Daily Saint

St. Clement Mary Hofbauer was an apostle of perseverance whose missionary zeal helped spread the Redemptorist charism throughout central and northern Europe. Born in Moravia, he was the ninth of twelve children in a poor family. Orphaned at an early age, St. Clement worked as a baker, but his heart’s desire was to serve God as a priest.

St. Clement’s studies began with local priests who taught him Latin and encouraged his vocation. Interrupted by war and instability, St. Clement completed university studies with the help of benefactors. He was ordained in Rome in 1785 as a Redemptorist. Shortly afterward, he was sent north, where the Catholic Faith was often restricted and the Church faced hostility.

In Warsaw, St. Clement founded a Redemptorist house attached to the Church of St. Benno. Although they struggled to connect with the people as they learned Polish, the piety and charitable outreach St. Clement and his Redemptorists offered soon drew crowds, and the church became a center of vibrant spiritual renewal. He also established schools and orphanages to care for poor children whose families had suffered war casualties. State agencies eventually suppressed the community and shut down St. Clement’s ministry in the wake of invading French forces.

Poland saw great bloodshed, and the lives of the people and the clergy were in constant danger. St. Clement and his priests were imprisoned and later released, but they were forbidden to return to Poland.

In his final years, St. Clement lived in Vienna, where he quietly but profoundly influenced clergy, students, and intellectuals through his preaching and spiritual direction. Although he died before his order flourished, his work laid the foundation for the Redemptorists’ expansion across Europe.

St. Clement Mary Hofbauer died on March 15, 1820. Canonized in 1909, he is remembered as a model of perseverance, missionary courage, and confidence in God’s Providence.