"... so that Fr. Aloysius be more widely known and loved ..."
News for 2009
Trip to Rome & Spain
(Rome, Italy - May 1-7)
+ Conference with P. Vicente Pecharroman, C.M.F.
Claretian Procurator General for Causes of Saints.
+ Guest of Legionaries at their seminary in Rome.
+ Meetings with staffers at Congregation of Clergy, Ecclesia Dei, Doctrine of the Faith.
+ Through staff at the Congregation of Saints I received contact information for P. Javier Carnerero Penalver, O.SS.T. the Procurator of the Trinitarians. He is responsible for the cause of Blessed Domingo Iturrate. Blessed Domingo was a Trinitarian priest. He died when he was about 28 years old. He is buried in Algorta, Vizkaia, near Bilbao. I met his nephew, the current pastor of the parish church in Algorta where Blessed Domingo is buried. Domingo was a childhood friend of Fr. Aloysius. He lived in Dima, about 40 minutes walk through a mountain path to the Ellacuria family home.
+ Conversation with Cardinal Bernard Law regarding the late Cardinal Juan Jesus Posadas of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Posadas was murdered at the Guadalajara Airport in May, 1993. The Mexican Bishop's Conference considers this was a religious assassination ordered by members of the federal government in the presidency of Carlos Salinas de Gotari.
(Bilboa, Spain, May 8 - 13)
Met with members of Ellacuria family, including nephew Fr. Juan Luis Ibarrondo, CMF, visited family home, parish church, researched Basque heritage, Basilica of Our Lady of Begona.
During visit I was shadowed by documentary film maker Norman Servais of South Africa. Met with nephew of Blessed Domingo Itrurrate, Trinitarian childhood friend of Fr. Aloysius. These two were playmates before Aloysius entered the Claretians. Visited Burgos and various Spanish towns just south of Bizkaia.
Annual Memorial Mass
(San Gabriel Mission - April 4, 2009)
The Claretian Missionares and the Missionaries of Fatima sponsored a well attended 28th Anniversary Memorial Mass in honor of Fr. Aloysius Ellacuria, C.M.F. on Saturday, April 4, 2009. This was the first time I had been at this annual Mass. I was heartened that the Claretian Missionaries of the Western Province, through the wonderful talents of Fr. John Raab, CMF, did a great job of organizing the event. I thank Fr. John for asking me to lead the Holy Rosary before Mass. I haven't spoken to Fr. John about this, but promotion on the Claretian website was outstanding (www.claretian.com). Personally, this is the first time in 28 years that I remember the Claretians giving such attention to Fr. Aloysius' memory. I was quite favorably impressed by the website. The homily given by Fr. Charles Carpenter, MAP, was wonderful. Fr. Charles is a member of the Missionaries of Fatima, founded by Fr. Aloysius. Afterwards it was good to see many of Fr. Aloysius old friends and many new ones! The whole affair was beyond memorable.
Click Below on Picture
Fr. Aloysius Ellacuria, CMF, Superior of St. Jude's Seminary Community, Momence, Illinois, 1936.
