. Each flower plant has its own uniqueness and specific characteristics. The Creator has had his purpose in crating these different varieties in the garden which is the Church. We take here one flower out of the many : the Claretian Congregation. What is the specific fragrance of this flower ? Who planted this flower plant with the original inspiration? Is this plant still flourishing?

Around the year 1812 in a village in Catalonia, Spain, a small boy used to spend sleepless nights thinking of a truth which was very hard for him to digest: those who die in mortal sin are forever condemned. He used to ask himself: " Are they forever condemned, to a whole eternity, forever? What can I do to save these unfortunate ones from being condemned forever?"

A room in the diocesan seminary of Vic becomes the meeting place for 6 priests, on July 16, 1849. Their leader is a priest of very short status – Mosen Antony Claret. His intent with these 5 likeminded priests : founding a missionary society to actualise the childhood question: to save the unfortunate ones……… And Mosen Claret exclaims prophetically like a great visionary: " Today we commence a great work." This foundation takes place on the feast of the Holy Cross and the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. These are Christ-centered and Mary-centered people whom our Lord and Blessed Virgin send and protect in their missionary endeavour. Their combat is against the power and principalities which originate darkness in this world. Their is to enlighten people with the Good News of liberation of Jesus Christ, the missionary of the Father and to satiate the parched tongues with life-giving water of God’s Word.

Later as Archbishop Claret becomes very in proclaiming the World of God and defends the papal infallibility, more emphatically in the aula of the first Vatican council.

This missionary Archbishop has done marvellous services of the World in Cuba and Spain, preaching more than 25,000 sermons in his pastoral and apostolic ministry, writing some 120 books, founding a publishing house which has produced more than 4 million books and pamphlets, founding the Academy of St. Michael foe Spanish intellectuals and a seminary and high school at the Escorial.