St anthony mary claret biography of martin
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But his health was failing and he felt the end approaching. In 1857 he was recalled to Spain as confessor to the queen. At the suggestion of the Queen of Spain, Isabella II, Anthony was named archbishop of Santiago, Cuba (1850). His fame grew far and wide. This thought filled him with holy sorrow and a desire to help as many people as possible avoid such a fate.
At the age of six, Anthony was sent to the local school where he excelled in his education.
His solution for the misery of Cubans was family-owned farms producing a variety of foods for the family’s own needs and for the market.
This invited the enmity of the vested interests who wanted everyone to work on a single cash crop—sugar. For the next ten years, he accompanied the queen on her travels, preaching missions in each town while continuing to write and publish.
He felt that his apostolic zeal could not be confined within palace walls. Shortly after, he preached in the Canary Islands with the same powerful effect.
Returning to Vich in 1849, Father Anthony founded the Congregation of Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, later known as the Claretian Missionaries, or Claretians.
Filled with holy sorrow for those who were miserable in life, he desired to help as many as possible get to heaven. He himself once admitted that, despite avoiding favoritism, he was still wounded by gossip and calumny. However, the pursuit of success began to draw him away from the simple faith of his childhood.
Just after founding the congregation, he was appointed as Archbishop of Santiago de Cuba. He suffered persecution and even survived an assassination attempt but never lost courage.
Upon returning to Spain in 1857, Queen Isabella II, struck by his spiritual charisma and moral authority, asked Anthony Mary Claret to become her personal confessor.
Jesus, I trust in You.
Reflection taken from:
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Volumes One–Four
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(Short Version)
October 24: Saint Anthony Mary Claret, Bishop—Optional Memorial
1807–1870
Patron Saint of the Catholic press, textile merchants, and weavers
Canonized by Pope Pius XII on May 7, 1950
Anthony Adjutor John Claret y Clara was born in Sallent, in the Province of Barcelona, Spain, one of five surviving children of devout Catholic parents.
Of this time, Anthony later wrote, “My ceaseless preoccupation with machines, looms, and creations had so obsessed me that I could think of nothing else.” However, he declined the offer to start a new business, because he knew something else awaited him.
After four years in Barcelona, Anthony finally realized he needed to leave and pursue his vocation.
He also entered the novitiate of the Jesuits but had to leave because of ill health, so he returned to Spain and was assigned as pastor of a parish. God also healed the sick and cast out demons through Father Anthony. Besides all his religious writings are two books he wrote in Cuba: Reflections on Agriculture and Country Delights.
He was recalled to Spain for a job he did not relish—being chaplain for the queen.
During exile in Paris, he continued his ministry — offering spiritual assistance to the royal family, promoting the Conferences of the Holy Family and dedicating himself to Spanish immigrants and the poor.
In 1869, he went to Rome for the priestly jubilee of Pope Pius IX and to participate in the preparatory work for the First Vatican Council. In 1848, he founded a publishing house which, over the next two decades, distributed millions of books, booklets, and leaflets.
As a result of his activity he was frequently threatened with death and on one occasion an attempt was actually made on his life.