St. Peter Claver, S.J. (Society of Jesus) Confessor September 9th “The son of a Catalonian farmer, was born at Verdu, in 1581... At the age of 20 he entered the Jesuit novitiate... While... studying …More
St. Peter Claver, S.J. (Society of Jesus)
Confessor
September 9th
“The son of a Catalonian farmer, was born at Verdu, in 1581... At the age of 20 he entered the Jesuit novitiate... While... studying philosophy at Majorca in 1605, Alphonsus Rodriguez, the saintly door-keeper of the college, learned from God the future mission of his young associate... in 1610 [Peter] landed at Cartagena, where for 44 years he was the Apostle of the negro slaves... Cartagena became the chief slave-mart of the New World. 1,000 slaves landed there each month. They were bought for 2, & sold for 200 écus. Though half the cargo might die, the trade remained profitable. Neither the repeated censures of the pope, nor... The missionaries could... suppress slavery, but only alleviate it, & no one worked more heroically than Peter Claver.
... Peter declared himself "the slave of the negroes forever", & thenceforth his life was one that confounds egotism by its superhuman charity. Although timid & lacking in self-confidence, he became a daring & ingenious organizer. Every month... Claver went out to meet them... carrying food & delicacies... Claver went to each, cared for him... & made him understand that henceforth he was his defender & father. He thus won their good will... Claver assembled... a group of interpreters... of whom he made catechists... Claver instructed & baptized them in the Faith... & defended them against their oppressors... the slave merchants were not his only enemies. The Apostle was accused of... having profaned the Sacraments by giving them to creatures who scarcely possessed a soul. Fashionable women of Cartagena refused to enter the churches where Father Claver assembled his negroes... Nevertheless, Claver continued his heroic career, accepting all humiliations & adding rigorous penances to his works of charity. During his life he baptized & instructed in the Faith more than 300,000 negroes. He was beatified 16 July, 1850, by Pius IX, & canonized 15 January, 1888, by Leo XIII.” (1913, The Catholic Encyclopedia)
Racism, Slavery and opposition to interracial marriage condemned by popes 1/2
Confessor
September 9th
“The son of a Catalonian farmer, was born at Verdu, in 1581... At the age of 20 he entered the Jesuit novitiate... While... studying philosophy at Majorca in 1605, Alphonsus Rodriguez, the saintly door-keeper of the college, learned from God the future mission of his young associate... in 1610 [Peter] landed at Cartagena, where for 44 years he was the Apostle of the negro slaves... Cartagena became the chief slave-mart of the New World. 1,000 slaves landed there each month. They were bought for 2, & sold for 200 écus. Though half the cargo might die, the trade remained profitable. Neither the repeated censures of the pope, nor... The missionaries could... suppress slavery, but only alleviate it, & no one worked more heroically than Peter Claver.
... Peter declared himself "the slave of the negroes forever", & thenceforth his life was one that confounds egotism by its superhuman charity. Although timid & lacking in self-confidence, he became a daring & ingenious organizer. Every month... Claver went out to meet them... carrying food & delicacies... Claver went to each, cared for him... & made him understand that henceforth he was his defender & father. He thus won their good will... Claver assembled... a group of interpreters... of whom he made catechists... Claver instructed & baptized them in the Faith... & defended them against their oppressors... the slave merchants were not his only enemies. The Apostle was accused of... having profaned the Sacraments by giving them to creatures who scarcely possessed a soul. Fashionable women of Cartagena refused to enter the churches where Father Claver assembled his negroes... Nevertheless, Claver continued his heroic career, accepting all humiliations & adding rigorous penances to his works of charity. During his life he baptized & instructed in the Faith more than 300,000 negroes. He was beatified 16 July, 1850, by Pius IX, & canonized 15 January, 1888, by Leo XIII.” (1913, The Catholic Encyclopedia)
Racism, Slavery and opposition to interracial marriage condemned by popes 1/2