Sons of the Holy Family

Congregation of the
Sons of the Holy Family
Abbreviation S.F.
Formation March 19, 1864 (151 years ago)
Type Roman Catholic Institute of Consecrated Life
Headquarters Carrer d'Entença, 301
Barcelona, Spain
Location
Superior General
 Rev. Jesús Díaz Alonso, S.F.
Website www.manyanet.org

The Congregation of the Sons of the Holy Family, Jesus, Mary and Joseph (Latin: Congregatio Filiorum Sacrae Familiae, Iesu, Mariae et Ioseph; abbreviated S.F.) is an Institute of Consecrated Life for priests in the Catholic Church. The congregation is dedicated to educating the young and strengthening Catholic family life.

History

Foundation

The Sons of the Holy Family was founded in Tremp, Spain, on March 19, 1864, by Josep Manyanet i Vives.[1][2] A Catholic priest and the son of a peasant farmer, Manyanet founded the congregation out of his great concern for children and family life.[3] He believed that Catholic education comprised the "most suitable, simple, and practical means of reforming the family and society with it", and that the Holy Family was the exemplary model for strong Catholic families.[3] Not long afterwards, Manyanet also founded a complementary congregation for women, the Missionary Daughters of the Holy Family of Nazareth.[4]

The founding of the Sons of the Holy Family was part of a wide movement in Spain, as many new religious congregations were being founded in the same period.[3] These congregations were mostly of teaching religious, though lay associations flourished as well.[3]

The Sons of the Holy Family received an informal decree of approval (decretum laudis) from Pope Leo XIII on April 30, 1887, and were given formal approval by the Holy See on June 20, 1901.[1][5] Manyanet died on December 17, 1901, in Barcelona, only a few months after this formal approbation.[3] Today he is formally recognized as a saint in the Catholic Church, as he was canonized on May 16, 2004, by Pope John Paul II.[4]

Expansion

The congregation was well established by 1965, with teaching foundations operating in Spain, Italy, the United States, and Argentina.[1]

The Sons of the Holy Family had arrived in the United States in 1920, and ministered to the Spanish-speaking population in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe.[1] Today, the American regional headquarters and seminary is located in Silver Spring, Maryland, and the Sons of the Holy Family maintain eight houses in the country, mostly in the southwest.[1]

The congregation is present today in several European countries, North and South America, and in Africa as well.[4] It counts about 250 members in 27 foundations worldwide.[1]

Mission and charism

Our centers are called 'of the Holy Family' because Jesus, Mary, and Joseph are not only the patrons and protectors but also the model that they should imitate in virtue and firm love of work, since this was the principal aim of the hidden life of Jesus in the humble house of Nazareth.

—Saint Josep Manyanet i Vives[3]

Priests of the congregation describe themselves as "witnesses and apostles of the mystery of Nazareth,"[6] by which is meant a contemplation of the so-called "hidden years" of Jesus Christ, during which he lived in the family home in Nazareth and was obedient to Mary and Joseph. As such, the congregation's stated charism is to "promote devotion to the Holy Family and to foster true Christian family life."[1] The congregation aims to achieve this goal through educating and forming young people and building up families.[6]

Administration

The general headquarters are in Barcelona.[1] The current superior general is Father Jesús Díaz Alonso, S.F.[2]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 "About us". Sons of the Holy Family. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Chow, Gabriel (July 4, 2011). "Sons of the Holy Family of Jesus Mary and Joseph (S.F.)". GCatholic.org. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Butler, Alban; Burns, Paul (1995). Butler's lives of the saints 12. Continuum International. pp. 149–150.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Josep Manyanet y Vives (1833-1901)". The Holy See. 2004. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
  5. ↑ "Our Organization". Seminary of the Holy Family. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Sons of the Holy Family". Sons of the Holy Family. 2009. Retrieved July 11, 2011.

External links