Domingo Ricart papers

Domingo Ricart was born May 9, 1901 in Molins de Llobregat, Catalonia, Spain. After earning a doctorate in history at the Sorbonne in Paris, he returned to Barcelona in 1928. In 1933, he married Margarita de las Barreras. When the Spanish Civil War broke out in 1936, Ricart was working for the YMCA in Barcelona. There, he met Alfred Jacob, an English Quaker sent by London Yearly Meeting to assess the needs of Spanish civilians during the war. Jacob and the Ricarts became friends, and Ricart joined the Servicio Internacional de los Amigos - Cuaqueros (International Service of Friends - Quakers). They distributed food and set up refugee camps for children. In February, 1939, Ricart escaped to France ahead of the fascist forces.

Alfred Jacob arranged for Ricart to get a scholarship to study at Woodbrooke, a center for Quaker Studies in Birmingham, England. There, Ricart studied the links between early Spanish mystics and Quakerism, and became a Quaker. Ricart was convinced that the mystic Spanish tradition, particularly Juan de Valdés, a 16th century writer and reformer, was very close to thoughts and writings of George Fox.

From 1942 to 1947, Ricart taught at the London Polytechnic Institute. In 1947, he and his family immigrated to the United States. From 1948 to 1971, Ricart taught Spanish literature and culture at the University of Kansas. Ricart continued to work with refugees, serving as a translator and interpreter for Central American refugees.

Ricart died in Boulder, Colorado, in April, 1987.

Sources: Nancy Dawson. “Domingo Ricart: A Life of Seeking and Serving.” Friends Journal. February 1, 1988. Manuel de Leon. “Domingo Ricart y su impacto.” Protestante Digital. December 9, 2015. http://protestantedigital.com/blogs/38194/domingo_ricart_y_su_impacto