St. Joseph Matre Dei, or St. Joseph of the Mother of God, suffered great injustices from envious Church hierarchs.
St. Joseph Calasanz (or Calasanctius) was born into nobility in 1557 at a castle in Aragon (Spain). His parents had one other boy and three girls. When he was only five years old he "led" a "brigade" of children through the streets in search of the devil so they could kill him!
HIS YOUTH
He received a good education and with the support of his parents became a doctor of law. His mother and brother passed away, and his father, Don Pedro, encouraged him to marry, as this was the only way to perpetuate the family name. Yet to dissuade him from this course of action, God sent Joseph a terrible illness. In 1582, Joseph was on the point of dying and his father was in tears, for it meant the end of his line. However our Blessed Mother appeared to Joseph, healed him, and revealed to him that she wanted him to become a priest. Joseph obeyed heaven despite the vehement protestations of his father.
VOCATION FOR THE YOUTH
Joseph was ordained a priest and became a well-respected theologian and aide to various bishops. During this time he heard a voice tell him "Go to Rome" and he had a vision of many children who were being taught by him and by a company of angels. Soon thereafter he received an official summons to Rome by a bishop who needed his expertise and aid. In the Eternal City, his heart was greatly moved by the vice and ignorance of the poor. Their need mastered his humility, and he began an apostolate for neglected children. He provided all that was necessary for the education of the children, receiving nothing from them in payment, and there were soon about a thousand scholars of every rank under his care. Each lesson began with prayer. Every half-hour devotion was renewed by acts of faith, hope, and charity, and towards the end of school-time, all the children were instructed in the Christian doctrine and virtue. They were then escorted home by the masters, so as to escape all harm and temptation by the way. The majority of the teachers consisted of a corps of volunteers. In 1597, St. Joseph opened the first public school in Europe - meaning attendance was free - and of course the Catholic faith and virtuous formation remained the central focus of the education. The school also received public and financial support from Pope Clement VIII.
In order to facilitate his growing apostolate (now including various houses, a school, numerous teachers and many students), St. Joseph founded a new religious order - the Order of Clerks Regular of the Pious Schools (or Piarists for short). He abandoned his family name and became Joseph Matre Dei (of the Mother of God). Thus he is the first one to have begun the practice of religious abandoning their family name in favor of a saintly, or holy, name. Ironically, his father was so concerned with the longevity of his family name that he opposed Joseph's entry into religion. Yet by his son becoming a saint, the Calasanz family name will always be honored and never forgotten.
DEVOTION TO THE MARTYRS
He was every a devout pilgrim at the shrines of the martyrs, and daily visited the seven Churches of Rome, where he lived for fifty years. Surely this fervent devotion to the great martyrs, whose blood serves as 'seeds for the Church,' helped St. Joseph survive the immense trials he had to face.
PERSECUTION FROM WITHIN
Unfortunately there was much envy and opposition towards him and his new institute - even from among his own subjects. They accused him to the Holy Office. He was calumniated greatly and suffered much. The Piarists were stripped of much of their canonical status - including being demoted from an order back to a simple congregation. He was removed as the order's head, and at the age of 86, he was led through the streets of Rome to prison! The order was only restored to its full privileges after his death. Yet despite this great injustice and persecution, St. Joseph willingly suffered it all for the glory of God and salvation of those souls for whom he cared so much. He always remained a faithful son of the Church and a true friend of forsaken children. He died full of hope, saying on his death bed: "My work was done solely for the love of God."
VENERATION
He was buried in the Roman Church of St. Pantaleon (one of the fourteen holy helpers). He was beatified in 1748 and canonized by Pope Clement XIII in 1767. All those who are involved in the Catholic education of children should look to him as a patron, seek his intercession, and imitate his work and virtues. Let us also in particular beg his intercession in our days when priests who wish to form and educate the youth in the Traditions of our Faith are often severely persecuted from within the Church.
In connection with the life of this great saint and educator, let us consider what the holy Cure of Ars once said: "I often think that most of the Christians who are lost are lost for want of instruction; they do not know their religion well."