[1] Salamanca Foundation History - Maciel's Modus Operandi and Sex Abuse of Apostolics

Testimony of Salamanca novice whose parents cooperated with Fr. Maciel and his foundation. This reflects Fr Maciel's charisma, leadership, or exploitation -it depends on your point of view- of others.

Around the early 1950s Marcial Maciel came to Salamanca, together with our dear Carlos de la Isla. My father helped Fr. Maciel buy the land to build the Novitiate of Salamanca.

Marcial Maciel was often in my parents' house. Carlos de la Isla often visited us in the evenings as he was alone, living in a pension [lodgings] that my parents found for him.

When Maciel came to Salamanca with Donia Flora Barragan de Garza, they used to stay at the now defunct Gran Hotel, near the Plaza Mayor. Maciel asked my parents for one of my sisters to accompany Donia Flora during the nights. My sister, Maria Antonia, about 16-17 at the time became Flora's maid in waiting.

For many months, I dont remember how many but it was a long time, my mother, my aunt and Fr. Fernando Vergez LC's mother, whom Maciel called "the holy women" would cook for the Legionaries until they hired proper staff. They did this as volunteers without pay. 

When I finished my Humanities in Salamanca [early 1960s], Maciel sent me to [the Apostolic School in] Ontaneda as a teacher. I spent over two years there until I decided to put an end to my involvment with the Legion. Maciel asks me to wait until he visits Ontaneda. Which he does. I give him my reasons. I tell him what I am seeing and living in Ontaneda with [the sexually abusive behavior] of  Fr. Jose Ma Sanchez, Brother Jesus Martinez Penilla, and his own. He asks me to go to Madrid, and start the Regnum Christi male section with Fr. Alfredo Torres Villanueva. I accept. (They send Arturo Jurado there, too). I stay in Madrid collaborando for two to three years until finally, and fortunately, I lose sight of them. That was 1969.

Author Note: Apostolic School, Junior Seminary; students were aged 11-15, more or less. This made for very young students entering the Novitiate in Salamanca, aged 15. When the first group of Irish candidates entered the Novitiate on September 15, 1961, we thought the Spanish and Mexicans were only "kids". For the most part they exhibited the enthusiasm and high jinks of 15 year olds.