The Stigmatines, officially named the Congregation of the Sacred Stigmata (Latin: Congregatio a Sanctis 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, in Verona, Italy.[1] Its members use the post-nominals C.S.S..
The first written constitutions for the congregation were based on the constitutions of the Society of Jesus, a religious order founded by Ignatius of Loyola. Like the Jesuits, the congregation was intended as a missionary and educational ministry.[2] 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,[3] and in 1910, they started activities in Brazil. For nearly two centuries, the Stigmatines worked in China, Thailand, the Philippines and various countries in Africa 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.[4] 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.[5] 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."[6] In December 2019, the parties resolved their dispute by the city council agreeing to pay a total of $29 million for the site.[7]
In the Philippines, 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 archbishopJose Cabantan in the Cathedral of Cagayan de Oro.[8][9][10]
