St Anthony Mary Claret
Patron Saint of weavers, textile merchants, Catholic press (and related Claretian works).
Feast Day: October 24th
Bishop and Religious
Sallent (Barcelona), Spain
Public Domain: Antonio María Claret, c.1860 via Wikimedia Commons.
Feast Day: October 24th
Bishop and Religious
Sallent (Barcelona), Spain
About
Saint Anthony Mary Claret (1807–1870) was a Spanish missionary bishop and tireless evangelist. He founded the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (the Claretians) in 1849 and later served as Archbishop of Santiago de Cuba, where he reformed seminaries, validated thousands of marriages, opened schools and charities, and preached missions across the island. After returning to Spain as confessor to Queen Isabella II, he continued writing, publishing, and defending the faith, and took part in the First Vatican Council. He died in 1870 at the monastery of Fontfroide, France.
Legacy
Claret’s congregation now serves on five continents, carrying his Marian zeal and missionary spirit. He also co-founded a congregation of sisters (Religious of Mary Immaculate) and championed vocational training and credit unions for the poor—practical charity joined to evangelization. He’s widely honored as the “spiritual father of Cuba.”
“A Son of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is a man on fire with love; he spreads its flames wherever he goes.” — St. Anthony Mary Claret
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