Description
Sants Boada i Calsada
Book Summary
This work presents the life and work of Sants Boada i Calsada, a cooperative priest who dedicated his existence to fostering social progress in his hometown. The reader will discover how, through his ministry, he founded key institutions such as the Ateneu Social, a savings bank, and several cooperatives, becoming a benchmark for Catholic cooperativism in Catalonia. A fascinating portrait of a man who combined faith and social action in a tumultuous historical context.
What is it about?
The book focuses on the trajectory of Sants Boada i Calsada (Sant Feliu de Guíxols, 1875–1936), from his training at the Barcelona seminary, where he learned about the experience of the Jesuit Antoni Vicent and Catholic workers' circles. Ordained a priest in 1905 and incardinated in the diocese of Girona, he soon set out to promote eminently social work. In 1907, he founded the Ateneu Social, with theater, sports, and cultural sections, and a savings bank. In 1908, he created a consumer cooperative, which would later become the Workers' Cooperative (Cooperativa Obrera). Later, he founded a small agglomerated cork box production cooperative (Suber C. de P.) and, in 1917, the Workers' Patronage (Patronat d'Obreres) and a school for children. All these works remained active until 1936, the year in which he became a victim of revolutionary repression following the bombardment by the Canarias in the Bay of Roses.
Main Topics
- Religious and spiritual biography of a committed priest.
- History of Catholic cooperativism in Catalonia.
- Social action and foundation of workers' institutions (Ateneu, savings bank, cooperatives, school).
- Historical context of the revolutionary repression of 1936.
- The role of the priest as a promoter of local social and economic progress.
Who is it recommended for?
This book is ideal for readers interested in the history of cooperativism, biographies of religious figures with a social vocation, and the historical memory of the workers' movement in Catalonia. It will also be of great interest to scholars of early 20th-century Girona and those looking for examples of Christian commitment to social justice.
What this book contributes
- Detailed knowledge of a key figure in Catalan Catholic cooperativism.
- Understanding of the social initiatives promoted by the church before the Civil War.
- A testimony of the 1936 revolutionary repression through a specific victim.
- A vision of how faith can translate into transformative social and economic action.
Technical Sheet
- Author: Àngel Jiménez Navarro
- Publisher: Eumo Editorial SAU
- Language: Catalan
- Subject: Biography: Religious and spiritual
- Collection: Catalan Cooperators
- Binding: Paperback
- Publication date: April 2006
- Number of pages: 80
- Weight: 198 g
Editorial Review
This brief yet intense biography offers a rigorous approach to the figure of Sants Boada, a priest who prioritized social action over rhetoric. His inclusion in the "Catalan Cooperators" collection provides an academic and informative context, ideal for those who wish to learn about the roots of cooperativism in the region. Despite its limited length, the book is a useful tool for understanding how religion and the workers' movement converged in a local figure with a notable impact.