Saint Anthony Mary Claret (1807- 1870) was a Spanish Roman Catholic Archbishop and Missionary. He was born in Sallent, in the Province of Barcelona. He was the fifth of the eleven children of Juan and Josefa Claret. His father was a weaver.
After completing his studies he went to Barcelona to specialize in his trade as a Jacquard loom programmer and he also spent time learning Latin and French. During his studies, he had realized that he had a call to religious life. Then he left his studies and entered the diocesan seminary at Vic in 1829. He was ordained on June 13, 1835, on the feast of St. Anthony of Padua. He started missionary work in Catalonia. He traveled from one mission to the next on foot. As he was an eloquent preacher, fluent in Catalan language he drew people from miles around. He spent hours in the pulpit and long hours in the confessional.
He came back to Spain due to the threat of anti- clerical enemies. He founded the Congregation of the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary(The Claretians)in (1849) on the feast day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Later he became the Archbishop of Santiago, Cuba. In 1869 he went oto Rome to prepare for the First Vatican Council. Afterwards he retired to the Cistercian abbey at Frontfroide, Narbonne, Southern France,where he died on October 24, 1870, aged 62.
He was beatified in Rome by Pope Pus XI on February 24, 1934. He was canonized 16 years later by Pope Pius XII, on May 7, 1950. He is the patron saint of textile merchants, weavers, savings, Catholic press, Claretians, Diocese of the Canary Islands, Claretian Educators and Students.