Antonius Maria Claret

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Antonius Maria Claret
San Antonio María Claret (Museo Nacional del Romanticismo de Madrid) .jpg
Born December 23, 1807 ( Sallent , Catalonia , Kingdom of Spain )
Deceased October 24, 1870 ( Fontfroide , France )
beatification February 25, 1934 in Rome by Pope Pius XI.
canonization May 7, 1950 in Rome by Pope Pius XII.
Holiday October 24th ( saint calendar )
Place of worship Vic , Kingdom of Spain
Patron saint Textiles , weavers , savings , Claretian missionaries
Attributes Episcopal robe, crosier , catechism

Antonius Maria Claret y Clará (* December 23, 1807 as Antonius Claret y Clará in Sallent , Catalonia , Spain , † October 24, 1870 in Fontfroide , France ) was a canonized Spanish bishop and founder of the order .

youth

Antonius Maria Claret came from a weaving family . When he was twelve he first expressed his desire to become a priest . But private Latin studies were soon replaced by training as a weaver at home and in Barcelona.

Training to become a priest

After some difficult experiences, Claret wanted to become a priest and go to a Charterhouse . Again and again he was now guided by visions and inspirations until he was ordained a priest on June 13, 1835, at the time of the Carlist Wars in Solsona in the Pyrenees, after studying in the seminary in Vic . He became the parish administrator of his home parish at a time when priests and bishops were being persecuted and driven out everywhere.

People's Missionary

After a retreat in Rome he wanted to join the Jesuits , but because of an illness he had to leave the novitiate . Back in Spain, he soon began successfully with popular missions , which now became his central task. Because of persecution, however, he had to back off again and again. From 1843 to 1847 he then wandered all over Catalonia preaching . Because of new persecutions, he relocated his activities to Gran Canaria in 1848 , where he held popular missions in almost every community.

Founding of the order

In 1849 he returned to Catalonia. Since the work was too much for him, he founded the community of the Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Latin: Cordis Mariae Filii , abbreviation CMF) with five like-minded priests. This order is now commonly referred to as the Claretians . In 1850, already appointed Bishop of Cuba, he founded the Daughters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary as a secular institute . Finally, as Bishop of Cuba, he founded the Missionaries of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Claretians) in 1855 .

Bishop of Cuba

In August 1849 Claret was appointed Bishop of Santiago de Cuba . The Bishop of Vic , Llucià Casadevall i Duran , donated him episcopal ordination on October 6, 1850 in the Cathedral of Vic . Co- consecrators were the Bishop of Barcelona , José Domingo Costa y Borrás , and the Bishop of Girona , Florencio Llorente y Montón .

In February 1851 he arrived in Cuba , where he again promoted popular missions, expanded the diocese and made several trips to all places himself. At the same time he also took care of social problems and created, for example, cooperatives and savings banks . He also fought against slavery and racism , which earned him hatred and persecution. He was even critically injured in an assassination attempt in 1856. After his retirement he was appointed titular archbishop of Traianopolis in Rhodope in 1860 .

At the Spanish court

In 1857 Claret was called back to the Spanish court in Madrid . He becomes confessor of the Spanish Queen Isabella II (ruler from 1833–1870) and educator of the royal children. In addition, he worked in various missionary ways in Madrid. He was also responsible for the appointment of the Spanish bishops, at the same time he promoted the establishment of new orders and communities in a variety of ways. Because of his many activities, he was again exposed to frequent attacks and hostility.

First Vatican Council

In 1868 Isabella II had to flee Spain, accompanied by Bishop Claret. The latter then traveled to Rome, where he took part in the preparations for the First Vatican Council . He was a strong advocate of the Pope's infallibility and, despite his poor health, gave a speech at the council in defense of this doctrine.

death

Shortly afterwards, Claret traveled back to southern France to the Claretians in Prades . The Spanish revolutionary government demanded the extradition of Claret. On the run from the soldiers, he sought refuge in the Cistercian monastery Fontfroide . He died here on October 24th. His bones were transferred to Vic in 1897.

canonization

On February 25, 1934 he was appointed by Pope Pius XI. beatified . Pope Pius XII canonized him on May 7, 1950 . The Catholic Church celebrates its feast on October 24th. The St. Claret-Ziegelhof Church (Vienna) bears his name.

literature

Web links

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personal data
SURNAME Claret, Antonius Maria
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Claret y Clará, Antonius (original name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Spanish bishop and founder of the order, saint
DATE OF BIRTH December 23, 1807
PLACE OF BIRTH Sallent de Llobregat , Province of Barcelona
DATE OF DEATH October 24, 1870
Place of death Fontfroide , France