Saturday, October 24, 2026

Saint Anthony Mary Claret, Bishop

optional memorial Ordinary Time

Selected Mass Reading

Gospel — Luke 13:1-9

And there were present, at that very time, some that told him of the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answering, said to them: Think you that these Galileans were sinners above all the men of Galilee, because they suffered such things? No, I say to you: but unless you shall do penance, you shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen upon whom the tower fell in Siloe and slew them: think you that they also were debtors above all the men that dwelt in Jerusalem? No, I say to you: but except you do penance, you shall all likewise perish. He spoke also this parable: A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard: and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. And he said to the dresser of the vineyard: Behold, for these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree and I find none. Cut it down therefore. Why cumbereth it the ground? But he answering, said to him: Lord, let it alone this year also, until I dig about it and dung it. And if happily it bear fruit: but if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.

Saints Memorialized Today

Anthony Mary Claret Bishop, Archbishop, Missionary, Religious founder, Writer 1807–1870

Saint Anthony Mary Claret was born on December 23, 1807, in Sallent near Barcelona, Spain, into a hardworking family of wool manufacturers. As a boy he learned the weaver’s trade, yet his heart was drawn more deeply to God. After studies in Barcelona and a time of discernment, he entered the seminary at Vic and was ordained a priest in 1835. Burning with missionary zeal, he preached tirelessly across Catalonia, walking from town to town, calling souls to conversion and spending long hours in the confessional, especially for the poor and those wounded by civil unrest. In 1849 he founded the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the Claretians, to spread the Gospel with fervor and fidelity. That same year he was appointed Archbishop of Santiago de Cuba, where he reformed clerical life, promoted schools and hospitals, defended the oppressed, and endured violent opposition, even surviving an assassination attempt. Later he served as confessor to Queen Isabella II, using his influence for charity and evangelization, and prepared for the First Vatican Council. He is venerated as patron of weavers and textile workers. He died on October 24, 1870; his feast day is October 24.