José María Arizmendiarrieta
Encyclopedia
Father José María Arizmendiarrieta Madariaga (22 April 1915 – 29 November 1976) was a Catholic priest and founder of the Mondragón cooperative movement in the Basque Country
.
Arizmendiarrieta, whose name is often shortened to Arizmendi, was born in Barinaga, Markina-Xemein
, Biscay
, the eldest son of a family of modest means. He had lost an eye in a childhood accident so could not be a soldier
. Instead he was a journalist for Basque language
newspapers. His actions caused him to be arrested after the war and he was sentenced to death for his activities; legend has it that he escaped the firing squad only through an administrative oversight. Released, he returned to his studies in Vitoria and went on to take holy orders
.
Arizmendi wanted to continue his studies in Belgium
but was assigned to a parish 30 miles from his own home town. He arrived in Arrasate (in Spanish
, Mondragón) in February 1941, as a 26-year-old newly-ordained priest to be assistant curate
, to find a town still suffering from the aftermath of the Civil War and severe unemployment. The local priest had been shot by Franco's forces.
Arizmendi did not impress his new flock. Their one-eyed priest read badly; one parishioner described him thus: "He spoke in a monotone with intricate and repetitive phraseology difficult to understand. He hardly ever [read] with grace." They initially asked the Bishop
to replace him. Nevertheless, he was determined to find a way to assist his congregation and realised that economic development - jobs - was the key to solutions to the town's other problems. Co-operatives appeared the best way to achieve this. Co-operatives, both consumer and worker, and self-help organisations had a long tradition in the Basque Country but had died away after the War.
In 1943, Arizmendi set up a Polytechnic
School, now the Mondragón University
, a democratically-administered educational centre open to all young people in the region. He set up the school, which quickly expanded, with money from local people collected on street corners. He taught many students himself. The school played a key role in the emergence and development of the co-operative movement, educating and empowering the townsfolk.
Arizmendi, who died in 1976 in Arrasate, is revered in his adopted town and around the world by co-operative activists for seeing that co-ops can be effective businesses and transform local communities.
Basque Country (autonomous community)
The Basque Country is an autonomous community of northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, also called Historical Territories....
.
Arizmendiarrieta, whose name is often shortened to Arizmendi, was born in Barinaga, Markina-Xemein
Markina-Xemein
Markina-Xemein is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, Bizkaia, in the Basque Autonomous Community, also known as the Basque Country, located in northern Spain. The origin of the town's name lies in its geographic location. The last town in the province of Bizkaia, Markina...
, Biscay
Biscay
Biscay is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lord of Biscay. Its capital city is Bilbao...
, the eldest son of a family of modest means. He had lost an eye in a childhood accident so could not be a soldier
Euzko Gudarostea
Euzko Gudarostea was the name of the army commanded by the Basque Government during the Spanish civil war. It was formed by Basque nationalists, socialists and communists under the direction of lendakari José Antonio Aguirre and coordinating with the army of the Second Spanish Republic...
. Instead he was a journalist for Basque language
Basque language
Basque is the ancestral language of the Basque people, who inhabit the Basque Country, a region spanning an area in northeastern Spain and southwestern France. It is spoken by 25.7% of Basques in all territories...
newspapers. His actions caused him to be arrested after the war and he was sentenced to death for his activities; legend has it that he escaped the firing squad only through an administrative oversight. Released, he returned to his studies in Vitoria and went on to take holy orders
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
.
Arizmendi wanted to continue his studies in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
but was assigned to a parish 30 miles from his own home town. He arrived in Arrasate (in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, Mondragón) in February 1941, as a 26-year-old newly-ordained priest to be assistant curate
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
, to find a town still suffering from the aftermath of the Civil War and severe unemployment. The local priest had been shot by Franco's forces.
Arizmendi did not impress his new flock. Their one-eyed priest read badly; one parishioner described him thus: "He spoke in a monotone with intricate and repetitive phraseology difficult to understand. He hardly ever [read] with grace." They initially asked the Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
to replace him. Nevertheless, he was determined to find a way to assist his congregation and realised that economic development - jobs - was the key to solutions to the town's other problems. Co-operatives appeared the best way to achieve this. Co-operatives, both consumer and worker, and self-help organisations had a long tradition in the Basque Country but had died away after the War.
In 1943, Arizmendi set up a Polytechnic
Institute of technology
Institute of technology is a designation employed in a wide range of learning institutions awarding different types of degrees and operating often at variable levels of the educational system...
School, now the Mondragón University
Mondragon University
Mondragon Unibertsitatea is a private university in the Basque Country, officially established and recognized in 1997. Its main campus is in Mondragón, Gipuzkoa.- History :...
, a democratically-administered educational centre open to all young people in the region. He set up the school, which quickly expanded, with money from local people collected on street corners. He taught many students himself. The school played a key role in the emergence and development of the co-operative movement, educating and empowering the townsfolk.
Arizmendi, who died in 1976 in Arrasate, is revered in his adopted town and around the world by co-operative activists for seeing that co-ops can be effective businesses and transform local communities.