THE HISTORY of the ORDER of the PIOUS SCHOOLS (A Handbook)
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ANTONIO LEZÁUN THE HISTORY OF THE ORDER OF THE PIOUS SCHOOLS (A Handbook) MADRID, 2011 MATERIALES 33 THE HISTORY OF THE ORDER OF THE PIOUS SCHOOLS (A Handbook) MADRID, 2011 The history of the Order of the Pious Schools (a Handbook) The Author: Antonio Lezáun Cover: Universalis Cosmographia, by Martin Waldseemüller Publicaciones ICCE (Instituto Calasanz de Ciencias de la Educación) José Picón, 7 - 28028 Madrid www.icceciberaula.es ISBN: 978-84-7278-444-4 Depósito legal: M-46989-2011 Imprime: Gráfi cas Tetuán Translation for the Communications Offi ce of the General Curia of Rome. Email: [email protected] Copyright is reserved. Reproduction, publication and distribution, whether total or partial, of all the original material contained in this book is expressly forbidden unless written authorization has been given. For further information contact: www.icceciberaula.es CONTENTS Acronyms and Abbreviations ........................................................................................ 7 Foreword .............................................................................................................................................................. 9 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 11 1. 17th century (1597-1699): Foundation and growth; reduction, restoration, stabilisation .................................................... 13 1.1. The Pious Schools during the government of the founder (1597–1646) ............................................................... 15 1.2. The Pious Schools during the period when they were reduced to being a Congregation without vows (1646-1656) .................................................................... 17 1.3. The Pious Schools during the Partial Restoration (1656-1669) .......................................................................... 35 1.4. Complete restoration of the Order and stabilisation (1669-1699) ......................................................... 47 2. 18th century (1700-1804): The Golden Century of the Pious Schools ........................................................................................................... 67 2.1. Growth and expansion of the Order .................................. 69 2.2. The scholastic and extra-scholastic ministry .... 73 2.3. More innovative contributions to the Church and to society ................................................................................................................... 77 2.4. Religious life and the government of the Order .. 83 2.5. Upheaval in the new century ........................................................... 88 The history of the Order of the Pious Schools (A handbook) 3. 19th century (1804-1904): a century of painful fragmentation .................................................................................................................................. 89 3.1. The Bull “Inter graviores” and the two concomitant Superior-Generals ................................................ 90 3.2. Evolution of the Order during th the 19 century .......................................................................................................... 92 3.3. The Piarist ministry in various Countries ............. 108 3.4. Distinguished Piarists in the cultural fi eld ......... 115 3.5. Similar Congregations: the Calasanzian Family ........................................................................................................................................... 118 4. 20th century (1904-2003): organic unity, functional variety ..................................................................................................................... 121 4.1. The Vision of the Order of the Governor Generals .................................................................................................................................... 124 4.2. A View of the Order from Regions and Provinces ................................................................................................................. 145 4.3. The Piarist Ministry ........................................................................................... 169 4.4. Piarists who have distinguished themselves in the fi eld of Culture ..................................................................................... 182 Members of the Pious Schools. Statistics ............................................ 186 Countries in which the Pious Schools are present ........... 187 Select bibliography ........................................................................................................................... 189 6 ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS DENES Diccionario Enciclopédico Escolapio, 3 vols. Madrid, 1983-1990. EC Epistolarium Coetaneorum S. Josephi Calasanctii (Letters from the contemporaries of Joseph Calasanz). Roma, 1977-1982. EEC Epistulae ad S. J. Calasanctium ex Europa Centrali (Letters sent to Calasanz from Central Europe). Roma, 1969. EHI Epistulae ad S. J. Calasanctium ex Hispania et Italia (Letters sent to Calasanz from Spain and Italy). Roma, 1972. EP Epistolario di San Giuseppe Calasanzio. 10 volumes of Calasanz’s letters (Picanyol, 1950-56 and Vilá, 1988). ICCE Instituto Calasanz de Ciencias de la Educación. NGO Non Governmental Organisation. PC Perfectae Caritatis. Decretee of Vatican Council II on Consecrate Life. SDM Su Divina Majestad (God). FOREWORD It is with great joy and with my thanks to the author, that I present you with this HANDBOOK OF THE HISTORY OF THE PIOUS SCHOOLS, written by Fr. Antonio Lezáun, from the Province of Emaús, who is currently Fr. Vice-Provincial of Chile. This publication is greatly needed by our Order, not only for the formation of our youngsters and the lay people who share our mission or our charism. All religious of the Order need to know our history a little better, to understand the path that we, as a religious Order have trod through the centuries, and our efforts to consolidate the work of Saint Joseph Calasanz over all this time, including our successes and our mistakes. We must learn from our history, and this handbook will help us on our path forward. In the past few months I have heard of the need of our Piarist trainers for a book about our history. The same desire has been communicated by those religious and lay people whose responsibility it is to train Piarist laity. This is why I asked Fr. Antonio Lezáun to complete the study notes he had in hand so that they could be published by the Order, for the benefi t of all. I think that knowledge of our history as an Order can help us in the task of revitalization which we are undertaking. A study of this book will certainly strengthen our sense of belonging to and our knowledge of the path followed by the Order, faithful to the Gospels and to Calasanz. Therefore I most strongly recommend your reading this book, and thank Fr. Antonio Lezáun for the work he has done for the benefi t of the Pious Schools. He has conceived it as an approach to our history, and it is written as a summary. We have also tried to orientate the text for teaching purposes so that we may all know and appreciate what and who 9 The history of the Order of the Pious Schools (A handbook) we are through our collective experience, and I believe Fr. Lezáun has responded to our request in a most useful way. Thank you! Pedro Aguado Rome, 1st December 2010 10 INTRODUCTION We often turn to the founding sources of our charism, and we must continue to do so, so that our establishments and our works continue with St. Joseph Calasanz’s vocational stimulation and should not deviate from the mission with which we have been entrusted by the Church. But also the history of our Institute, by which I mean the application and development of the Piarist vocation, which Piarists themselves have undertaken over the centuries, has something to teach us about our charism. As Vatican Council II (PC 2b) states: “Healthy traditions” also constitute the “patrimony of the Institute”, along with “the spirit and the aims of the founders”. Thus, it is not only curiosity, even if worthy in itself, that justifi es the study of our past and the inheritance of our ancestors. There is also a theological-spiritual reason which leads us to that history and its study. Over the last three and a half centuries, the charism of Calasanz has shown diverse potential for adapting itself “to the changing conditions of the times (PC, 2)”. This adaptation must take place every day, for our charism is a living essence and it will not cease to be so for us unless humanity itself no longer exists. Therefore, I invite all those who are attracted by the educational charism of Saint Joseph Calasanz to get to know not only the mind and thought of the founder, but also the Works by which Piarists have, through history, contributed to keeping the inspiration which Calasanz received, alive and fl ourishing. As this changed and adapted in time, there is no doubt that we are able to see the work of the Holy Spirit. It remains our task to discern between those “real adaptations” and “healthy traditions” on the one hand, and those which are not on the other, because we too have received the gift of the Holy Spirit. Even if ours is not one of the major Orders, the history of an Order like ours must be presented as long and complex. Any study of it requires the work of various historians and lengthy research. 11 The history of the Order of the Pious Schools (A handbook) My