The agony and misery of this human cargo, crammed into the holds of these galleons, defies an adequate description. When this fact was safely determined, the Christians were separated from the pagans, and they received a Rosary and a medal to be put around their necks. There were adulterers, Jewish usurers, and occasionally a deranged spellcaster or two. There was nothing artificial about Peter Claver. The problem with many of the Moslems was that they were slaves, and consequently, they despised Christianity because it was the religion of their captors. One by one, the religious and the Negroes clasped his feet, which were giving off such a heavenly fragrance, and bathed them with their kisses. 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.. To feel the bite of chains clasped upon them and to be shoved into the dark belly of a floating monster, not knowing what fate awaited them. St. Christo, A Catholic Priest and 3 Nuns were Killed in a Car Accident in India. Europeans and their ways, even their religion, met with suspicion and, in instances, outright hostility among some of the natives of the New World. Across the sea a ship arose on the horizon. Near the confessional he also had holy books with pictures of the Passion, which he insisted that all the people ponder before they confessed. Interestingly enough, the vessel carrying Claver was named after his patron saint, the Prince of Apostles, San Pedro. Play over 320 million tracks for free on SoundCloud. You know the story the conditions under which they were conveyed across the Atlantic were as foul and inhuman as to be beyond belief. Agustinus Seran, SVD - Pastor 1203 North Nebraska Ave., Tampa, FL 33602 Office Hours: Monday - Thursday, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm Mass Times Weekend Masses: Saturday Vigil - 4:00 pm Sunday Morning - 10:00 am *Haitian Creole Mass - 1:00 pm Daily Masses Wednesday - 9:00 am Friday - 8:00 am Confession Schedule . The likeness of St. Peter Claver is seen in stained glass at St. Mary's Cathedral in Peoria, Ill. Canonized in 1888, St. Peter Claver is now considered the patron saint of human. Book a Tour Virtual Tour Ways to Give Online Donations Website powered by MemberLeap. After he had performed the sacred ceremony to the great joy of the young Negress and the whole household, she instantly dozed off in death to retrace the steps she had previously taken, this time clothed in the proper wedding garment. Despite all Clavers exhorting, the archdeacon would only respond by requesting the prayers of the priest, and with many signs of mutual affection the two parted company. 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. Suddenly the bearded padre would appear like an avenging angel, whip in hand (the same one he applied unmercifully to himself), and he descended on the wicked party with wrath, terrifying the guilty, and carrying off the devils spoils- i.e., drums or other instruments. The fleet of three galleons set sail on April 10, 1610. His memorial is celebrated on September 9. Peter Claver Catholic Church was born. He broke every rule in the book. Miracles of St. Peter Claver Ignatius Strecker came to America from Germany in 1853. Many of these poor unfortunates had been torn from their families in their prime of life. Three . It came very slowly. This, then was their couch, a very uncomfortable one not only for that reason, but especially because they were naked, without any clothing to protect them. He obtained his first degrees at the University of Barcelona. The driver of the vehicle and a teacher were also killed in the incident around 3 pm. At fourteen, he left home to pursue his vocation at the college in Barcelona. There they languished for two months. They were especially amazed at the devoutness of the Catholic soldiers. In despair over not being able to speak to the sick men, the frustrated priest called after her loudly, Magdalena, Magdalena, in the Name of God come back; these are or brothers, redeemed by the Blood of Jesus Christ. At these words the woman sighed a prayer for help and courageously returned. New lands to the west crossing the Atlantic Ocean had been discovered two hundred years previous. 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. 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. Then, using our own cloaks, for they had nothing of this sort, and to ask the owners for others would have been a waste of words, we provided for them a smoke treatment, by which they seemed to recover their warmth and the breath of life. It was November 1615. Names like Francis Xavier, Francis Borgia, Robert Bellarmine, Alphonsus Rodriguez, Peter Canisius, Aloysius Gonzaga, John Francis Regis, and Andrew Bobola gave testimony to the good foundation laid by a wise father who was shortly to be canonized. Spain brought a cease to trafficking in slaves in 1850. Shop St. Peter Claver, St. Peter Claver was born at Verdu, Catalonia, Spain, in 1580, of impoverished parents descended from ancient and distinguished families. The good governor also told the fathers that the city was going to defray the cost of the obsequies by which the people of Cartagena planned to honor their most distinguished citizen. Few saints carried out their active work in more repulsive conditions than did Claver, but these privations were not enough; in accordance with the popular pious practices of Catholics of that time Claver was known to continuously use penitential instruments of a severe description and would pray alone in his room with a crown of thorns pressed to his head and a heavy cross weighing down his shoulders. Soon it was clear- no cause for alarm- it was only a slave ship. No, the saint was moved by nothing less than the love for Christ whom he saw reflected in the least of his brethren. This extraordinary apostle was attracted to the beautiful things of Gods creation, like anyone else. Kind and patient to all, for some of his penitents he prescribed the remedy of hairshirts and scourges. Then he would go unperturbed into a more remote area in order to console the more pathetic cases. The fathers immediately took him to a more suitable room than his own cell to recuperate. Another miracle is about a fierce and rebellious slave named Amete, who resisted the saint's efforts to baptize him for more than 30 years. Once for the Negroes, when having heard of the arrival of a slave ship laden with blacks from a notoriously barbaric area, he had himself carried in a litter to the dock to greet them. His loving solicitude for these co-laborers was so great that if any of them fell sick he would give them his own bed, while he slept on the floor next to the sick man, so that he might be able to wait on him continually. How many more miracles have taken place in connection with this church over the past 150 years, no one knows. 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. And he delighted in good music. The school continued to be operated by the Daughters of the Heart of Mary following the . The piercing sunken eyes of the padre read instantly the news in the messengers excited face, Its a slave ship, Father! Suddenly the grave expression of the priest changed into joy His whole countenance beamed as if he had seen a vision. The walls of Cartagena silently echoed the solemn news as it was piously whispered in every corner, The Saint is dying! He made use of the strangest instruments, such as bananas, and dates- the famous dates of Peter Claver,- whose miraculous power was heard as far away as Rome, and once even an ordinary soaked sponge. The first principle in his instructions to his helpers was centered in the corporal works of mercy. Always he spoke of God He was humble. They saw and they believed. So he spoke of eternity, of an everlasting world of joy and another of pain. . 1- Peter Heals the Crippled Beggar, Acts 3 1One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayerat three in the afternoon. Many of the narratives both of the heroism and extraordinary wonders worked by Peter Claver concern his nursing of sick and diseased slaves, in circumstances often no one else, black or white, could face. And in fact, convinced as they were that they had been brought here to be eaten, any other language would have proved utterly useless. 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. No sin, he assured them, was too great for Jesus to forgive in confession. In gratitude for the Fayette parish's support, the Voices of Peter Claver is opening the January concert to the public. Photo by Sid Hastings Sid Hastings A relic of St. Peter Claver in a. Another saint whom he had known at school in Majorca, Saint Alphonsus Rodriguez, revealed his road in life to him. The beauty of the world; that thus I may with joy and courtesy go on my way. To protect themselves, the citys inhabitants, with the added muscle of the slaves, built huge sixty-foot-thick walls to repel such attacks. Matters for him were complicated by an outbreak of an epidemic in the area which claimed as one of its first victims, Father Claver himself. It reminded me of the miracles attributed to Peter Claver. An epidemic had spread again, and the saint began to feel its bite in his own flesh as he returned from a mission to his slaves in one of the outlying villages. Saint Peter Claver Church was established in 1931 to serve the African American community of greater Montclair, New Jersey. 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. Suddenly the girl who had been dead sat up and vomited a large quantity of blood. He, his wife, and daughter settled in St. Joseph's Parish in St. Louis, Missouri. The entire city came out to pay him their respects. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. There were times when the streets of Cartagena and other more viable settlements would flow with blood from such cruel assaults. I love Thee very much. He was found dead in his home on Saturday afternoon, February 18. His king was Philip II, and his spiritual Father in Rome was Pope Sixtus V. Misfortune hit him hard and early. I entreat of those who read it, He said as he lay dying, to pray to God for a sinner, who having such a precious mine at his disposal, instead of drawing from it the pure gold of sanctity, has collected nothing but rust.. In fact, the saint used to spend hours just on the Sign of the Cross alone. So zealous did he become after his conversion that he never ceased exhorting his ex co-religionist to enter the Catholic Church- outside of which, he told them no salvation could be hoped for. In due time the entire group of the imprisoned reformers followed the example of their spiritual leader and entered the Catholic Church with tremendous enthusiasm. Pleased by the courtesy of the Catholic priest, the archdeacon asked him in Latin for a private interview. Leader: God, + come to my assistance. One of the brothers who was ordered to take care of the saint during one of his illnesses, when he saw that he still tormented himself so, exclaimed, Ah Father, how long is the ass to be thus harnessed?. He cured the sick almost routinely and there were times when he even raised the dead. A contemporary description of our saints character at that time was given by a fellow student in a letter to a superior at the latters request years later: Modest, gentle, and friendly, he edified us all, trying to please and help everyone. But it would be inaccurate to label Father Claver as some kind of humanitarian. He was beatified 16 July, 1850, by Pius IX, and canonized 15 January, 1888, by Leo XIII. At the age of twenty he entered the Jesuit novitiate at Tarragona. It is a fact as marvelous as it was true, that while Father Claver labored in Cartagena, not one Moslem went to his grave without first embracing the Catholic Religion. With his familiar face no longer visible in the market and byways, people soon began to forget about the man they had so short a time ago nearly worshiped. In teaching his pupils religion he loved to use pictures. St. Peter Claver (1580-1654), whose memorial we celebrate today, offers a timely witness as our nation reckons anew with the enduring scourge of racism. The truck loaded with cement crossed the otherside of the divider after losing control and hit th, POPE FRANCIS ANGELUS Saint Peter's Square Sunday, 26 February 2023 ______________________________________ Dear brothers and sisters, buongiorno! Lord, I love thee much, much, much.. Clasping his feet in their hands, they bade him farewell amid a profusion of sighs and tears. 14-141). All he did for the ancestors aligned him with the God of love. The startled priest, having been told the identity of the man kneeling before him, immediately lifted Father Claver up and dropping to his knees he likewise kissed the reverend feet of his predecessor with great emotion and confusion. Strangely enough, when the man saw the saint he called out to him, Oh my Father! 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. Others were captured at random especially able bodied males and females deemed suitable for labor and breeding. The Gospel of this first Sunday of Lent presents to us Jesus in the desert, tempted by the devil (cf. It would be a tangent too labor-some for the continuity of this article to demonstrate at any length how forcefully and wisely the Catholic Church has handled the slavery problem throughout its history. Guest: Sister Maria Philomena, M.I.C.M. He avoided food, rest and recreation and other pleasures popularly considered, lest such should divert him from his spiritual path. Devil means divider. Then Jesus himself will say that he came into the world to make us, too, partake in the unity between him and the Father (cf. Peter Claver had another side to him that cannot be overlooked. Fr. Episode 364: What Is the Point of Lent? The beauty that attracted this apostle was one far superior to that of pretty faces and balanced proportions; it was his God and Savior, Jesus Christ, whom he saw in the most abandoned and the most loathsome. From 1198 to 1787 the former redeemed, from the Moors. Father Claver was already known for strong discipline of his body. For two months, these blacks had been chained and shackled below deck in a floating hell, the men in one compartment, the women in another. Coming quickly upstairs, Brother Nicolas found Claver on the floor, having passed from this life to the next. 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