Eighth Moment: President of the Escorial Monastery

From 1859 to 1868, Anthony was appointed President of the Royal Monastery of the Escorial in order to restore it. In a period of 9 years, he was able to restore the towers and wings of the great basilica. He restored the choir lofts, altars, installed new organs, acquired scientific material for the Physics and Chemistry laboratories, restored the library and built a new one, and also landscaped the gardens with fruit and garden trees. Anthony also made a spiritual restoration, creating a true ecclesiastical University with studies in humanities, the classics, modern languages, natural sciences, archaeology, choir school and music band. He set up Philosophy and Theology with patristics, Moral Liturgy and biblical sciences as well as Chaldean, Hebrew and Arabic languages. With the help of his friend in Cuba, Don Dionisio Gonzalez de Mendoza, they made this one of the best spiritual and educational centers of Spain.

Faith and reason, spiritual practices and academic endeavors are often characterized as opposites or simply incompatible. But, the reality is that they are two sides of the same coin. We need both faith and reason in our pursuit for the truth, and all truth leads to God.

Let us pray,
Source of Truth, you enlighten St. Anthony Mary Claret with unbreakable faith and astute intelligence, may we all continue towards spiritual growth and understanding using the resources in our midst.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

St. Anthony Mary Claret, Pray for us.

Claretian Vocations
MYCLARET.ORG