SAN DIEGO — The Church celebrates the Memorial of St. Peter Claver on Sept. 9.
Who is St. Peter Claver?
Born in late 16th-century Spain, he was a Jesuit priest who served as a missionary in Cartagena, Colombia, for 44 years until his death in 1654.
What is he best known for?
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, Cartagena was “the chief slave mart of the New World,” with about 1,000 African slaves arriving there monthly.
St. Peter Claver was known for his ministry to them. He visited the new arrivals, bringing them food and showing them compassion, and helped the wounded and sick among them. He also taught them the faith and baptized them, even learning one African language and assembling a group of interpreters to do so.
The Encyclopedia says that, over the course of his ministry, he baptized and taught the faith to more than 300,000 Africans.
When making final vows as a Jesuit in 1622, he signed his name as “Peter Claver, slave of the Ethiopians forever.” (“Ethiopian” was then a term used to describe all Black people.)
When did he become a Catholic saint?
St. Peter Claver was beatified on July 16, 1850, by Blessed Pope Pius IX. He was canonized on Jan.
