St. Anthony Mary Claret: The Golden Key to Heaven

[Stone]

Appendices

Conclusion of the Holy Exercises with Hymns and Prayers

Ambrosian Hymn

We praise Thee, O God; we acknowledge Thee to be the Lord.

Thee, the Father everlasting, all the earth doth worship.

To Thee all the Angels, to Thee the Heavens, and all the Powers. To Thee the Cherubim and Seraphim cry without ceasing: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts.

Full are the Heavens and the earth of the majesty of Thy Glory.

Thee, the glorious choir of the Apostles, Thee, the admirable company of the Prophets, Thee, the army of Martyrs, in incandescent robes, doth praise.

Thee, the holy Church throughout the world doth confess: The Father of Incomprehensible Majesty; Thine Adorable, True and Only Son; And the Holy Ghost, the Paraclete.

Thou, O Christ, art the King of Glory.

Thou art the Everlasting Son of the Father.

Thou, having taken upon Thee to deliver man, didst not disdain the Virgin's Womb.

Thou, having overcome the sting of death, hast opened to believers the Kingdom of Heaven.

Thou sittest at the right Hand of God, in the Glory of the Father.

Thou, we believe, art the Judge to come.

We beseech Thee, therefore, to help Thy servants, whom Thou hast redeemed with Thy Precious Blood.

Make them to be numbered with Thy saints in glory everlasting.

O Lord, save Thy people, and bless Thine inheritance. And govern them, and exalt them forever.

Day by day we bless Thee. And we praise Thy Name for ever; yea, forever and ever.

Vouchsafe, O Lord, this day, to keep us without sin.

Have mercy on us, O Lord; have mercy on us.

Let Thy Mercy, O Lord, be upon us; as we have trusted in Thee.

In Thee, O Lord, have I trusted: let me not be confounded forever.

V. Let us bless the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
R. Let us praise and exalt Him for ever.
V. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, in the firmament of Heaven.
R. And worthy of praise, and glorious, and exalted above all forever.
V. O Lord hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto Thee.
V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with thy spirit.
(This last verse is said only by a priest or deacon)

Let us pray — O God, of Whose mercies are limitless, and of Whose Goodness the treasure is infinite; we render thanks to Thy most gracious Majesty for the gifts Thou hast bestowed upon us; evermore beseeching Thy clemency, that as Thou grantest the petitions of them that ask Thee, Thou mayest never forsake them, but mayest prepare them for the rewards to come. Through Christ our Lord. R. Amen.

Almighty and everlasting God, Who inscribe the justice of Thy law into the hearts of believers; grant us an increase of faith, hope, and charity that we may merit to attain what Thou dost promise, and make us love what Thou commandest.

O God, Who resists the proud and gives grace to the humble, increase in us the virtue of true humility, which forms in the Faithful Thy Only-Begotten Son. He showed the Faithful, that we should never provoke Thy indignation, but rather we should always seek the gifts of Thy compassion.

O God, Who gives us fervor, turn us away from the vanity of the world, to a higher calling, pour forth Thy grace into our purified hearts, and make us persevere in Thee. Fortify us by the help of Thy protection, to fulfill the resolutions we have made, that we may obtain the joy Thou dost promise to those who persevere in Thee. We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, forever and ever. R. Amen.


A Daily Schedule for the Days of the Annual Retreat Made with Members of Our Family

5:00 a.m: Rising.
5:30 a.m: Morning Offering, Come Holy Ghost, and spiritual reading of the Right Road.
6:00 a.m: Meditation.
7:00 a.m: Holy Mass.
7:30 a.m: Canonical Hours.
8:00 a.m: Breakfast, Rest.
9:00 a.m: Meditation.
10:00 a.m: Rest, visit with spiritual director.
11:00 a.m: Meditation.
Noon: Rest.
12:45 p.m: Examen.
1:00 p.m: Lunch, Rest.
3:00 p.m: Vespers, Compline, Rest.
5:00 p.m: Meditation.
6:00 p.m: Sermon.
7:00 p.m: Dinner, Rest.
8:00 p.m: Rosary, Way of the Cross, examination of conscience.
10:00 p.m: Lights out.

Note:

1. Silence is to be rigorously kept at all times.
2. If the spiritual director approves, spiritual reading may be employed before meditation.
3. During meals reading of the saints' lives appropriate to the Exercises takes place.
4. During free time one should examine one's conscience, confess, read, write down one's affective acts and resolutions.
5. With some slight variations, this plan can serve for Religious Communities and for those obligated to recite the Divine Office.


Proposed Daily Schedule For Those on a Closed Retreat for Ten Days

5:30 a.m: Rising.
6:00 a.m: Chapel, Morning Offering etc. according to the Right Road, Reading.
6:30 a.m: Meditation.
7:30 a.m: Holy Mass.
8:00 a.m: Breakfast, Rest.
10:00 a.m: Meditation.
11:00 a.m: Rest, Visit of the Spiritual Director.
Noon: Way of the Cross, Rest, Examen. [30 minutes for the Stations, 15 minutes for Rest and Examen respectively.]
1:00 p.m: Lunch, Rest.
4:00 p.m: Meditation, Sermon, Rest.
6:00 p.m: Dinner, Rest.
7:00 p.m: Benediction, Rosary, Joys and Sorrows of Saint Joseph, Examination of conscience.
10:00 p.m: Lights Out.

Note:

1. Rigorous silence must always be maintained.
2. During meals lives of the saints appropriate to the Exercises are read.
3. Free time is employed in examining one's conscience, Confession, reading under the Confessor's direction, writing down briefly affective acts and resolutions.
4. The examens of noon and evening will concern the Rule and its Observance.


Proposed Schedule For Those who cannot go on a Closed Retreat

They are to meet twice a day in church.

In the Morning

1. First act — Morning Offering, etc. through the Right Road, invocation to the Holy Ghost and other prayers.
2. The first point of meditation is read, followed by the Holy Mass.
3. After the consecration, the second point is read, and after the Mass, the third point.
4. After the Meditation, the Sermon.

In the Afternoon

1. Rosary, reading of the general confession and examination of conscience.
2. Meditation.
3. Sermon.

Note:

1. Since there are only two meetings in the church, there will be only two meditations in common, and thus they should seek to do the other two privately if there is a place, one in the morning, and the other in the afternoon or evening.
2. All are asked to maintain recollection at all possible times, and above all silence and keep the idea of the Presence of God.
3. That they write down all their resolutions for the entire year.
4. When going and coming, they should not allow themselves to be detained in conversation, but greet others briefly if necessary, all the time maintaining recollection and the Presence of God.
5. In their home, office, or shop, they must keep all possible recollection, remembering what they have heard; if they have time they could read one of the books indicated in the Exercises. It should not seem strange that we insist on silence, for experience has taught us that breaking the silence is the most common fault during these Spiritual Exercises.


How To Make the Particular Examen for all the Days' Faults According to Saint Ignatius

It contains five points:

1. Thank God for the benefits received. — I believe, my God, that Thou art present and I give Thee thanks for all the benefits which Thou hast showered upon me.
2. Ask for the grace to know our sins. — I beg Thee, my Lord and God, to give me light to know my faults and I ask for help to repent of them.
3. Ask for an account from the time of rising until the present examen, hour by hour, faults through thought, word, and deed.
4. Ask for forgiveness of Our Lord for our sins: My Lord Jesus, etc. or an Act of Contrition.
5. To resolve amendment with God's grace, and pray: the Our Father.

Practice — Tell me, my soul, what have you done? How have you done it? What have you failed to do that you should have done?

1. Have you risen punctually? Have you dressed modestly? Have you thought about God and about the meditation which you had to do?
2. Have you performed Christian actions and your meditation with fervor, reverence, and all the time indicated?
3. Have you heard Mass with devotion? Have you talked in Church?
4. Have you fulfilled the obligations of your state of life? Have you directed everything for God's honor and glory? Have you suffered with patience the pains, works, whims, malice and persecutions of your neighbors? Have you imitated the patience of Jesus, the good thief, of Job, etc., or on the contrary, have you acted impatiently or cursed, etc. . .?
5. Each time the clock strikes, have you prayed the Ave Maria? Have you put yourself in the Presence of God?
6. Have you said the Rosary every day with devotion? Have you prayed your other devotions?
7. Have you been temperate with food and drink . . . and in other matters?
8. Have you done your spiritual reading? How? For how long?
9. With what works of mercy have you occupied yourself? With what intention? How have you done them?
10. With what people have you dealt with? How have you treated them? What words did you use?
11. Have you made good use of your time?


How To Make The Examination of Conscience

Particular Examen, daily Examination, according to Saint Ignatius, in order to amend a defect. It contains in itself three periods and two examinations.

The First Period — In the morning, upon rising, the individual should resolve to guard diligently against that particular defect or sin which requires correcting.

The Second Period — After eating, ask God what is necessary, that is, to know through God's grace how many times we have fallen into that particular sin or defect, and to help us overcome it in the future; consequently make the first examen asking an account of our soul concerning that resolution and of what we intend to correct, thinking over from hour to hour, from time to time, beginning with the time we got up until the moment of our examen. Then to resolve once more to correct ourself until the second examen.

The Third Period — After dinner the second examen is made hour by hour, beginning with the first examen until that moment.

Note:

1. Upon committing a fault, some light penance will be applied, e.g.: applying pressure of the hand to the chest. Also the ground could be kissed when alone, or an Ave Maria could be said.
2. Each day will be compared with another, each week, each month.
3. It is very useful to practise the virtue opposite the defect that one is trying to overcome.


Resolutions

Each year — I will make these holy spiritual exercises.

Each month — I will have one day of spiritual retreat.

Each week — I shall fervently receive Holy Communion every day. I shall confess at least once every 15 days. (Note: the original says Holy Communion each 15 days, but this was previous to Pope Saint Pius X's admonition to frequent Holy Communion.)

I shall keep holy Sundays and Holy Days as well as Feasts during the week. I shall not allow servile work in my home and I will assist at Mass and at other religious functions.

I shall occupy myself with reading good books and with the practice of the corporal works of mercy.

Each Day — in the morning and at night I shall make the spiritual exercises. I shall spend a quarter or half-hour in meditation.

I shall hear Holy Mass not only on feast days, which is an obligation, but on other days of devotion, if my occupations permit it.

I shall have a time for spiritual reading.

I shall make a visit to the Blessed Sacrament.

I shall pray five decades of the Rosary.

Always — I shall walk in the presence of God and make frequent ejaculations.

I shall have great devotion to the Most Blessed Trinity. I shall be strongly devoted to the Passion of Our Lord and to the Most Blessed Sacrament.

I shall have much devotion to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary and to the angels and saints.

I shall be devoted to the holy souls in Purgatory.

I shall be charitable to the poor.

I shall try by every means possible to bring about the conversion of sinners and the perseverance of the just.

These are the resolutions I have made and which, with God's help, I seriously propose to fulfill, and for them I sign my name today.


Day of Recollection

Each month — a day of spiritual retreat will be held.

This retreat will consist mainly of making a morning meditation and another in the afternoon or evening, according to one's opportunities. These two meditations will be like those made during the exercises, as seen in the table on page 363. Besides the meditations the resolutions made and written during the exercises will be read carefully and in detailed fashion.

This monthly day of recollection is very suitable to keep the fervor from cooling off; in addition it is a help for correcting faults not yet overcome, according to the proverb, he who does not repair the leaky roof in time will have to rebuild his whole house. The present month will be compared with the preceding months, and thus it will be recognized if progress in virtue is made and faults are decreased. On the same day or the next day, or at least as soon as possible, faults committed that same month will be confessed.

The day of Retreat, if possible, will be the 25th of each month, for the purpose of recalling the great events which have taken place at this time. We have no doubt that the remembrance of these same events will help a great deal to derive more benefit from the spiritual retreat.

On March 25, Adam sinned, lacking in obedience; on March 25, the Son of God obeyed the mission which His Father entrusted to Him¹ and He was made Man; and on March 25 He humbled Himself, becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross.²

On March 25, through sin, Adam became naked and God clothed him with lambskin and God said: Behold Adam is become as one of us.³ In effect, as the Son of God who took the sheepskin of our nature; thus he was made man; Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world; with His merits may He clothe us with grace.

On March 25 Adam ate the fruit of death; and on March 25 Jesus Christ instituted the Most Holy Sacrament, which is the bread of life for our souls.

On March 25 Adam sinned eating of the fruit of the tree; and on March 25 Jesus Christ, the new Adam, died on the tree of the Cross⁴; and thus Jesus defeated on the tree satan, who had defeated Adam.⁵

On March 25 Adam was driven out of the earthly paradise and on March 25 the Son of God entered the paradise of Mary, that is, He was made Man in the most Pure and Virginal Womb of Mary, and was born December 25.

See the schedule of these Meditations on page 363.


Footnotes

1. Lo, here am I, send me. Isa. 6:8
2. Philip. 2:8
3. Gen. 3:22
4. The Hebrews counted the day from the first vespers to second vespers, as the Church does today in her liturgical prayers; thus what we say will be understood: that on the same day, March 25, both the institution of the Blessed Eucharist and the Crucifixion took place, although the former was at eight o'clock in the evening on the Thursday, and the latter was at 12 noon on Friday, for this day is understood liturgically between first and second vespers of March 25.
5. In the preface of the Mass.


Plan and Order of the Meditations if used as a monthly day of Recollection

Day: the 25th of each month.

December — The Incarnation and Birth of Jesus Christ (p. 173); Jesus Christ's Hidden Life (p. 184)

January — The Reign of Jesus Christ (p. 162); The Public Life of Jesus Christ (p. 194)

February — Interior Suffering of Jesus Christ (p. 241); The Exterior Sufferings of Christ (p. 249)

March — Proper Devotion to the Blessed Virgin (p. 311); The Blessed Sacrament (p. 332)

April — On the Love of God (p. 291); On the Lovableness of God in Himself (p. 301)

May — On the End of Man (p. 19); Concerning Indifference to Created Things (p. 32)

June — The Sin of the Angels (p. 44); The Malice of Mortal Sin (p. 56)

July — The Pains of Hell, in Particular the Pain of Loss (p. 68); The Pain of Sense (p. 79)

August — Our Duty to Separate from Occasions of Sin (p. 107); [title illegible in the original scan] (p. 114)

September — Death (p. 124); The Death of the Sinner (p. 133)

October — The Last Judgement (p. 142); The Glory of Heaven (p. 152)

November — The Two Standards (p. 207); Third Degree of Humility (p. 229)

(Note: the original table's month-by-month layout was badly broken up by the scan; the pairing of months to meditations above follows the book's own sequence of meditations in order, which lines up exactly with the twelve months.)


The Utility, Necessity and Manner of Making a General Confession

(1) One of the greater benefits resulting from these holy Spiritual Exercises is to pacify consciences through a good General Confession. This is what infuses a supreme quiet in the interior of the one doing it, because the soul is serene and the heart recovers peace. Oh what consolation belongs to the soul who has made a General Confession with some care! There is no longer anything which can disturb the serenity of its thoughts.

Certain apprehensions of death, of judgment, of hell and of eternity are no longer objects of horror for it, while resigned and conformed to the Will of God, it looks at them with holy tranquillity, as if for it they did not exist. It looks only at death as the end of its pains and labors and the beginning of a happy eternity.

Oh, what consolation it is to die and appear at the tribunal of God, Father of mercy Who has forgiven one and forgotten all his sins following the cleansing of all his faults from a General Confession! What sweet hopes blossom in his heart! Who, then, will not resolve to do it?

(2) Nevertheless, before treating of the way of making a General Confession, it would be beneficial to warn that it is of necessity for some souls and useful for others. It is necessary for those souls who in previous Confessions have been quiet and have maliciously hidden, through shame or fear, some mortal sin, or who thought it was a mortal sin, and for that reason believed that they had made a bad Confession, hiding it. Also requiring a General Confession are those souls who, although having confessed all their sins, but have lacked sorrow for their sins as well as the firm purpose of amendment not to sin any more. If their Confessions have been without any purpose of amendment, if they have lived in a voluntary proximate occasion of sin, if they have always had hatred and rancor towards their neighbor, if they have held onto what belongs to others, and being able to make restitution, have not done it, if they have been remiss in fulfilling the main obligations of their state of life — those souls, then, who have made their individual Confessions with any one of those grave defects, must understand that these Confessions are null and sacrilegious, and that there is no other remedy than to repair their damages and harm and ensure their eternal salvation, by making a good General Confession.

(3) But for those souls who in all their individual Confessions have put forth all cautious effort on their part, and who have moral certainty that all their Confessions were good ones, nevertheless a good General Confession would be most useful, now in life and afterwards at the hour of death. I now say in life, since the General Confession has served many souls to begin a fervent and exemplary life, as experience teaches us that many, many souls following a General Confession, have not returned to sin, or at least, not for long, and if they do, they soon get up and they make many reforms.

Then happens to the soul who confesses generally, what happens to the person who clothes himself with a rich and new vestment, great care over a long period of time not to soil it; thus the soul, clothed once again with Divine Grace through a General Confession, lives more carefully not to dirty itself again.

(4) It is not possible to relate the multitude of souls who through a General Confession, have made a Christian reform of their life and have corrected certain vices, even those for which they no longer knew what remedies to apply. From this it follows that the first advice usually given to one who wants to change his state, is to make a good General Confession, as is the practice with those who wish to embrace the religious life or Holy Matrimony.

This is also advised to those who have lived much time engaged in business of the world, and attempt to withdraw to a more quiet life, attending to their soul and surrounding themselves totally to God; they do not find any more efficacious remedy for this renovation of the spirit than a good General Confession. The reason for this is that because the soul who confesses in a general way conceives greater sorrow for its past sins and a greater purpose of amendment in the future. The soul on seeing all its sins together rather than one by one at various times, is presented with a different aspect; this is like an army of soldiers, when spread out at various places, cause no terror, but when they are together and placed in battle by command, they cause great terror. For this reason many saints made a General Confession during their life. In the life of the pious Archbishop of Valencia, Blessed John of Rivera, admiration of all Spain, it is told that he made six General Confessions throughout his life. Saint Charles Borromeo made a General Confession each year. Saint Teresa of Jesus, Saint Mary Magdalen of Pazzi and Saint Jane Frances Chantal made General Confessions. These saintly persons were not moved to make General Confessions through scruples, but rather they did it for its great usefulness which they reported in a practical manner, of greater confusion about themselves, of a considerable increase of sorrow for having sinned, and of a greater strength to correct themselves in the future.

From here Saint Francis de Sales, among other praises which he sings of General Confession, says: "That it provokes us to a healthy confusion for our past life and makes us admire the features of the Mercy of God in order to love Him with greater fervor in the future."

It is the practice of every reasonable person who desires his eternal salvation, to make the exercises annually and include a General Confession of everything of that year, or from the last good General Confession of previous years; and it should be recommended to those souls who have never made it, that they make the General Confession at least once, when they are better acquainted with the gravity of their sins and of the goodness of God against Whom they have offended, as Saint Margaret of Cortona did by order of the same God, and He was so pleased that He said: "My child, Margaret, by virtue of the General Confession which you have made, I forgive you all your sins."

(5) Oh, blessed General Confession! Who will not be determined to do it faithfully, in order to be enriched with so many benefits which it brings? It revalidates past Confessions made lacking the required dispositions, excites the soul with greater efficacy to contrition for sins committed, it pulls out of the heart all the vices and sinful attachments, inclines the Divine Mercy to grant us a general pardon for all our evils, and finally, consoles the penitent soul and returns its baptismal purity, and besides it disposes it to receive new graces and favors in this life and eternal glory in the next life.

(6) In view of the great evils which are overcome and the great benefits which the General Confession brings, no one will be surprised that Saint Ignatius exhorts all those who wish to be perfectly converted to God, to make first a General Confession of all their sins. Nor should we find it strange that Saint Vincent de Paul, from one General Confession which he heard, took as a motive for forming his first missions afterwards founding such a holy Congregation, in which an expressed profession is made to hear General Confessions. And thus we advise and beg all souls to make a General Confession: at least to two kinds of persons; to those who have never made it, and to those who have habitually lived in some vice, and have continued confessing from time to time with little or no purpose of amendment; these, then, should make a General Confession.

(7) The understanding convinced of the usefulness of General Confession, and the will resolved to make it then, it runs into the difficulty of the examination of conscience, looking upon this difficulty as an insurmountable mountain.

Courage; there is no reason to be frightened; here is a very easy method which is supported by these simple points:

(1) The first time you make a General Confession, confess only mortal sins which your conscience considers to be so, or those about which you are doubtful or have suspicion of being mortal.

(2) If you know precisely their number, for example, six, say that there are six mortal sins which you have committed.

(3) If you don't know if there are six or eight, say so.

(4) Whenever you have had some vice, examine the years such a fault has lasted, and the frequency with which you usually fell into it, computing some time connections, for example, two or three times a month, or two or three times a week, or once each day or whatever number of times.

(5) The individual who has sinned against purity will examine his conscience by his state of life, and thus he will think first how old he was when he married, how many years he lived in a married state and how many lived as a widow or widower; next he will determine the number of times fallen in each state, since the sins of a married person are of a different kind from those of the unmarried.

(6) As for the rest of the sins, it is not necessary to make this distinction of state since it is as sinful in one state as in another. Nevertheless, to help the memory, it would be beneficial for the individual to better examine himself, running through the course of his life, beginning from his infancy, childhood, and youth; which year he changed his state and how long he spent in each state, places where he has been, positions he has held, relationships he has kept; and with this diligence his conscience will present like a faithful mirror all the sins he has committed throughout his life against the Holy Commandments of God's Law and of the Church, which for a better method and greater clarity, he will keep on following them in order, and in each Commandment he will examine every sin committed against that Commandment throughout his whole life, applying to this Commandment age, state, occupations, etc.


List of books St. Anthony Mary Claret recommends for those who make the Spiritual Exercises

Villacastin, or Luis de la Puente, For Daily Meditation.

Father Luis de Granada, Prayer and Meditation.*

The Treasure of Protection [For devotion to Mary]

The Glories of Mary [For devotion to Mary]*

Thomas a Kempis, Imitation of Christ.*

St. Francis de Sales, Introduction to a Devout Life.*

The Gospel of St. Matthew, with a commentary by St. Anthony Mary Claret.

Conformity to the Will of God.*

Granada, Guide of Sinners.*

Madame Beaumont, True Instruction of the People.

Instruction of Youth.

Augusto Nicolas, Philosophical Studies.

Harmony of Reason and Religion.

Abbot J. Gaume, The Catechism of Perseverance.

Croiset, The Christian Year.

The Right and Safe Road for Getting to Heaven.

Our Little Works, The Catechism Explained by St. Anthony Mary Claret.

*Note — These books are available through the publisher.


Back Cover

An Unbeatable Combination

Saint Anthony Mary Claret (1807-1870) has been considered the greatest writer in the Spanish language of the Nineteenth Century and was also considered the most influential man in Spain for, among other reasons, being confessor to the Queen of Spain.

He preached an estimated 25,000 sermons, wrote 14 books, founded three religious orders and while Archbishop of Santiago, Cuba, confirmed over 300,000 souls and validated more than 9,000 marriages. In his lifetime, he worked numerous miracles. He had the gift of prophecy and the discernment of hearts.

The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius are a series of meditations and exercises given by the Mother of God to St. Ignatius Loyola while he was in his long retreat in Manresa, Spain (1522-1523) after his conversion to the spiritual life. He transmitted these Exercises to the Jesuit Order that he founded and they soon spread throughout the world. The Spiritual Exercises have been praised by Saints, Doctors of the Church and Popes, such as Pope Paul III through John Paul II, St. Theresa of Avila, St. Francis de Sales, St. Leonard of Port Maurice and St. Louis Grignion de Montfort.

Of the excellence of these Spiritual Exercises, Pope Pius XI wrote: "In the retreat of Manresa, Saint Ignatius learned from the Mother of God Herself how he ought to fight the battles of the Lord. It was from Her hands that he received this code so perfect that, in all truth, we can say that every soldier of Christ should use and refer to the Spiritual Exercises, which, according to tradition, were given from Heaven to Saint Ignatius." (Pius XI, Encyclical Meditantibus Nobis, Dec. 3, 1922.)

(Note: the italicized middle portion of this Pius XI quotation was badly distorted on the scanned back cover, likely by an overlaid graphic element; it has been reconstructed here from the surviving fragments and the well-known wording of this passage.)

Now for the first time in English, this book, The Golden Key to Heaven, is the collection of meditations of St. Anthony Mary Claret, based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Even during St. Anthony Mary Claret's lifetime, this book "has produced marvelous results in such a way that, provided sinners make the Exercise well, they will be converted, while the just will be strengthened and perfected in grace. May it be for the greater glory of God." Indeed these pages contain some of the finest spiritual reading available in any language.



This book is available in English from Immaculate Heart Publications:

U.S. — Box 1028, Buffalo, New York 14205
Canada — Box 602, Fort Erie, Ontario L2A 5X3