St. Anthony Mary Claret (1807–1870) was a Catalan textile weaver who became a priest, one of the greatest missionary preachers of nineteenth-century Spain, the founder of the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (the Claretians), Archbishop of Santiago de Cuba, and confessor to the Queen of Spain. He preached some ten thousand sermons, wrote and printed books and pamphlets by the millions, and survived an assassination attempt in Cuba. His feast day is October 24. Below are his story, what he is the patron saint of, Scripture and prayers to St. Anthony Mary Claret.
A short prayer to St. Anthony Mary Claret, written for this page:
St. Anthony Mary Claret, apostle burning with love for Jesus and Mary,
pray for missionaries, preachers and all who spread the Gospel through the press,
and for workers who earn their bread by the labor of their hands. Amen.
Who was St. Anthony Mary Claret?
Antoni Claret i Clarà was born on December 23, 1807, in Sallent, near Barcelona, the son of a weaver. He worked in the family textile trade and studied design in Barcelona, where he became an expert weaver. Feeling called to the priesthood, he entered the seminary of Vic and was ordained in 1835. He hoped to be a foreign missionary and went to Rome to join the Jesuits, but illness sent him home. Instead he became an itinerant missionary across Catalonia and the Canary Islands, walking from town to town, preaching parish missions, hearing confessions for hours, and founding the Religious Library, a publishing house that printed millions of inexpensive books and pamphlets for ordinary Catholics.
On July 16, 1849, he founded the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, known as the Claretians. The next year Pope Pius IX made him Archbishop of Santiago de Cuba. In seven years there he visited his vast diocese several times, reformed the clergy, opposed the abuse of slaves, founded credit unions and savings banks for the poor, and set up model farms. In 1856 at Holguín an assassin slashed his face and arm; he asked that his attacker be spared. Recalled to Spain in 1857 as confessor to Queen Isabella II, he went into exile with her after the revolution of 1868. He took part in the First Vatican Council, defending papal infallibility, and died on October 24, 1870, at the Cistercian monastery of Fontfroide in France.
Canonization
Pope Pius XI beatified him in 1934, and Pope Pius XII canonized him on May 7, 1950.
Scripture
The text that summed up his missionary life (Luke 4:18–19, Douay-Rheims):
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. Wherefore he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, he hath sent me to heal the contrite of heart,
To preach deliverance to the captives, and sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of reward.
What is St. Anthony Mary Claret the patron saint of?
St. Anthony Mary Claret is the patron saint of:
- Weavers and textile workers
- Savings and credit unions, which he founded for the poor of Cuba
- The Catholic press and religious publishers
- The Claretian Missionaries
Prayers to St. Anthony Mary Claret
Written for this page.
For missionaries and preachers
St. Anthony Mary Claret, you walked from town to town to bring people back to God.
Pray for missionaries and preachers, that their words may be on fire with love. Amen.
For workers and the poor
St. Anthony Mary Claret, you worked at the loom and later helped the poor to save and to work with dignity.
Pray for workers who struggle to make ends meet, and for all who help them. Amen.
Feast day
The optional memorial of St. Anthony Mary Claret, bishop, is October 24, the day of his death.
Frequently asked questions
Who founded the Claretians?
St. Anthony Mary Claret, in 1849, in Vic, Spain.
What is St. Anthony Mary Claret the patron saint of?
Weavers and textile workers, savings and credit unions, and the Catholic press.
When is his feast day?
October 24.
More saints
- Immaculate Heart of Mary
- St. Anthony prayer
- St. Francis de Sales prayer
- St. Peter Canisius
- Prayer for vocations
- Saint of the day
Texts and sources
- Luke 4:18–19 (Douay-Rheims).