Saint Anthony Mary Clare 19thC

Saint Anthony Mary Clare was born on December 23, 1807, and died on October 24, 1870. He was a Spanish Catholic prelate and missionary who served as the Archbishop of Santiago de Cuba and was the confessor of Queen Isabella II of Spain. He founded the congregation of Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, which is commonly called the Claretians. In addition to founding the Claretians, which in the early 21st century had over 450 houses and 3100 members, with missions on five continents, Saint Anthony Mary Clare founded or drew up the rules of several communities of religious sisters.  Saint Anthony Mary Clare is the patron saint of weavers. Are you a weaver?

Saint Anthony Mary Clare Biography

Saint Anthony Mary Clare was the fifth of eleven children. He grew up near the Shrine of Our Lady of Fussimanya. He went to elementary school in his native village, and at the age of twelve became a weaver. That is why he is the patron saint of weavers.  When he was eighteen, he went to Barcelona to specialize in his trade as a Jacquard loom programmer, and stayed there until he was 20 years old. Meanwhile, he devoted himself to studying and became proficient in Latin, French, and engraving.

Saint Anthony Mary Clare was ordained on June 13, 1835, and he wanted to become a missionary, but he became ill and could not become a missionary yet, though we will see that he went to Cuba. He returned to his home parish in Spain and became known for his work on behalf of the poor.  Instead of becoming a missionary, he was recalled by his superiors. Saint Anthony Mary Clare was sent to Apostolic Missions throughout Catalonia, which had suffered from French invasions. He travelled from one mission to the next on foot.

In 1848, Saint Anthony Mary Clare had his life threatened by anti-clerical enemies, and he was sent to the Canary Islands, where he gave retreats for 15 months. There, he established the Congregation of the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (The Claretians) on July 16, 1849. Pope Pius IX approved the congregation on December 22, 1865.

Pope Pius IX, at the request of the Spanish crown (Queen-regnant Isabella II of Spain), appointed Saint Anthony Mary Clare Archbishop of Santiago de Cuba in 1849. He accomplished some great things as the Bishop. The Santiago seminary was reorganized, clerical discipline strengthened, and over 9,000 marriages validated within the first two years of his arrival. He erected a hospital and several schools. Three times he visited the entire diocese.

Among his great initiatives as Bishop were vocational schools for poor children and credit unions for their families. Saint Anthony Mary Clare wrote books about rural spirituality and agricultural methods. Then, on August 25, 1855, he founded the Religious of Mary Immaculate together with Maria Antonia Paris. The first women’s religious institute in Cuba. He also visited jails and hospitals.

In his travels, Saint Anthony Mary Clare was stabbed by a would-be assassin. The assassin was caught, and Clare had his sentence commuted. On September 3, 1859, Claret claimed he had heard Jesus tell him that three great evils were descending upon mankind: the first was a series of enormous, horrifying wars; the second, the four powerful demons of pleasure, love of money, false reasoning and a will separated from God. Finally, in addition to a grievance he had with certain Christians who had left the church, Jesus told him that the third chastisement would be brought about by Communism.

That was quite a prediction, as communism did not exist at the time. In February 1857, he was recalled to Spain by Queen Isabella II, who made him her confessor. In 1869, Saint Anthony Mary Clare went to Rome to prepare for the First Vatican Council. His health failed, and he withdrew to Prada de Conflent in the French Pyrenees. Shortly afterwards, he retired to the Cistercian abbey at Fontfroide, Narbonne, southern France, where he died on October 24, 1870. He was aged 62. His remains were buried in the Catalan city of Vic, in the County of Osona.

Conclusion

The most amazing thing about Saint Anthony Mary Clare was that he claimed Jesus appeared to him and predicted that Communism would chastise Christians. He accomplished a great many things, but since communism did not exist when Claret had his apperition, this fact is very shocking. He was a participant in the first vatican council and was known to both Royals and Popes.