Two Documents of Spanish Patronage by Pope Bl. John XXIII

Below are English translations of two documents by Pope Bl. John XXIII declaring patronages of various groups of Spanish. I have not been able to find these documents on-line in English, so I translated them out of Spanish. I do not claim that these translations are perfect in any respect, but I hope they at least portray the basics of these documents. I hope these translations are helpful.

Pope Bl. John XXIII
Apostolic Letter Peculiare Studium
4/22/1960
Constituting St. John Bosco Patron of Young Spanish Apprentices

Pope John XXIII,
For perpetual memory

Particular and careful zeal has to be had, as we all understand, with the youth that learn an art or trade, so that his life conforms with true human dignity and with the norms of religion and piety. And this is demand above all in our times, in which such perverse doctrines are propagated that augment corrupting seductions and there are so many dedicated to the exclusive triumph of the material, with many dangers for the souls of adolescents.

Having this present, and moved by their pastoral solicitude, the most eminent Cardinals and the most excellent Metropolitan Archbishops of all of Spain, making themselves interpreters of the venerable clergy and the civil Authorities, begged us to proclaim heavenly Patron of the working apprentices of all of Spain St. John Bosco, universally recognized as father and friend of youth.

And We, who profess a special veneration to this same Saint, heartily agree to said request, in the hope that such protection will serve so that the young Spanish apprentices, in their owed time, augment the decorum of Church and Homeland and work efficiently in her service.

In this way, then, with the opinion of the Sacred Congregation of the Rites, with certain understanding and after our mature deliberation, with the plenitude of apostolic power, in virtue of these Letters we constitute and declare perpetually St. John Bosco, confessor, heavenly Patron before God of all the young apprentices of Spain, commonly called Young Spanish Apprentices, with all the honors and liturgical privileges corresponding to the patrons of associations and entities. Anything to the contrary notwithstanding.

This is what we command and establish, decreeing that these present Letters be and remain firm, valid and efficient, and that they obtain integrally all their effects and that they serve all the interested at the present and in the future for any judgment and decision.

In this way, then, in its virtue, from now we declare null and abolished whatever above this any Authority, knowing or ignorant, attempts to the contrary.

Given in Rome, together with St. Peter, under the ring of the Fisherman, the 22nd day of April of the year 1960, the second of our Pontificate.

D. Card. Tardini,
Secretary of State

Pope Bl. John XXIII
Bull Agri Culturam
12/16/1960
Proclaiming St. Isidore the Worker Patron of Spanish Farmers and Peasants

John XXIII,
For perpetual memory

The cultivation of the field is glorified with the greatest praises by authors ecclesiastical and profane, even those alien to the Christian religion. This—the most holy doctor St. Augustine did not doubt to affirm—of all occupations is the healthiest and most honest. And in the most illustrious of ancient writers, in Cicero, one reads: “That rural life that you call rough is a sign of moderation, diligence, and justice.”

Now good, that task of agriculture, that brings so many virtues with it, is crossed in these times, in which they propagate everywhere the most depraved doctrines and in which there is a legion of those who reduce everything to the material, which is a grave danger. It is, then, necessary that the farmers, while they realize their works and gather the fruits whose possession conforms extremely to nature and justice, harmonize their lives according to the demands of religion and piety. And in order to accomplish this effectively they need help from on High.

Considering, then, diligently all these things and recognizing at once the desire of the brotherhoods of laborers, our beloved son Enrique, of the Holy Roman Church, presbyter Cardinal Pla and Deniel, Archbishop of Toledo, supplicated us that we would proclaim the heavenly Saint Isidore, Patron of all the laborers of Spain, in solemn form, since already this holy man, humble and simple, appears before them as a luminous example, simultaneously with the works of the field, that was realized diligently, the eminent army of obedience and charity. And so We Ourselves, who were born of a family dedicated to agriculture, the best, most fecund, sweetest and most dignified task of man even of free man—these are words of Cicero—with the greatest pleasure we have determined to accede to these desires. In this way, then, having heard the opinion of the Sacred Congregation of Rites, conscious of the situation and after mature deliberation on our part, and with the plenitude of apostolic power, in virtue of these letters, and forever, we confirm and declare the heavenly Saint Isidore the Worker Patron before God of the farmers and peasants of the Spanish nation, with all the honors and liturgical privileges that, logically, correspond to the patrons of brotherhoods or associations, anything to the contrary notwithstanding. This we command and determine, decreeing that these holy letters be permanently firm, valid and efficient and that they achieve and obtain full effect. And that it would be favorable to all those whom it affects or would be able to affect from now and forever and this way it will be made to award them effectively and definitively, and, moreover, that from now will be without worth all other authority, knowing or ignorant, that would try to go against what has been said.

Given in Rome, together with St. Peter, under the ring of the Fisherman, the 16th day of December of 1960, the third year of our Pontificate.

Domenico, Cardinal Tardini,
Secretary of State

Again, I hope you found these translations helpful.
God Bless!

St. John Bosco, pray for us!
St. Isidore the Worker, pray for us!

Nota Bene: The Spanish translation of these documents can be found here and here, respectively.

 

Translation ©2011 Brandon P. Otto.  Licensed via CC BY-NC.  Feel free to redistribute non-commercially, as long as credit is given to the author.