Even Mohammedans thought him fascinating, and many found it difficult to resist his entreaties for very long. The Jesuits -Isaac Jogues, John de Brebeuf, Noel Chabanel and their companions have their blood soaked indelibly in American soil around the same time Claver was in Cartagena. But when he saw the condition of Africans in the stinking slave pens of Cartagena, Colombia, he became bold and outspoken. They requested that the Jesuits transfer his body to the church where the populace could see him for the last time and properly venerate his remains. PO Box 6016. Showing them Christ fastened to the cross, as he is depicted on the baptismal font on which streams of blood flow down from his wounds, we led them in reciting an act of contrition in their own language. He studied at the Jesuit college of Barcelona, entered the Jesuit novitiate at Tarragona in 1602 and took his final vows on August 8th, 1604. Africa was literally exploding in violence. He informed his father of his intention to join the Society. First, the governor Don Pedro de Zapata came, and with him the magistrates. Day 1 - St. Peter Claver Novena. He embraced lepers, kissed cancerous lesions, sucked out poison from running ulcers, washed the unclean and dined in their unsightly hovels, nor did he refrain even from eating food some despairing suicidals had rejected from their own mouths, in his determination to gain their confidence. The Mass was part of a nationwide Day of Fasting and Prayer called for by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to acknowledge the sin of racism and to seek racial justice and healing. The St. Peter Claver Place Apartments project will receive a $4 million rebate of the taxes generated by the project in yearly installments at a rate of 95% until the $4 million rebate is satisfied. Episode 361: Whether God Exists? the Five Proofs, The Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Outside the Church there is no Salvation (Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus), Saint Benedict Center in Richmond, New Hampshire, Brother Francis, M.I.C.M. After this we began an elementary instruction about baptism, that is, the wonderful effects of the sacrament on body and soul. If ever there was an ugly stain upon the birth of a nation, it was the stigma of the slave trade in the foundation of the Americas. John Asare-Dankwah ran the St Peter Claver church in New Orleans' historic Treme neighborhood from 2014 until early 2021, when a lawsuit alleging that he raped a boy on an out-of-state overnight trip years earlier prompted church officials to indefinitely suspend him from his role. In a second, a priest opened it. Today one can visit the room and window from which Father Claver peered out to be ready once ships arrived with captured and bartered blacks. All materials contained on this site, whether written, audible or visual are the exclusive property of Catholic Online and are protected under U.S. and International copyright laws, Copyright 2022 Catholic Online. However, witnesses testified that, despite the filth, the miraculous fabric always smelled fresh and clean. It came very slowly. They knew he meant what he said and what he said was true. It was a face that betrayed the worn-out condition of his entire body. A child could understand it, and these blacks were like children. The tortured body of Father Claver, which the saint never ceased to submit to the hairshirt and discipline, could barely contain the ghost. Our Saints upbringing carries nothing too spectacular about it. In 1537, when the enslaving of the Indians was still more common than that of the blacks, this Pontiff thundered out in indignation. History has since criticized that era for its lack of certain principles of human rights and human dignity. Category. There never was slavery more inhuman, more murderous and more complete over the souls as well as the bodies of its victims than what we have seen in our century in those countries swallowed up by the Communists. One shipload would average between five and six hundred blacks from as many as fifteen or twenty African nations or tribes. After receiving this wonderful grace, he spoke these remarkable words: There is no other law than that of Jesus Christ, in which I purpose to live and die. . They were packed together like sardines in a can, left to wallow in their own sweat, vomit, urine and human waste. He refused to be satisfied with a sloppy performance; each slave had to do it perfectly. He and his wife Rhea (married in 2009) have four children: Ella, 19, Michael, 16, Brendan, 14, and Grace, 13. At long last, the pilgrim came home to his city, Cartagena. Once arrived he went to the Jesuit house of Santa Fe to complete his theology studies and was employed as well at the Jesuit residence as sacristan, porter, infirmarian and cook and was dispatched for his tertianship to the new house of the Jesuits at Tunja. Saint Paul, who never actually condemned slavery as such, nevertheless elevated the slave as equal in Gods eyes to the free, thereby inflicting slavery with a mortal wound. In addition to celebrating the Eucharist, our various ministries include Black Catholic Concerns, Women's Fellowship in English and . The saint entered, but he was at once so overwhelmed with the loathsome stench and the repellent sight that he recoiled and took a step back. Due to the importance of this apostolate, Rome was willing to allow an exception to its canon forbidding clerics to own slaves. Let us see, then, from whom he wants to divide him, and how he tempts him. It was November 1615. Often the English and French seawolves would prey on the Granadan coastline, firing cannon balls and wielding swords, looking for an opportune time to land and loot the city. very silent and reserved. St. Peter Claver, Spanish San Pedro Claver, (born 1581, Verd, Spaindied September 4, 1654, Cartagena, Colombia; canonized 1888; feast day September 9), Jesuit missionary to South America who, in dedicating his life to the aid of enslaved Africans, earned the title of "apostle of the Negroes." Cartagena, Colombia Extra ecclesiam nulla salus (outside the Church there is no salvation). These austerities were part of the saints daily nocturnal prayer life.His penances clung to him like the skin to the bones. He felt it was too delicate a flavor for a religious. Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! But what a retched lot was that of the poor slaves! In spite of the condemnation of this great crime by Pope Paul III and by other lesser authorities, this supreme villainy, as slave trading was designated by later Pope Pius IX, continued to flourish, all that some of the owners did in response to the voice of the Church was to have their slaves baptized. Others were lured like animals into anchored galleons by novel gadgets, bells, magnets, beads, and such gimmicks, only to see the huge vessels glide away from shore. He prayed, slept, walked, labored, and preached in them for forty long years. This extreme wealth passing in and out of the port was what attracted the avaricious entrepreneurs to settle there. So many who perish, not because they seek their own loss, but because no effort is made to save them. Her condition, thank God, suddenly improved and both she and the baby are well. Exploiters of the Indians are instruments of Satan for the forced servitude of human beings of any race, Christian or not, is a thing abhorrent and damnable. Unfortunately, the Pope was far away from the scene of the crime nor was his strength in arms, but rather in the faith of his subjects, who chose at times to ignore him. The magnificent Main Altar is the result of a pledge made by grateful parishioners who made a promise to St. Joseph. And to save many souls.. Only death could drag hi away. In the past, when he came home from such missions, he was usually so reduced physically that he looked like a walking skeleton. St. Peter Claver was canonized in 1888 by Leo XIII, along with Alphonsus Rodriguez. Reports indicate that Medina was upset at O'Connell because he claimed he wasn't paid properl, Saint Christopher Prayer"Motorist's Prayer :" Grant me, O Lord, a steady hand and watchful eye, that no one shall be hurt as I pass by. The very day that the Holy Virgin, to whom he was so tenderly devoted, entered time, the slave of Mary and of the Negroes entered eternity. Not a few fellow slaves were converted from Islam by the beautiful liturgical services and heavenly hymns that were sung at the funeral of a baptized Negro. Furthermore, he did not lose sight of his converts when they left the ships, but followed them to the plantations to which they were sent, encouraged them to live as Christians, and prevailed on their masters to treat them humanely. In the early centuries of Christianity, slavery gradually began to be phased out. The slightest incentive from the slave hunters, whether it be tinkling bells or sparkling gems, would move tribal chief to wage petty wars for the sole purpose of selling their prisoners for such unworthy profit. Justice delivers his body to death, thereby to save his soul I have sinned, O my God My greatest grief is that I cannot repent sufficiently to compensate for my offenses against Thee. Every criminal, who had to go to his execution in Clavers Cartagena, went with the holy man of God right by his side. But, if some disadvantaged Negro in now in heaven, because this tyrannical Father Claver made an occasion of sin less available to him, and, on the other hand, some Spaniard is burning forever in hell because luring near occasions were for him more accessible, you be the judge who was the more fortunate. Usually, about one-third of the slaves died en route. As he was being carried back to his room he said to one of the brothers, I am going to die; what do you desire of me in the next life? That you recommend this city and house to God, answered the brother. It was 1602 when he entered their Novitiate in Tarragona. The slave ship, having been anchored in the harbor, suddenly had its hatch yanked open and the light of the sun flooded in upon the prisoners wretchedness. Peter Claver reached stature as a saint of God having watched closely a leader in this work, Father Alfonso de Sandoval, a great Jesuit missionary who spent forty years in the service of the slaves, and after working under him, Peter Claver, having reached a spiritual pinnacle in his own self-understanding, declared himself the slave of the Negroes forever. Although, by nature shy and lacking to degree self confidence, Claver threw himself into the work and pursued it with enthusiasm, method and organization. Needless to say, only the brave called this fortified city home, but even their courage could not dispel the natural fear that hung heavily in the hot air behind the thick walls. Health The saint would never complain. They saw and they believed. History: The son of a Catalonian farmer, was born at Verdu, in 1581. Only some fifty years before, another Jesuit, Francis Xavier, had set out on a similar mission to the East. Traveling in these areas Father Claver habitually refused as much as possible the hospitality of the planters and owners and instead lodged in the quarters of the slaves checking on conditions and speaking to their owners and masters, advocating for the slaves. Leader: Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: All: as it was in the beginning, is now . His apostolate was over, and dark thoughts tried to upset his peace he was useless, a burden to others, and deservedly was cast aside by God. In a short while, when these poor creatures were fattened up a little and washed, they would be auctioned off in the market place and sometimes end up far away. To counter the Protestant revolt, the Jesuits, founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola, had emerged from among the most talented of religious leaders for their time sworn to allegiance to their superior general and to the pope in Rome. Sometimes, Claver would spend almost the entire day in the great square of the city, where the four principal streets met, preaching to all who would stop to listen. Take a virtual tour to learn the history of this beautiful church. He first asked them for their babies so that he might poor the saving water of Baptism upon them; then, seeking out the dying, he spoke to them by way of interpreters, and obtaining their consent, he baptized them too. It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. A sign of new things over the horizon was registered in the coined term The New World. Saint of the Day for Wednesday, March 1st, 2023, First Station: Jesus is condemned to death, 5 prayers you should say this Lenten Season News. But heaven could not resist the sighs of the saint as he stormed the throne of grace to melt their hearts. Having finished his first Novitiate, Claver was sent to study philosophy on the College of Montesion (Mount Sion) in the city of Palma on the island of Majorca. We made every effort to encourage them with friendly gestures and displayed in their presence the emotions which somehow naturally tend to hearten the sick. Standing out as one of the more stupendous of Father Clavers miracles was the affair of the raising of the slave-girl Agustina, who served one of the good padres closest friends, Captain de Villalabos. The joy in their eyes as they looked at us was something to see. Father Claver applied himself for seven long years to the slave apostolate before he took his final vows in the Society. True! Two years later there was another miracle at the church, and then another, and another. His austerities, which will be described later, would make even holy Job shudder. A priest was baptizing Negroes with the Blood. On one occasion, as out future apostle passed by his spiritual master with a fellow student on their way to recreation, Brother Alphonsus stopped them and said, Remember, the Three Persons of the Most Blessed Trinity go with you. Instantly the holy porter was seized by a heavenly rapture and he stood senseless as if in trance. Fruits, preserves, and sweet-cakes were distributed to give them strength, and wines and liquors were given them to numb their pain and drive out their extreme despondency. Top SEO sites provided "Novena to god the father" keyword . If the slaves complained of ill treatment, the indignant saint spared no words in admonishing the guilty owners to correct their faults. The Sisters of St Peter Claver were founded by Blessed Theresa Ledchowska. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law. This army was a militia of charity; its commander-in-chief was Father Peter Claver, a Jesuit, the hero of our story. Brother Rodriguez was an old man when he first laid eyes on the new student from Barcelona, but holiness knows no age; it matures and grows, but it is still the Presence of God in a soul. To Cartagena, flatteringly known as the Pearl of the Indies, all kinds of adventurers found their way. PETER CLAVER, PRIEST. It was reckoned that there would be a loss in each cargo by death during the six or seven weeks voyage of a least a third. Diei 31 maii 1627 ad Superiorem suum data: edit. One he always made use of was a very amateurish, one might even respectfully say ugly, representation of the Judgment. Smallpox, scurvy, and other deadly plagues spread like wildfire below the deck, due to the lack of any sanitation. Photo by Sid Hastings Sid Hastings A relic of St. Peter Claver in a. This, of course, he had never done, except conditionally in cases of doubt, but he was nevertheless forbidden to baptize in the future. Weeks would go by, before this floating mortuary would relinquish its infectious corpses to the ocean. An institution, true- old as man himself- but, nevertheless, debasingly artificial and oftentimes cruel. It was not until the advent of Christianity that slavery received a deathblow. Instantly his conscience accused him, and ashamed of his cowardice, he retired to a corner of the room and delivered himself a brutal scourging, confessing all the while his fault in not loving enough one who was redeemed by the Precious Blood of Christ. A St. Peter Claver Catholic Church member burns incense as a part of the church's first Senor de Los Milagros (Lord of Miracles) celebration procession in Tyler on streets near the church. The Saint is dying! Suddenly, the sad reality dawned on the multitude, who awakened as from a trance, and they all, black and white, rich and poor, made their way to the Jesuit house. The trade had recently been given a considerable impetus, for the local Indians the natives- were deemed not physically fitted to work in the gold and silver mines and so there was this big demand for blacks from Angola and Congo. Peter Claver Catholic Church was born. Community Redevelopment Agencies have proven historically to provide distressed communities with a better economy through improved infrastructure . The next time he left was to hear the confession of the holy laywoman, Dona Isabel who, sick and bedridden, was afraid that it might be her last opportunity to speak to the saint in this life. Blacks were forced here, captured, bartered, and purchased from territories of the west coast of Africa what is today the Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Ghana, Benin and other places deeper in the continent stretching as far as the Congo. FOR THE FEAST DAY OF ST. PETER CLAVER. We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Having finished this, his foremost priority, he turned his attention to the others. "No, no. In particular, he had a relish for good music, and believe it or not, he was especially fond of a new palatal delight called chocolate; however, lest you chocolate lovers get overconfident, the first time he tasted the sweet was his last. In fact, he was the first Jesuit ordained in Cartagena. He lived from 1581 to 1654. Nor did he cease consoling them with kind words and gestures, for the Negroes all had one beautiful trait in common; they were extremely sensitive to a harsh word or a kind one. Pleased by the courtesy of the Catholic priest, the archdeacon asked him in Latin for a private interview. Lord, I love thee much, much, much.. Truer to his own biography, what might we learn from Claver . Claver was less successful in his efforts to make converts among the Muslims who came to Cartagena to do business, but he managed to bring a number of Moors and Turks to the faith, though one held out for thirty years before succumbing, and even then a vision of our Lady was required to convince him. He would also use pictures in his teaching, primarily images of the crucified Christ. In truth, it was a blessed form of servitude for those eighteen Negroes. He stayed there, except to attend to the missions nearby, like Our Lady on Calvarys hill. Upon his reception into the novitiate, Claver inscribed these words into his notebook as to the reason motivating him to a religious life, to become a saint, he wrote, and a very great saint. Finally he approached the man, heard his confession, kissed his wounds, and applied his own tongue to the most offensive. To conclude the sessions he would hold aloft the crucifix and have the slaves join in together with the prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Thou art my Father. His feast day is celebrated on September 9th. I was able to track down the . Which of them had been baptized in Africa? Again he sent a formal letter asking his superiors to grant his request. We must speak to them with our hands before we speak to them with our lips.. Every major feastday he would get together the great city band of Cartagena, and off they would go to perform for the lepers. His order had already achieved amazing success in its missions, its schools, and in its ability to produce saints. Through his efforts three hundred thousand souls entered the Church. He would never let it go beyond a half-hour because he felt that a lengthy Mass in the tropical heat would stifle devotion rather than kindle it. Claver plunged himself, body and soul, into relieving the blacks in their dreadful circumstance. Father Claver defied civil authorities who treated the Africans like animals: he went into the pens with . This time he stumbled into the Jesuit residence with a body that could scarcely be recognized. Not long afterward the venerable archdeacon fell grievously ill. As he was being carried to the hospital through the citys streets in a litter, he saw Father Claver and exclaimed It is time, Father; it is time for me to accomplish the promise I made to God and to you, embracing the religion of my ancestors. And so he did. When he is evilly spoken of, he is dumb. Absentee Line: (07) 3810 5950 Wahlberg who was born in Boston, Massachusetts, is a practicing Catholic. It contains many works of art. A Sister of St. Peter Claver. From a letter written by Peter Claver, priest, to his superiors, written in the Spanish language, 31 May, 1627. epist. The angel said, This one is for thy disciple, Claver; it is the recompense of his virtues and of the great number of souls he will gain to God in the West Indies.. The driver of the vehicle and a teacher were also killed in the incident around 3 pm. Africans at that time were abused because they were backward and exploitable, not because they were black. The Miracle That Led To St. Peter Claver's Canonization. Yesterday, May 30, 1627, on the feast of the Most Holy Trinity, numerous blacks, brought from the rivers of Africa, disembarked from a large ship. In the summer of 1654, Father Diego Ramirez-Farina arrived in Cartagena from Spain with a commission from the king to work among the Negroes. Silently, with watery eyes, they picked up the saint and laid him to rest.Months later, a certain Mohammedan whom Father Claver had spent years trying to convert, walked into the Jesuit Church where the body of the saint lay in repose, and falling down before the Saints remains, shed tears of sorrow and promised to enter the true Church. All witnesses of the miracle agree that when the man of God arrived at his friends house, to cure the sick girl, he found the maiden quite cold and dead. And then, worse than the slave owners, were the slave traders themselves, hardened speculators in human flesh, who mercilessly hunted down their merchandise, like animals, along the equatorial African coasts and islands that they might auction them off at a handsome profit across the sea. His king was Philip II, and his spiritual Father in Rome was Pope Sixtus V. Misfortune hit him hard and early. This was how we spoke to them, not with words but with our hands and our actions. Holding up the crucifix on a staff for all to see, he let them behold what their sins had done to their Creator. Was Performed at the Shrine of St. Joseph in St. Louis, MO. In college, Claver met Alphonsus Rodriguez who was a porter at the college and that meeting was to set the direction of Peter Clavers life thereafter. To the cynical mind the trust of this extraordinary priest in the goodness of human nature must have seem nave and no doubt could he have known he would have been far more often disappointed than not. Bot the saint knew it not. Jn 17:11). Daring explorers had sailed west and conquered new territories for the crown. Claver enlisted bands of assistants, cajoling these people whether by money, goods or services, and as soon as a slave ship entered the port Claver dropped everything and went to wait on its living freight. The slave ship is here, he crescendos, then the hook must be baited.. Until death! the good father quietly responded. There were fugitives of all sorts, despairing failures of fortune, pirates, bigamists who had abandoned wife and home, money-hungry merchants, retired soldiers, heretics, Mohammedans, all varieties of Europeans, Jews, Greeks, and of course, native Indians, mestizos, mulattos, and last and saddest of all, the black slaves.
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