19th century Priest and founder; beatified & canonized by Bl. Pope JPII

St. Jose Manyanet y Vives

   

 

St. Jose Manyanet y Vives

 

 

                    

Feastday: December 17
1833 - 1901
Beatified By: 25 November 1984 by Pope John Paul II
Canonized By: 16 May 2004 by Pope John Paul II

Josep Manyanet i Vives (7 January 1833 – 17 December 1901) was a Catalan priest who is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church. He founded the Sons of the Holy Family, a congregation of Catholic priests.

 

from Wikipedia

Josep Manyanet Vives (7 January 1833 – 17 December 1901) was a Spanish priest who is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church. He founded the Sons of the Holy Family, a congregation of Catholic priests.

Life

Early life

Josep (also known as José or Joseph) was born into a large and pious family in the municipality of Tremp, Catalonia, Spain, and at the age of five he was offered to the Blessed Virgin Mary by his mother. He received his education with the Piarist Fathers in Barbastro, Aragon, and then went on to be trained in the theological institutes of Lleida and La Seu d'Urgell.^[1]

Priesthood

He was ordained to the priesthood on 9 April 1859 and went on to become the private secretary to the Bishop of Urgel, Josep Caixal Estradé. Josep's other priestly tasks included being the seminary librarian, the chancery administrator and also the secretary for pastoral visitations.
In 1864, Josep founded the Congregation of the Sons of the Holy Family which in 1874 was followed by the Missionary Daughters of the Holy Family of Nazareth. He went on to found a number of schools and ministerial centers in several Spanish towns and also wrote books and papers which were aimed at encouraging devotion to the Holy Family.^[1]

Illnesses and death

Josep was subject to prolonged, physical illnesses during his life, including open sores on his side, which he labelled "God's mercies" for 16 long years. He died on 17 December 1901, at his school "Jesús, María y José" in Barcelona; his last words were in prayer: "Jesus, Mary and Joseph, may I breathe forth my soul in peace with you."^[1]
His remains are kept in a burial chapel at the same school where he died.

Veneration

Today, Josep Manyanet i Vives is recognized and venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on 25 November 1984 and canonized on 16 May 2004, also by Pope John Paul II. His feast day is on 17 December.