Saint Anthony Claret (1807-1870)

Saint Anthony Claret was born in Catalonia, Spain in 1807. As the son of a weaver, he took up his father's craft, but began studying for the priesthood to become a Jesuit. He was not able to join the Jesuits due to his poor health, so he became a secular priest. He established the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, known today as Claretians, and the Apostolic Training Institute of the Immaculate Conception, known today as Claretian nuns. Anthony was the archbishop of Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, from 1850 to 1857. He also established the Religious Publishing House, an important Catholic publishing business in Spain, and wrote or published numerous books and pamphlets. Anthony became Queen Isabella II's confessor, partook in the First Vatican Council, and died in a Cistercian monastery in France on October 24, 1870. He had prophetic gifts and performed miracles. Anthony is the patron saint of textile merchants, weavers, savings, the Catholic press, Claretians Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the Diocese of the Canary Islands, Claretian Students and Educators, and Technical and Vocational Educators.