St. Anthony Mary Claret
Feast day: October 24
Born in Spain in 1807, Anthony was the son of a weaver. Initially, he pursued weaving as well, but he later decided to study for the priesthood with the aspiration of becoming a Jesuit. Ill health prevented him from entering the order, but he was permitted to become a secular priest. In 1849, he founded the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, known today as the Claretians, and the Apostolic Training Institute of the Immaculate Conception (Claretian nuns). Anthony served as the archbishop of Santiago, Cuba, and was confessor of Queen Isabella II. He died in 1870 and was canonized in 1950.
Collect
O God, who for the evangelization of peoples
strengthened the Bishop Saint Anthony Mary Claret
with admirable charity and long-suffering,
grant, through his intercession,
that, seeking the things that are yours,
we may earnestly devote ourselves
to winning our brothers and sisters for Christ.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
