St Anthony Mary Claret
Born Dec 23, 1807 in Salient, Catalonia, Spain, Anthony Mary Claret was trained as a weaver. Hearing the call to serve God, he attended seminary in 1829 and performed mission work in his hometown as well as in the Canary Islands. Eventually, he established his own order and was named archbishop of Cuba. There he established a seminary, schools, hospitals, and anything else that would aid the poor.
His dedication to those less fortunate almost cost him his life. Throughout his ministry, he endured 15 assassination attempts.
During Queen Isabella's reign, he returned to Spain at her request to be the Queen's personal Confessor. He lived in an Italian hospice, caring for the poor while he served the Queen.
He died of poor health on Oct. 24, 1870. He was canonized in 1950 and is known as the patron saint of savings. (as in "a penny saved is a penny earned!")
