St anthony mary claret autobiography range

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Until the age of 9 I had never heard of Antonio Maria Claret. I first met him time when in September 1967 I was enrolled in the Corazón de María School run by the Claretian Missionaries in Aranda de Duero, a Castilian town which became the seat of the General Government of the Congregation from 1906 to 1912. In the old Church, demolished more than forty years ago, there was a statue of the Founder. I saw it every Sunday but I must admit that I was much more attracted by the beautiful image of the Heart of Mary enthroned in her shrine decorated with white-blue clouds.

One day, without knowing why, a Claretian put into my hands a book by Fr. Juan Echevarría entitled Recuerdos del Beato Antonio María Claret. Arzobispo y Fundador (Memories of Blessed Antonio Maria Claret. Archbishop and Founder). I still have a copy on the shelves of my current office. I do not think I would recommend a book like that for a ten year old today, but I confess that I read its 65 chapters as if it were an exciting novel. I was thrilled by the itinerant life, full of adventures and prodigies, of that intrepid missionary. I could not imagine then that someday I would also travel to some of the exotic places that appeared in the book: Cuba, Pa

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ON MODESTY AND MORTIFICATION

Taken from the Autobiography of St. Anthony Mary Claret

St. Anthony Mary Claret wrote his autobiography reluctantly and only under obedience to his religious superiors.  This chapter out of his book details the apostolic techniques which proved so successful in saving souls. Our Lord told him several times:  "Give me blood (mortification) and I will give you spirit."

St. Anthony resolved never to waste a moment of time and during his 35 years a priest, he wrote 144 books and preached some 25,000 sermons.  On one trip, besides traveling, he preached 205 sermons in 48 days � 12 in one day.  Giving the reason he worked so zealously, he wrote:  "If you were to see a blind man about to fall into a pit or over a precipice, would you not warn him?  Behold, I do the same and do it I must, for this is my duty.  I must warn sinners and make them see the precipice which leads to the unquenchable fires of Hell, for they will surely go there if they do not amend their ways.  Woe to me if I do not preach and warn them, for I would be held responsible for their condemnation."

Besides working numerous miracles throughout his priestly life, St. Anthony Mary possessed the gifts of prophecy and discern