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Friends of the Rosary,
Today, the Church celebrates the Memorial of St. Peter Claver (1581-1654), who dedicated himself to the service of black slaves. For thirty-three years, he ministered to slaves, caring for the sick and dying and instructing them through catechists. Through his efforts three hundred thousand souls entered the Church. He is the Patron of the African Missions, proclaimed in 1896 by Pope Leo XIII.
Born of a distinguished family in Catalonia, Spain. He became a Jesuit in 1604 and left for Colombia in 1610. At that time, Cartagena was the principal slave market for the New World. Thousands of blacks were brought there, herded into warehouses, and auctioned to the highest bidder. Captured in Africa, these slaves were chained in groups. Their treatment was so inhumane that 1/3 of the slaves died on the sea journey.
It was to these people that Peter would minister. He would meet each slave ship as it arrived. Peter would go to the warehouses and bring them food, water, medicine, and clothing, for, as he said, “We must speak to them with our hands, before we try to speak to them with our lips.” But most of all, he brought them, God. While nursing them back to health, he would teach them of Christ, explain to them that they were loved by God more than they were abused by man, and that evil outraged God. He offered their only consolation: hope in God’s promises. Nearly three hundred thousand of them received baptism at his hands.
After twenty-seven years of devotion to the black slaves, St. Peter Claver died at Cartagena on September 8, 1654. Leo XIII canonized him on January 15, 1888, proclaiming him special patron and protector of the negroes. St. Alphonsus Rodriguez, porter of the college, who inspired Peter to become a missionary for the slaves was canonized at the same time.
Ave Maria!
Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!
Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!
+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York
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