Saint Who?
Saints Who Promoted the Rosary
Saint Anthony Mary Claret
Bishop and founder († 1870)Feast: October 24
Sometimes called “the Saint Dominic of the 19th century,” Anthony Claret was born in Spain in 1807. His devout parents enrolled him in the Confraternity of the Rosary and prayed the rosary with him. As he matured, he was inspired by a book from the family library to promote the rosary himself, leading it at his parish.
Anthony became a diocesan priest at twenty-eight. He was small, just 5-foot-1, but very energetic. “I was never much for sleep,” he once said. It is said he rarely gave a sermon without first instructing people how to pray the rosary, and frequently prayed it with them before he even began to preach. After more than a decade of priestly service, he formed the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (known today as the Claretians), who made a special promise to promote devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
At forty-two, Anthony was appointed Archbishop of Santiago, Cuba, at which time he took Mary as his middle name. It was a monumental task; combating widespread fornication and ignorance, he performed nine thousand marriages and a hundred thousand confirmations. Always practical, he studied agriculture and developed supportive structures for local farmers and business owners. He also mandated that the rosary be prayed in all churches on Sundays and feast days, and even paid surprise visits to enforce the rule. Anthony Mary died in 1870.
Beloved Father, grant us true devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary so as to bring about
the triumph of peace and justice.
