By The Aloysius Blog | June 12, 2009 at 10:28 PM EDT | 1 comment
Many times while living the religious life, members tend to be hyper-critical of their fellow brothers. Although there are joys of living the community life, sometimes members can be hyper-sensitive to each others' mannerisms. Comments are human. This is where one should do their utmost to cultivate heroic virtue to always comment positively about ones brother.
The same can be said regarding members who leave the community or the religious life. Father Aloysius emphasized to practice charity at all times, but especially to maintain this charity, especially after a member leaves the community. Negative comments regarding an ex-member can be quite dis-edifying.
The rule is clear. Never speak ill of a brother who leaves the religious life. Never speak ill of an ex-member. Father Aloysius stressed during formation to his spiritual sons.
By The Aloysius Blog | June 07, 2009 at 05:26 PM EDT | 1 comment
Ignatius Ellacuria, Fr. Aloysius' younger brother, inherited the family estate. Their home is located in Igorre, Spain, just a few miles from Dima. The original farm house where Fr. Aloysius was born still stands, but it is in poor condition. When Ignatio died, the family estate passed to Ramon Ellacuria, Father's nephew. Ramon Ellacuria has built a more modern 2 story home next to the original farmhouse. The family lives in the newer structure. Ramon Ellacuria and his wife Maria Angeles Aurecoechea have twin sons, Ramon and Ignatio. The twins were born in 1968.
Some have recommended that the birthplace be restored. It could be a museum of sorts and it is centuries old.
Restoration was done to the house of Blessed Domingo Iturrate. He is the Trinitarian saint born in 40 minutes walk from the Ellacuria family house. Blessed Domingo Itrurrate was a nephew of Father Aloysius' parish priest, and the two, Aloysius Ellacuria and Domingo Iturrate, were childhood friends.
As the Ellacuria farmhouse is the oldest in the area, the the Ermita of San Cristobal, a short walk from the house, dates back to the Tenth Century, it could be an historical landmark and a museum.
By The Aloysius Blog | June 07, 2009 at 05:15 PM EDT | No Comments
Fr. Aloysius was the fourth of nine children. As he was the oldest boy, he was to inherit the family estate. However, Aloysius decided to enter the Claretian Missionaries. His second brother, Jose Maria, also entered the Missionaries, so the birth right went to the third boy, Ignatius, who inherited the family estate in Yurre, Spain.
The birthright to inherit the family estate, which was done in biblical times, is no longer common as it was a few centuries ago. Keeping the property in the family, although it was owned by the oldest son, kept a clear family identity.
When a youth enters the religious life he generally renounces his rights to property. It is significant that the call to religious life also attracted Jose Maria Ellacuria, Father's brother, who also became a Claretian Missionary.
By The Aloysius Blog | June 07, 2009 at 04:46 PM EDT | No Comments
Fr. Aloysius had a reputation of being able to read souls. Many have commented that he read their consciences. This is a special gift which God uses to soften the hearts.
By The Aloysius Blog | June 07, 2009 at 04:44 PM EDT | No Comments
Fr. Aloysius entered the Claretian Missionaries at the age of 11. This generally wouldn't happen today in the Twenty First Century. What is the minimum age a youth should have to enter the religious life today?
By The Aloysius Blog | June 07, 2009 at 04:41 PM EDT | No Comments
Fr. Aloysius was born in Yurre, Spain. We visited the town during the 1976 pilgrimage to the Marian Shrines in Europe. Yurre was located in Vizcaia. This is one of the five Basque provinces. When I visited Bilbao in October 2008, I tried to locate his birth place on the map. What I didn't know is that the Basques changed the official language for the Basque provinces in the 1990's to the Basque language, and in doing so they changed the names of many of the Spanish towns. Although I knew that the boyhood town of Aloysius was about 20 minutes away from Dima, a small town in the mountains, I didn't know about the change in Yurre's name.
While speaking with Fr. Aloysius' nephew, Jaan Luis, who is currently the local superior of the Claretian Provincial house in Bilbao, I mentioned I was trying to locate the town of Yurre. He pointed out that the Spanish name of the town had changed to Igorre, a Basque name. Sure enough, a short distance away from Dima and to the west was Igorre.
By The Aloysius Blog | June 06, 2009 at 10:00 AM EDT | 1 comment
For over 50 years, Father Aloysius received his formation and lived his priestly ministry in the Pre-Vatican II era. He was a faithful son the the Church, and accepted with faith the Council. This does not mean he didn't lament some of the changes, most radically, that of the Holy Mass. However, he was not a reactionary, nor a traditionalist as we use the terms today, and he never complained, or made comments regarding the reform.
In 1971 he began the Claretian Missionaries of Perpetual Adoration in Fatima, Portugal. Their name was changed the following year to Missionaries of Perpetual Adoration. The spirit with which he founded this work came from his 50 years of formation and practice in the pre-Vatican II Church. After the implementation of the Vatican Council reform in the Liturgy, i.e. the Roman Missal of Pope Paul VI, he never celebrated the Mass in the traditional form. However, his celebration of the Mass in the vernacular was always from the perspective of the ancient Roman liturgy.
Father Aloysius' perspective of formation, both religious and priestly, were also integrated with the richness of a Pre-Vatican Council mentality. Always faithful to the Church, he was not a reactionary, nor a traditionalist, but he brought to formation the experience of a matured Claretian Missionary Priest and formation director inspired by Church of his day.
By The Aloysius Blog | June 05, 2009 at 07:52 PM EDT | 1 comment
I contacted Cardinal Roger Mahony, the Archbishop of Los Angeles, and gave him a heads up regarding our ad in THE TIDINGS. His response was favorable, I quote:
"Fr. Kevin,
Good hearing from you after all of these years!!
I am glad that you are going to give this seminar on Fr. Aloysius, and I hope that it goes well.
+rmm"
I was happy to receive the Cardinal's encouragement. This is significant for me, because it reflects a positive attitude toward Father Aloysius by the ordinary of the diocese in whose jurisdiction a cause would likely be filed.
By The Aloysius Blog | June 05, 2009 at 11:27 AM EDT | No Comments
Father Aloysius encourged Vern Hubka of San Diego to form a prayer group called the Lay Apostleship of Mary Brotherhood, called the LAMB organization. Speaking with Mr. Hubka recently, the under his leadership the organization decided to include an "S" at the end of the word LAMB to include the word "Sisterhood." So what began in the 1960's as the Lay Apostles of Mary Brotherhood is now called the Lay Apostleship of Mary Brothers and Sisters, the "LAMBS" organization.
By The Aloysius Blog | June 04, 2009 at 11:47 PM EDT | 1 comment
During his lifetime, Father Aloysius was the spiritual director to twelve Guilds or prayer groups. They met on a regular basis, generally in the greater Los Angeles area, but some were as far away as San Diego. Where are the Guild members today?
By The Aloysius Blog | June 04, 2009 at 11:33 PM EDT | 3 comments
In May I was in Rome and I spoke with Fr. Vicente Pecharroman, CMF, about the case of Father Aloysius. Among other things, he urged those who knew Father, either as members of his various guilds, or those who simply had met him, to meet together, in an organized fashion, to pray and study, inspired by the writings and sermons of Father. His recommendation was quite practical. To place this in the context of a question, where is the work of Father Aloysius today? Are there prayer and study groups, or other types of on-going meetings for ministry inspired by Father Aloysius?
It is important to talk about this. Father Aloysius' spiritual children should work together, i.e., collaborate, so that the work of Father Aloysius doesn't simply remain a memory, but becomes an effective source of santification for themselves and the world at large. What can do, each of us, so that the life and work of Father continue into the future?