Anthony Mary Claret

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.