Clement Mary Hofbauer


Clement Mary Hofbauer

Hofbauer's tombstone in the Church of Maria am Gestade, Vienna, Austria
BornJohannes Hofbauer
26 December 1751
Tasovice, Margraviate of Moravia, Lands of the Bohemian Crown
Died15 March 1820(1820-03-15) (aged 68)
Vienna, Austrian Empire
Venerated inCatholic Church
Beatified29 January 1888 by Pope Leo XIII
Canonized20 May 1909 by Pope Pius X
Feast15 March (listed as 16 March in Franciscan Saint of the Day website)
PatronageVienna, Austria

Clement Mary Hofbauer CSsR (Czech: Klement Maria Hofbauer; German: Klemens Maria Hofbauer) (26 December 1751 – 15 March 1820) was a Moravian hermit and later a priest of the Redemptorist congregation. He established his congregation, founded in Italy, north of the Alps. For this, he is considered a co-founder of the congregation. He was widely known for his lifelong dedication to care of the poor during a tumultuous period in Europe, that had left thousands destitute. He laboured in the care of the Polish people until expelled, when he moved to Austria.

Clement Mary Hofbauer is remembered as a saint in the Catholic Church where his feast day is 15 March, and listed on the Franciscan Saint of the Day calendar as 16 March, the day after the anniversary of his death. He is called the Apostle of Vienna, where he is a co-patron saint, along with St Colmán, St Leopold, and St Peter Canisius.