The Stigmatines officially named the Congregation of the Sacred Stigmata ( la, Congregatio a Sanctus Stigmatibus) is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men (Priests and Brothers). The Stigmatine Congregation was founded on November 4, 1816 by

Gaspar Bertoni Gaspare Luigi Bertoni (9 October 1777 – 12 June 1853) was an Italian Roman Catholic priest and the founder of the Congregation of the Sacred Stigmata, also known as the Stigmatines. Life Gaspar Bertoni was born in Verona on 9 October ...

, in

Verona Verona ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city municipality in the region and the second largest in nor ...

, Italy. Its members use the post-nominals C.S.S..

History

The first written constitutions for the congregation were based on the constitutions of the

Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

, a religious order founded by

Ignatius of Loyola Ignatius of Loyola, S.J. (born Íñigo López de Oñaz y Loyola; eu, Ignazio Loiolakoa; es, Ignacio de Loyola; la, Ignatius de Loyola; – 31 July 1556), venerated as Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was a Spanish Catholic priest and theologian ...

. Like the Jesuits, the congregation was intended as a missionary and educational ministry. The church where the Stigmatines were founded in Verona, Italy, was dedicated to the Stigmata of St. Francis of Assisi, from which the original title of the Community came. The patrons of the Stigmatine Congregation are the Holy Spouses, Mary and Joseph. The community's patronal feast is January 23, the Espousals of Mary and Joseph. The growth of the community was slow. In 1905, the Stigmatines went to the United States in 1907, and in 1910, they started activities in

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. For nearly two centuries, the Stigmatines worked in China,

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

, the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

and various countries in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

and Latin America. In 2002, the Stigmatines settled in India. In June 2018, the city council of Waltham, Massachusetts, voted to take the 46 acres owned by the Stigmatines by eminent domain, for the purpose of building a new high school. The site includes the Espousal Retreat Center, a conference center, and a retirement home for priests. Mayor Jeannette McCarthy stated that the property is valued at $25.4 million; the city is offering $18 million. A statement on the Stigmatines' website states, "No one is doubting or discounting the need for a new high school in Waltham. We just don't believe the City should be able to end our existence here in Waltham because it covets our land for its own use." In December 2019, the parties resolved their dispute by the city council agreeing to pay a total of $29 million for the site. In the

, on 8 September 2021, Jessie Avenido (30 years old), Jestonie Avenido (29 years old) and Jerson Rey Avenido (28 years old), three brothers, members of the congregation, were ordained priests by

archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdio ...

Jose Cabantan José Araneta Cabantan (born June 19, 1957) is a Filipino prelate of the Catholic Church, serving as the Archbishop of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro in the Philippines. Early life José Araneta Cabantan was born in Lagon ...

in the Cathedral of

Cagayan de Oro Cagayan ( ), officially the Province of Cagayan ( ilo, Probinsia ti Cagayan; ibg, Provinsiya na Cagayan; itv, Provinsiya ya Cagayan; fil, Lalawigan ng Cagayan), is a province in the Philippines located in the Cagayan Valley region, covering ...

Statistics

In 2012, they had 94 houses with 422 members, including 331 priests.

Stigmatine Apostolates

* the instruction of the Youth * the preaching of retreats and popular missions * the assistance in clergy formation

Fathers General

* Peter Vignola * Very Rev. John B. Tomasi * Andrea Meschi (2000—present)

References

External links

Congregation of the Sacred Stigmata

Community Stimmatini de Sezano

Congregation of Sacred Stigmata Sta. Cruz

{{Authority control Religious organizations established in 1816 Catholic orders and societies Catholic missionary orders 1816 establishments in Italy 1816 establishments in the Austrian Empire