Saint of the Day: St. Peter Claver

Jesuit Missionary (1580-1654)

His life

+ Peter was born in Verdu, Spain, and entered the Society of Jesus in 1602.

+ After being advised by Saint Alphonsus Rodriguez that he should become a missionary, Peter asked to be sent the Jesuit missions in the New World.

+ Assigned to Colombia, Peter was ordained in 1616. He dedicated his life to serving enslaved Africans, vowing to serve as “the slave of the blacks forever.”

+ Peter enlisted the help of catechists and translators to help in his work and it is said that he baptized as many 300,000 people during his years of ministry.

+ With his Jesuit confreres, Peter worked to defend the dignity of all peoples, despite the widespread acceptance of slavery. Not only did he meet each slave ship as it entered the port of Cartagena, he would also make every effort to visit the plantations and mines where the slaves were sent. He never ceased advocating for their rights and freedom.

+ Peter Claver died on September 8, 1654, and was canonized in 1888 in the same ceremony as his former confrere Saint Alphonsus Rodriguez. Pope Leo XIII named him patron saint of all those who serve black communities.

+ In 1891, Blessed Mary Theresa Ledóchowska and a group of women took religious vows, forming a new religious community: the Missionary Sisters of St. Peter Claver. Dedicated to working among the poor and the proclamation of the Gospel, these Sisters are currently serving in several countries across the globe.

For prayer and reflection

“[Saint Peter Claver] waited for the ships from Africa to arrive at the New World’s main centre of commerce in slavery. Given the impossibility of verbal communication due to the language difference, he often ministered to these slaves simply through evangelizing gestures. For a caress surpasses all languages. He knew that the language of charity and mercy was understood by all. Indeed, charity helps us to know the truth and truth calls for acts of love. These two go together, they cannot be separated.”—Pope Francis

Spiritual bonus

On this day we also remember the monk Saint Omer. Named bishop of Therouanne, France, in 637, he worked to reform his diocese and was known as a great friend of the sick and poor. A monastery he founded in Sithiu (later known as Saint Bertin) became a center for evangelization for the region. Saint Omer died in 670.

Prayer

O God, who made Saint Peter Claver a slave of slaves
and strengthened him with wonderful charity and patience
as he came to their help,
grant, through his intercession,
that, seeking the things of Jesus Christ,
we may love our neighbor in deeds and in truth.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.

(from The Roman Missal)

Saint profiles prepared by Brother Silas Henderson, S.D.S.