The kindly works of Father Claver section just short of forty years of this period. In this case, the dignitary was the governor himself, Don Jeronimo Zueso Cassola, the same man who raced to tell Father Claver the good news. The religious there used to say that their welcome friend, Father Claver, did the work of forty men. Peter obeyed, and in 1610 landed at Cartagena, where for forty-four years he was the Apostle of the negro slaves. Not otherwise could he ever hope to arouse in them shame and contrition for their sins more perfect than that evoked by the picture of hell which he held up as a warning. Apostolate If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. He gulped his final breath of air lying in the arms of his confessor. Most of the soldiers went so far as to voluntarily enlist in the Spanish army, or in some other way subject themselves to the Spanish crown, rather than to return to their anti-Catholic homelands. Mt 4:1-11). St Peter Claver College. He obtained his first degrees at the University of Barcelona. Even in sickness he would not ease up. In Clavers time wars between and among European monarchs raged, one bloody feud after another, they seemed endless. 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. His hands and clothing were instantly covered with infectious filth. Claver went to the door of the room in which the man was quarantined. His austerities, which will be described later, would make even holy Job shudder. He stayed there, except to attend to the missions nearby, like Our Lady on Calvarys hill. Overcome with nausea, the admiring priest had to leave the room, but despite his own weakness, he never ceased praising the heroic virtue of Claver, publicizing it even in Rome. Many miracles were attributed to his intercession. The tortured body of Father Claver, which the saint never ceased to submit to the hairshirt and discipline, could barely contain the ghost. As one biographer put it, Like the Cid, even the dead corpse of Claver conquers the Moors.. An institution, true- old as man himself- but, nevertheless, debasingly artificial and oftentimes cruel. We have always wondered about these individuals precisely because race prejudice and discrimination have appeared so endemic to the white race. He was received into the novitiate of Tarragona at the age of 20 and was sent to the college of Montesione at Palma in Majorca, Spain. 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?. So he spoke of eternity, of an everlasting world of joy and another of pain. Some were so debased as to sell their own children for gain. He had felt the nails, he had habitually endured the bitterness of lifes vinegar and gall, he had been mocked; but as yet Claver was never alone. The Negroes were especially affected; Peter Claver had been a real father to them. Hence, the nefarious exploitation and commerce of slavery, for there was no industry to speak of, only raw human labor for which the royals and their cohorts deemed themselves unworthy. He also shared a video on his Instagram, which is below the Today Show interview: WATCH the Inspiring Today Show Interview below: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mark Wahlberg (@markwahlberg), Auxiliary Bishop David OConnell of Los Angeles, California, was killed on February 18th. Falling down before him, the veteran apostle kissed his feet. The saint allowed it, provided it was decent, but quite often the temptation got the better of them to overdo it, and it more often than not led to promiscuity. Your captains and mates must neither have dainty fingers nor dainty noses,few men are fit for these voyages but them that are bred up to it. Before parting from his beloved teacher, Claver was given a unique privilege, a privilege not granted to any other student, of keeping the spiritual notes that Brother Alphonsus had personally written for him. If their depraved keepers were particularly cruel, they left the dead as they were, chained to the living, below the decks, where no fresh air could enter to relieve them even slightly. Much as he loved to visit the hospital of Saint Sebastian, the leprosarium of Saint Lazarus occupied the tenderest place in Clavers magnanimous heart. St. Christo, A Catholic Priest and 3 Nuns were Killed in a Car Accident in India. Weeks would go by, before this floating mortuary would relinquish its infectious corpses to the ocean. However, it also drew pirates. There they stood looking at a man they knew so well, whose holiness, ecstasies, and extraordinary virtues had so inspired them, and yet perhaps not a few accused themselves of not having profited enough by his presence among them. Though the other young missionaries who were chosen along with our saint received Holy Orders before they departed, Claver decided not to take upon himself the awesome privilege. And he delighted in good music. Brother Nicolas was downstairs and heard a noise from the upstairs room where Claver was bedded. So great was his civil influence that he actually obtained from the magistrates and order forbidding the sale of liquor to the Negroes. Daring explorers had sailed west and conquered new territories for the crown. 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. From 1198 to 1787 the former redeemed, from the Moors. England, Spain, Portugal, Holland and France fought over what they found here while they each set up shop here in hostile territory, in instances, owned and operated by the original peoples they found here. Bot the saint knew it not. Through his efforts three hundred thousand souls entered the Church. SEE ALSO: #BreakingNews California Catholic Bishop David O'Connell Shot and Killed at Age 69 - RIP to the Peacemaker Bishop - https://www.catholicnewsworld.com/2023/02/breakingnews-california-bishop-david.html Bishop OConnell, was a native of Ireland who spent most of his 43 years as a priest serving in LA. 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. 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. This was how we spoke to them, not with words but with our hands and our actions. He was much more than that to the Negroes. Episode 362: Virgo Post Partum: A Married Virgin? 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. 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. There were government officials, businessmen, merchants, seamen, miners, plantation owners, engineers and middlemen whose lives profited from this nefarious trade; among them Jews and Christians of various denominational traditions who rationalized this sordid enterprise. We laid aside our cloaks, therefore, and brought from a warehouse whatever was handy to build a platform. Leader: God, + come to my assistance. For here dwelt the living dead- the very pit of human misery. Whereas many of the Negroes used to kneel before the saint and kiss his hand if they chanced to meet him on the street, this savage resented his job and took out his hatefulness on his unwanted charge. While he was studying philosophy at Majorca in 1605, Alphonsus . Many of the poor Negroes, having exaggerated fears of their approaching fate, took their own lives in despair. He felt it was too delicate a flavor for a religious. 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. Like typhoid, dysentery, scurvy, and incurable ulcers and cancers wreaked havoc, especially among the undernourished blacks. Let us begin, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. He avoided food, rest and recreation and other pleasures popularly considered, lest such should divert him from his spiritual path. Here in the solitude of his confinement he suffered not only physically but also mentally. The order for departure read Make haste. This the jubilant young Jesuit took very literally; so literally in fact, that in imitation of Francis Xavier, he did not even say goodbye to his family, thought the road that led to the port of Seville passed, at one point, within two miles of his home. True! They also had souls to be saved, no less than the slaves. St. Peter Claver Parish, which was founded in 1886 and administered by the Holy Ghost (Spiritan) Fathers, was Philadelphia's first designated African American parish. History has since criticized that era for its lack of certain principles of human rights and human dignity. The fever of discovery proved, unfortunately, the beginning of the extermination of the native peoples. Father Claver was already known for strong discipline of his body. Peter, St. The other priests would then carry him to his cell where, when he revived, the saint would refresh himself with a good scourging and some mental prayer. At three oclock in the morning he entered the church. Enclosed is a small donation in thanksgiving. It was here at this holy sanctuary, high on a mountain in Catalonia that the founder of the Society of Jesus signified his complete conversion, by laying his soldiers sword down at the feet of the famous Madonna. But the criminals came from all over. On this pilgrimage, something must have moved him very deeply as he knelt before the miraculous statue, for in later years, if anyone even mentioned the Virgin of Montserrat, he would be unable to withhold his tears, so overwhelming was his love for her. The Thirty Years War and the wars of religion was the backdrop for this chapter of history within which Claver lived. Benedict XIV lashed out against it in 1741; Pius VII did the same in 1815. For this extraordinary Jesuit, whose life we are about to study, the arrival of a slave ship was like the homecoming of a long lost son. In fact, with them it was a real point of honor not to give in to Clavers exhortations. To care for the slaves he must totally subject his own flesh and subdue it. This steady concourse lasted until nightfall when the Fathers insisted on sending the people away and closing the doors. 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. Claver did all he could to provide for the observance of these laws, and every spring after Easter he would make a tour of those plantations nearer Cartagena in order to see how his Africans were fairing under their masters. One priest who loved Father Claver dearly and who longed to have his charity went with him to tend a poor afflicted slave. "No, no. When by their answers to our questions they showed they had sufficiently understood this, we went on to a more extensive instruction, namely, about the one God, who rewards and punishes each one according to his merit, and the rest. While he preached, he suffered. The entire city came out to pay him their respects. The end result of that was the old mans conviction that he was in the wrong church. Even Mohammedans thought him fascinating, and many found it difficult to resist his entreaties for very long. The rumor of his approaching death spread around the city like wildfire, everyone suddenly remembered the saintly priest again, and numbers came to kiss his hands before it was too late; his room was stripped of everything that could be carried off as relics. A third interment sees Claver today buried under the high altar dressed in priestly vestments while enclosed in glass for the veneration of the faithful. After Easter Peter Claver was back on the road instructing newly-arrived slaves and tending the sick. Father Peter Claver was overjoyed and dragged himself from his bed to greet his successor. Home - Knights of Peter Claver Spreading FAITH, HOPE, and LOVE through Friendship, Unity, and Christian Charity Our Faith What you Need to Know Online Store Register Now! How beautifully did his words echo on their souls as he spoke to them of the infinite value of their cross if only they should bear it with joy and patience. And, in their simplicity, they would laugh and hug those whom they found to have the same new name as they, repeating it over and over again like children. When he is evilly spoken of, he is dumb. In some cases, their terror was so grave that the victims hearts literally froze and they died from shock. Thank you. A witness testified to the Office of Inquisition in Cartagena that, on one occasion, he had seen several Negroes floating naked around the ceiling in a house at night after dabbling in this witchcraft. When there was time and opportunity he took the same trouble to teach them how properly to use the sacrament of penance and in one year is said to have heard the confessions of more than five thousand. A civil rights violation? Our Present . The pastor of St Peter Claver in New Orleans, who has been on leave since the revelation of an abuse allegation in January, has responded with a lawsuit of his own. The devil, instead, does the opposite: he enters the scene to divide Jesus from the Father and to distra. The man of God scourged himself three times nightly: before prayer, before retiring, and after rising. Peter Claver, SJ (Spanish: Pedro Claver y Corber; Catalan: Pere Claver i Corber; 26 June 1580 - 8 September 1654) was a Spanish Jesuit priest and missionary born in Verd (Catalonia, Spain) who, due to his life and work, became the patron saint of slaves, the Republic of Colombia, and ministry to African Americans.. During the 40 years of his ministry in the New Kingdom of Granada, it . The slaves were disembarked, and found to be routinely chained and roped together and shut up in the yards where crowds came to watch them, idle gazers wrote Father de Sandoval, drawn by curiosity and careful not to come too close. Hundreds of men, women and children who had been for several weeks shut up without even the care given to cattle in the ships hold, were now fatigued, ill or dying, herded together in a confined space in a climate that was unwholesome from dampness and heat. Many an ivory cheek ran with tears as the Spaniards listened in wonder to the angelic voices of the slaves resounding from the walls of the Jesuit Church with an incomparably touching rendition of the Dies Irae or a triumphant Gloria. Claver would say frequently: We must speak to them with our hands before we try to speak to them with our lips. When he came upon any who were dying he baptized them and then sought out all babies born on the voyage that he might baptize them. 1615, he was ordained a priest of God at Cartagenas Cathedral, at the side altar at the right side of the sanctuary that remains to this day. And the saint prayed hard. It reached its climax in a pilgrimage to the beloved Spanish shrine of the Black Virgin of Montserrat. When he is overloaded, he is dumb. This, of course, he had never done, except conditionally in cases of doubt, but he was nevertheless forbidden to baptize in the future. Every year from twelve to fourteen slave ships entered the port of Cartagena. About The Church of Peter Claver: The church that bears his name is open daily. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. Claver was buried in the floor off the sacristy of the chapel of the Jesuit residence. Though it was Gods will for our saint to be forgotten before he left this life, it was also His will that in death His humble servant be exalted. Nor could he appreciate any human consolation now, as his soul had already begun to break the web that so finely separated him from the vision of his Desire. 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. In fact, he would refuse to allow the good Brother Nicholas to dress him when he offered to do so, but asked rather for his nurse. His Lenten sermons were so moving that, due to them hundreds of young men, ex-libertines, and widowers, sought entry into the different orders that served the spiritual and corporal needs of the city. WATCH Actor Mark Wahlberg's Inspirational Today Show Interview on Ash Wednesday Shows the Importance of Lent and Fasting! In America it was spawned by an inordinate love for money and its material benefits. Pope Leo XIII sent a golden coffin for his remains along with a pipe organ which sits in the choir loft of the Church to this day. Learn interesting facts and tidbits about the beloved St. Patrick. Sinners were afraid to walk the streets lest they should encounter the saint in the market place, for they knew he had the gift of reading souls. Upon careful interrogation, even though the whole household had assumed otherwise, the wise priest perceived that she had never been baptized. In youth his piety and love of study won general admiration, and every preferment was open to him, but zeal for his neighbor's salvation led . His feast day is celebrated on September 9th. And if his love for her was great, her was no less for him. But after a week or two, hunger, sickness and disease numbed these kinds of outbursts. It seemed that the blacks under Father Claver were destined to keep the straight and narrow. The first Mass at St. Peter Claver Catholic Church took place in October 1920. Were it not for a miracle, the poor Father, to the very end a victim to the devils rage, would have been tossed off and perhaps killed. City magistrates ordered that he should be buried at public expense and with great pomp. St. Peter Claver was canonized in 1888. At long last, the pilgrim came home to his city, Cartagena. 14-141). The supreme charity of our saint was most vividly portrayed in his solicitude for the sick; and Cartagena, in its infant years, had plenty of sick and very sick people. They discovered a God, a gentle Savior, and a theology of history, that could help make sense of their enslavement. Shelter those, dear Lord, who bear my company from the evils of fire and all calamity.Teach me to use my car for others need; Nor miss through love of undue speed. Finally, the happy convert related a vision he had had of the deceased Dutchman, whom the good Father had just buried, with great ceremony. X-rays later revealed no . Take a virtual tour to learn the history of this beautiful church. Book a Tour Virtual Tour Ways to Give Online Donations That entire day our young hero was unable to shake off the experience and walked about as if he were not on earth. The opposite: he enters the scene to divide Jesus from the magistrates order. 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