Guide to the Magin Català, O.F.M. collection MSS.1994.01.03
Archives & Special Collections, Santa Clara University Library
© 2014 Santa Clara University. All rights reserved.
Santa Clara University Library
500 El Camino Real
Santa Clara, California 95053-0500
Email: specialcollections@scu.edu
Language of Material:
Multiple languages
Contributing Institution:
Archives & Special Collections, Santa Clara University Library
Title: Magín Catalá, O.F.M. collection
creator:
Santa Clara College (Calif.)
creator:
Santa Clara University (Calif.)
creator:
University of Santa Clara (Calif.)
Identifier/Call Number: MSS.1994.01.03
Identifier/Call Number: 82
Physical Description:
2.8 linear feet
(6 boxes)
Date: circa 1885-2009 (bulk 1885-1909)
Abstract: The Magín Catalá, O.F.M. Collection, circa 1885-2009 (bulk 1885-1909), documents the life of Fray Magín Catalá. Often referred
to as the "Holy Man of Santa Clara," Fr. Catalá was stationed at Mission Santa Clara for thirty-six years and was widely renowned
for his piety and spiritual labors. In 1882, more than fifty years after Magín Catalá's death, Archbishop J.S. Alemany, O.P.
initiated the process of his beatification. As of 2014, his Cause remained open. The bulk of the collection consists of reproductions
of deposition transcripts taken circa 1885 and again in 1908-1909 during the beatification process of Fray Magín Catalá. The
collection is arranged into three series: Series I. Process of Beatification, circa 1885-1909; Series II. Biographical Publications
and Related Materials, circa 1909-2009 (bulk 1909-1964); and Series III. Relics and Devotional Materials, circa 1907-1962.
Physical Location: This collection is located in Santa Clara University Library's Archives & Special Collections.
Language of Material: English, Italian, Latin, Spanish, and some Catalan
Access
The collection is open for research.
Provenance
Beatification transcripts in Boxes 1 and 2 are reproductions of the original documents held in the Archivio Segreto Vaticano
(Vatican Secret Archives) and were obtained by Santa Clara University Library Archives & Special Collections in 1993. Box
1, Folder 7 contains a photocopy of "Witnesses in Català Beatification," a deposition transcript. The original document is
held in the Archdiocese of San Francisco Archives. Montblanc items were received from the Parroquia de Santa Maria in Montblanc,
Spain.
Preferred Citation
The Magín Catalá, O.F.M. collection, MSS.1994.01.03, Santa Clara University Library Archives & Special Collections.
Publication Rights
Materials in the Santa Clara University's Archives & Special Collections may be subject to copyright. Unless explicitly stated
otherwise, Santa Clara University does not claim ownership of the copyright of any materials in its collections. The user
or publisher must secure permission to publish from the copyright owner. Santa Clara University does not assume any responsibility
for infringement of copyright or of publication rights held by the original author or artists or his/her heirs, assigns, or
executors.
Processing Information
Guide created by Shannon Hartman in 2014. Guide encoded by Shannon Hartman in 2015. Finding aid updated by Andrea Hoff in
2019.
Biographical History
Magín Catalá, O.F.M. (1761-1830) was born at Montblanc in the Spanish province of Catalonia in 1761. At age 16, he entered
the Franciscan monastery in Barcelona and took his vows one year later. He was ordained priest in 1785. Fr. Catalá quickly
volunteered to labor in the missions in America. In 1786, he set sail from Cadiz, Spain and eventually arrived in the capital
of Mexico, where he joined the College of San Fernando de Mexico, a Franciscan missionary college. Fr. Catalá arrived at Mission
Santa Clara in 1794 at the age of thirty-one, seventeen years after the institution's founding. Fr. Catalá was stationed at
Mission Santa Clara for most of his life and was one of the earliest European colonizers of the Santa Clara Valley. He remained
at Mission Santa Clara for thirty-six years. Fr. Catalá was intimately involved not only in the development of the Franciscan
outpost at Santa Clara, but also in the construction of a church in the pueblo of San José and the establishment of The Alameda,
a roadway linking San José and Mission Santa Clara.
Often referred to as the "Holy Man of Santa Clara," Fr. Catalá's reputation for sanctity persisted long after his death in
1830. In 1882, Archbishop J.S. Alemany, O.P. began gathering the necessary information to initiate the process of Fr. Catalá's
beatification. The first canonical process took place in Santa Clara in 1884-1885 and relied solely on the oral testimony
of witnesses. The Sacred Congregation of Rites found the evidence collected to be promising but requested corroborative testimony.
No additional evidence was submitted on Fr. Catalá's behalf, and the Cause was suspended. In 1908-1909, the Sacred Congregation
of Rites reconvened the Cause, instituting the process to determine whether unauthorized public veneration of Fr. Catalá had
occurred. As of 2014, his Cause remained open.
Bibliography
Engelhardt, Zephyrin.
The Holy Man of Santa Clara: Or, Life, Virtues and Miracles of Fr. Magin Catalá, O.F.M. San Francisco: The James H. Barry Co., 1909. Print.
McKevitt, Gerald, S.J. Letter to Members of the Sourisseau Academy. 8 Dec. 1994. The Magín Catalá, O.F.M. Collection: Accession
File.
Skowronek, Russell K, Elizabeth Thompson, Veronica L. Johnson, and Anita Cohen-Williams.
Situating Mission Santa Clara De Asis, 1776-1851: Documentary and Material Evidence of Life on the Alta California Frontier:
A Timeline.
Berkeley, Calif: Academy of American Franciscan History, 2006. Print.
Stern, Aloysius S., Amleto G. Cicognani, and Arthur D. Spearman.
Magin Catala, O.F.M.: The Holy Man of Santa Clara. San Francisco, Calif: University of San Francisco, 1956. Print.
Organizational History
Santa Clara University was founded in 1851 by the Society of Jesus as Santa Clara College and is California's oldest operating
institution of higher learning. It was established on the grounds of Mission Santa Clara de Asìs, the eighth of the original
21 California missions. The college originally operated as a preparatory school and did not offer courses of collegiate rank
until 1853. The institution became known as the University of Santa Clara in 1912, when the schools of engineering and law
were added. For 110 years, Santa Clara University was an all-male school. In 1961, women were accepted as undergraduates and
Santa Clara University became the first coeducational Catholic university in California. The number of students and faculty
tripled over the next decade and the university began the largest building program in school history with eight residence
halls, a student union, and an athletic stadium. In the early 1970s, the Board of Trustees voted to limit the size of the
undergraduate population, an action that was intended to preserve the character and ensure the quality of the university for
generations to come. In 1985, the university adopted Santa Clara University as its official name.
Bibliography
Santa Clara University. "About SCU – History." www.scu.edu/about/history.cfm (Accessed Nov. 23, 2010)
McKevitt, Gerald, S.J.
The University of Santa Clara: A History, 1851-1977. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 1979.
Related Materials
Arthur D. Spearman, S.J. papers, Santa Clara University Library Archives and Special Collections. http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf6r29n8f2/
The Mission Santa Clara manuscript collection, Record Group 1, Santa Clara University Library Archives and Special Collections.
http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c85d8v2g/
Santa Clara University Artifacts collection. Santa Clara University Library Archives and Special Collections.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into three series: Series I. Process of Beatification, circa 1885-1909; Series II. Biographical
Publications and Related Materials, circa 1909-2009 (bulk 1909-1964); and Series III. Relics and Devotional Materials, circa
1907-1962.
Scope and Content of Collection
The Magín Catalá, O.F.M. collection, circa 1885-2009 (bulk 1885-1909), documents the life of Fray Magín Catalá. Often referred
to as the "Holy Man of Santa Clara," Fr. Catalá was stationed at Mission Santa Clara for thirty-six years and was widely renowned
for his piety and spiritual labors. In 1882, more than fifty years after Fr. Catalá's death, Archbishop J.S. Alemany, O.P.
initiated the process of his beatification. As of 2014, his Cause remained open. The bulk of the collection consists of reproductions
of deposition transcripts taken circa 1885 and again in 1908-1909 during the process ofbBeatification of Fray Magín Catalá.
During these proceedings, sixty-two witnesses were called upon to provide testimony about the life and work of Fr. Català.
While the documents focus primarily on canonical issues, they also contain information about life in the Santa Clara Valley
in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Included are interviews with early Spanish colonizers who had knowledge of the
Franciscan missionary and the era in which Fr. Catalá lived. Early Jesuit administrators and faculty from Santa Clara College
involved with the Beatification process included Jesuit Fathers Joseph Bixio, Nicholas Congiato, Joseph Caredda, Henry Imoda,
Benedict Picardo, John Pinasco, Paul Raffo, and Aloysius Varsi. Also included are biographical publications and related materials;
correspondence about Fr. Magín Catalá's life; devotional materials; and relics.
Note: Beatification transcripts in Boxes 1 and 2 are in Latin, Spanish, Italian, and English and have not been translated.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
California -- History -- Archival resources
Beatification
Catalá, Magin, 1761-1830
Santa Clara Mission
Series I: Process of Beatification,
circa 1885-1909
Language of Material: Beatification transcripts in Boxes 1 and 2 are in Latin, Spanish, Italian, and English and have not been translated.
Scope and Content
The materials in this series document the process of beatification of Fray Magín Catalá. The records include transcripts of
depositions taken circa 1885 and again in 1908-1909 during the beatification process of Fr. Magín Catalá. During these proceedings,
sixty-two witnesses were called upon to provide testimony about the life and work of Fr. Catalá. While the documents focus
primarily on canonical issues, they also contain information about life in the Santa Clara Valley in the eighteenth and nineteenth
centuries. Included are interviews with early Spanish colonizers who had knowledge of the Franciscan missionary and the era
in which Fr. Catalá lived. Early Jesuit administrators and faculty from Santa Clara College involved with the beatification
process included Jesuit Fathers Joseph Bixio, Nicholas Congiato, Joseph Caredda, Henry Imoda, Benedict Picardo, John Pinasco,
Paul Raffo, and Aloysius Varsi.
Note: Materials are reproductions of the original documents held in the Archivio Segreto Vaticano (Vatican Secret Archives)
and were obtained by Santa Clara University Library Archives & Special Collections in 1993. Box 1, Folder 7 contains a photocopy
of "Witnesses in Català Beatification," a deposition transcript. The original document is held in the Archdiocese of San Francisco
Archives.
Arrangement
This series has been maintained in original order.
box 1, folder 1
Processi de Beatificazione, Riti 4921, pp 1-96,
1885
box 1, folder 2
Processi de Beatificazione, Riti 4921, pp 97-130,
1885
box 1, folder 3
Processi de Beatificazione, Riti 4919, pp i, 1-141,
1885
box 1, folder 4
Processi de Beatificazione, Riti 4919, pp 145-298,
1885
box 1, folder 5
Processi de Beatificazione, Riti 4919, pp 299-450,
1885
box 1, folder 6
Processi de Beatificazione, Riti 4919, pp 451-487,
1885
box 1, folder 7
Catala Depositions (English) Master Copy,
1885
box 2, folder 1
Processi de Beatificazione, Riti 4918, pp 1-108,
1909
box 2, folder 2
Processi de Beatificazione, Riti 4918, pp 109-224,
1909
box 2, folder 3
Processi de Beatificazione, Riti 4918, Processus Super Non Cultus, pp 1-112,
1909
box 2, folder 4
Processi de Beatificazione, Riti 4920, translation from Spanish to Italian, pp 1-80A,
1885
box 2, folder 5
Processi de Beatificazione, Riti 4920, translation from Spanish to Italian, pp 81-152A,
1885
box 2, folder 6
Processi de Beatificazione, Riti 4920, translation from Spanish to Italian, pp 153-227A,
1885
box 2, folder 7
Processi de Beatificazione, Riti 4920, translation from Spanish to Italian, pp 228-324,
1885
Series II: Biographical Publications and Related Materials,
circa 1909-2009 (bulk 1909-1964)
Language of Material: Materials in this series are in English, Catalan, and Spanish.
Scope and Content
The materials in this series document the life and spiritual labors of Fray Magín Catalá. The records include an article and
newspaper clippings about the beatification process of Fr. Catalá; Arthur D. Spearman's publication about Nootka Island and
related correspondence belonging to Aloysius S. Stern, S.J.; and other publications about Fr. Catalá's life by James A. Colligan,
S.J., Zephyrin Engelhardt, O.F.M., and Lawrence Scrivani, S.M. Also included are various materials sent from Fr. Català's
place of birth in Montblanc, Spain. Included are copies of Fr. Catalá's baptismal record; devotional cards; framed photographs
of the house where Fr. Catalá was born as well as a plaque placed in his honor; a letter from the Parroquia de Santa Maria,
Montblanc, Spain; a newsletter from Montblanc focusing on Fr. Catalá and the process of beatification; and an untitled painting
of Fr. Catalá levitating in front of a crucifix.
Note: Montblanc items were received from the Parroquia de Santa Maria in Montblanc, Spain.
Arrangement
This series is arranged by subject.
box 3, folder 1
Publications, Colligan "Life of... Catala",
undated
box 3, folder 2
Publications, Englehardt "Holy Man...",
1909
box 3, folder 3
Publications, Scrivani, "How the Cause of Friar Catala Began",
2009
box 3, folder 4
Publications, Stern, Padre Magin Catala,
1954-1964, & undated
box 3, folder 5
Publications, News Clippings,
1930-1952, & undated
box 3, folder 6
Biographical, Montblanc,
1981
box 3, folder 7
Biographical, Convent of S. Francisco, Montblanc,
undated
box 3, folder 8
Painting, Lillian A. Murphy,
1961
box 3, folder 9
Publications, Spearman-Spearman, Stern,
1954-1956
box 4, Item 1
Framed facsimile of baptismal certificate of Magín Catalá (includes transcription),
circa 1990
box 4, Item 2
Framed photograph of Catalá's birthplace,
circa 1990
box 4, Item 3
Framed photograph of plaque from Catalá's birthplace (includes transcription),
circa 1990
Series III: Relics and Devotional Materials,
circa 1907-1962, & undated
Scope and Content
The materials in this series include correspondence related to requests for relics of Fray Magín Catalá and prayers in his
name; devotional leaflets; notices about the transfer of Fr. Catalá's remains and habit at Mission Santa Clara; and his relics.
Arrangement
This series is arranged by format.
box 5, Item 1
Fragments from the habit of Catalá,
undated
box 5, Item 2
Ex veste of Catalá,
undated
box 5, Item 3
Ex arca sepulc. of Catalá,
undated
box 5, Item 4
Nails from the coffin of Catalá,
undated
box 5, Item 5
Ex veste of Catalá (includes note),
undated
box 5, Item 6
Ex veste of V. P. Josephi Anchietae, S.J. (includes note),
undated
box 5, Item 7
Ex arca sepulc. of Catalá,
1830
box 5, Item 8
Fragments from the habit of Catalá encased in a pendant,
1830
box 5, Item 10
Piece of the habit of Catalá,
1830
box 5, Item 11
Piece of the habit of Catalá,
1830
box 5, Item 12
Piece of the habit of Catalá,
1830
box 5, Item 13
Wooden box containing relics for the Cause of Canonization of Padre Magín Catalá,
undated
box 6, folder 1
Certificate of authenticity,
1910
box 6, folder 2
Correspondence,
1937-1954
box 6, folder 3
"Santa Clara's Holy Man,"
1937
box 6, folder 4
Documentation regarding urn location,
1926-1928
box 6, folder 5
Miscellaneous notes and enclosures,
circa 1907 & undated
