August 8, 2025— Claretian Alumni Care for Their Own
For more than four decades, the Claretian Alumni Association has remained steadfast in its mission: to honor and care for Claretian missionaries who have spent their lives in service to others.
Alumni Association membership is composed of former seminarians, Claretian brothers, and priests who aim to preserve the bonds formed at Dominguez Seminary and to actively support retired Claretians, many of whom continue to live at the historic seminary building at Dominguez Rancho that has stood for more than 100 years. What once served as a school for Claretian formation is now a sacred place of rest and community for those who dedicated their lives to building hope, faith, and justice around the world.
In 2020, the association launched the Centenary Campaign to help restore and improve the aging facility and property. Now in the final stretch, the group has raised more than $500,000, ensuring the home remains a dignified and safe sanctuary for retired Claretians long into the future. John Crowe, President of the Claretian Alumni Association, says that the Claretians’ values are the foundation on which many alumni have built their lives. “We are the men we are today because of the Claretians. The values they instilled in us are still with us—they grounded us,” he shared.
The Association is presently hard at work planning their annual Reunion at Dominguez. 100 members, supporters and Dominguez family descendants will gather to celebrate Mass in the Chapel, followed by a social fellowship and barbeque lunch. This year, the late Fr. John Raab, CMF, will be honored. Fr. John was a driving force behind connecting people in both his ministry and for the Association. His work as the Claretian liaison for the Association over the last two decades was instrumental in growing and sustaining the Association.
Behind the fundraising and fellowship lies a greater mission: to give back to those who have given so much. Each dollar raised, each connection rekindled, is part of a greater act of gratitude—ensuring that the men who led lives of selfless mission are now supported with care, dignity, and community.
This sense of lifelong gratitude fuels the Alumni Association’s mission, a mission that echoes far beyond the walls of the Dominguez Seminary. Just as the Association gives back to those who dedicated their lives to ministry, the Community Development proudly supports their mission and the social justice programs that continue in their tradition and call to giving: caring for forced migrants, empowering youth, promoting a better life, and investing in underserved communities.
When you support the Alumni Association—and Claretian programs like it—you’re helping ensure that those who have given their lives in service are never forgotten, and that their legacy continues in communities around the world.
