09/09/2026
Today is the Feast of our patron, St Peter Claver.
Our Patron Saint – St. Peter Claver was born of an impoverished family in Verdu in the northeastern province of Catalonia, Spain in 1580. As a young man he joined the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and pursued studies in theology and philosophy. Although he excelled at his scholarly work, he was restless; he felt that God was calling him to a different vocation. He felt a strong call to work in the West Indies, then a Spanish colony. In 1610, along with three other Jesuit companions, Peter Claver sailed in the galleon San Pedro for Cartegena, Colombia, a seaport in South America. Cartegena was a terminus for ships that transported people from Africa to the new land where they were sold into slavery. When the ships arrived, they brought holds full of sick, injured, frightened people.
When Peter Claver came to Cartegena, his doubts and restlessness about his life’s work disappeared; he was ordained a priest and dedicated himself to ministering to the enslaved. For over forty years of active ministry, Peter Claver met the boats, bringing food, medicine and comfort. He constantly spoke to the slaves of God’s love for them – and personally baptized over 300,000. Near the end of his life, weakened by illness, Peter had to be tied onto his horse so he could ride to meet the boats and continue his work. Peter Claver died on September 8, 1654. Canonized in 1888 with Pope Leo XIII proclaiming, “No life, except for the life of Christ has so moved me as that of St. Peter Claver”.
