St. Clement Mary Hofbauer

Q: What is St. Clement Mary Hofbauer the patron saint of?

St. Clement Mary Hofbauer was declared the patron saint of Vienna by Pope Pius X in 1914 for his role in laying the foundation for the Redemptorist order there and throughout northern Europe . He is also considered the patron of Warsaw and of bakers and waiters.

Q: What did St. Clement Mary Hofbauer do before becoming a priest?

St. Clement Mary Hofbauer (born John Hofbauer in what is now the Czech Republic in 1751) became an apprentice baker after his father died when he was six years old. He continued to work as a baker off and on to support himself until 1780. He also lived briefly as a hermit , during which time he took the name Clement Mary. Hofbauer was educated at the University of Vienna and was ordained a priest in 1785.

Q: What role did St. Clement Mary Hofbauer play in the Redemptorist order?

St. Clement Mary Hofbauer established Redemptorist monasteries throughout northern Europe beginning in the 1780s and founded congregation houses in Switzerland and southern Germany . Because he played an important role in the order ’s expansion outside of Italy , Hofbauer is sometimes called the “second founder” of the Redemptorists. (The order was formed by St. Alphonsus Liguori in 1732, but Hofbauer modified its missionary principles to fit new political and cultural situations in central and northern Europe.)

Roman Catholic priest

Also known as: John Hofbauer

Written and fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

History

What is St. Clement Mary Hofbauer the patron saint of?

What did St. Clement Mary Hofbauer do before becoming a priest?

What role did St. Clement Mary Hofbauer play in the Redemptorist order?

St. Clement Mary Hofbauer (born December 26, 1751, Tasswitz, Moravia [now in Czech Republic]—died March 15, 1820, Vienna, Austria; canonized May 20, 1909; feast day March 15) was a Roman Catholic missionary priest who established Redemptorist monasteries throughout northern Europe. He is venerated as the patron saint of Vienna and Warsaw as well as of bakers and waiters.

The son of a butcher, John Hofbauer worked as a baker until 1780. He made several pilgrimages to Rome and lived for a short while as a hermit, during which time he took the name Clement Mary. Educated at the University of Vienna and ordained a priest in 1785, he was authorized to establish Redemptorist monasteries in northern Europe. In 1788 he took up residence in Warsaw, where he worked for 20 years, establishing Redemptorist houses in Switzerland and southern Germany. In 1808, after Napoleon ordered the Redemptorist community at Warsaw disbanded and its members exiled, Hofbauer spent the remainder of his life in Vienna. There he served as a chaplain at an Ursuline convent and continued to seek government approbation for Redemptorist houses, which was granted shortly after his death.

Because of his work establishing the Redemptorist order beyond its original formation in Italy by St. Alphonsus Liguori, Hofbauer is sometimes called the “second founder” of the Redemptorists. Known also as “the apostle of Vienna,” he was named the city’s patron saint by Pope Pius X in 1914.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Barbara A. Schreiber.