Happy Feast of St. Rafael!

Some project milestones, and a celebratory gift.

Dear friends of St. Rafael,

HAPPY FEAST DAY!¹

St. Rafael’s deathbed in the infirmary at the Abbey of San Isidro de Dueñas. Image source: Duque de Maqueda [Leopoldo Barón y Torres], Un secreto de la Trapa (Madrid: Librería Religiosa, 1944), p. 209. The image on the wall is a painting of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux that Rafael did himself.

Just eighty-three years ago today, on April 26, 1938, in the throes of a diabetic coma, in the infirmary at San Isidro de Dueñas, in a quiet corner of Palencia, Spain, Rafael Arnáiz entered into eternal life. And I cannot stress this enough: eighty-three years just isn’t that long a period of time. Rafael and I were born in the same century. He was about ten years old when each of my grandparents was born. The war he died in the middle of is within living memory. So the year I just spent translating everything he ever wrote might have felt long while I was living it, but right now, it’s feeling like such a blip in the grand scheme of eternity.

As many of you know, this was a whirlwind week in the St. Rafael translation project. Not only did I defend my dissertation on Friday (and on my absolute favorite holiday at that), but I turned in my book manuscript earlier that same week. Saint Rafael Arnáiz: Collected Works is on schedule to be released with Cistercian Publications in the spring of 2022. I am so grateful and amazed at what the Lord did with this year. But this doesn’t feel like the end of something to me. It feels like a beginning.

So what now?

First, we celebrate, obviously:

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A post shared by @caddington11

Secondly, we start planning. I’m so excited that Rafael’s writings are in English now and that our publisher is going to bring them to the world next year. But I also know that not everybody is going to want to pick up a thousand-page book. So right now, I’m taking suggestions. What Rafael projects would you like to see in the world? Here’s my current list of ideas:

• A daily devotional (whether in book, newsletter, or podcast format) that uses selections/quotes from Rafael’s writings as short prayer aids

• Magazine articles on Rafael’s historical context, especially his own surprisingly prophetic voice in the midst of the Spanish Civil War

• Teaching materials and reading guides that provide selections, discussion questions, and possible reflection activities in parish or classroom settings

• Online resources that illustrate Rafael’s world, like an interactive map of the places he lived in Spain and a virtual tour of the monastery

If you have more ideas, let me know! Comments and emails welcome.

But for now, in celebration both of Rafael’s feast day and of these project milestones, I wanted to thank you all for your support along the way by offering you a little gift. My hope for this project has always been that Rafael’s writings bring you to prayer. After all, the saints themselves are nothing without God. They want to draw you closer to the Tabernacle and to the God who lives there. So, here’s your gift: a Holy Hour with St. Rafael. Pray it anytime, anywhere, but if you can safely go to a chapel, Jesus would be very happy to see you. And if you can’t go elsewhere, remember where else Rafael says to look for God:

“The interior life...the spiritual life, a life of prayer. ‘My God! That must be difficult!’ Not at all. Get rid of the obstacles in your heart and you’ll find God there. All done.”

Thank you for praying with me, and for me. I can’t wait to share everything that’s next for this project with you.

Catherine²

1. “But Catherine,” no one asks, “I thought Rafael’s feast day was April 27.” Well you see, his feast day is only deferred to April 27 on the Cistercian calendar because April 26 was already “taken” by St. John of Valence. Similarly, in several dioceses of Spain, his feast day is also deferred to April 27 because April 26 was already “taken” by St. Isidore of Seville. “But Catherine,” absolutely no one asks, “I thought St. Isidore’s feast day was April 4.” Yeah well I haven’t managed to solve that mystery yet either but if any of you are Spanish bishops by all means get in touch and explain yourselves. Anyway, St. Rafael’s feast day is officially set for April 26 by the Vatican, and anybody who defers it to April 27 is disrespecting Our Lady of Montserrat. Fin.)

2. Technically… Doctor Catherine 😎