Saint of the Day, September 9: St. Peter Claver

St. Peter Claver (1581-1654): Born into a farming family in Catalonia, Spain, St. Peter Claver's natural abilities led him to the University of Barcelona, where he studied philosophy and joined the Jesuits at the age of 20. It was then that an older lay-brother, Alphonsus Rodriguez- who would himself be canonized on the same day as Peter by Pope Leo XIII some three centuries later- encouraged him to serve as a missionary in South America.

Here he discovered the evil of slavery, which continued to flourish despite being condemned by Pope Paul III the century before. Vowing to become "the slave of the blacks forever" he dedicated his life to the service of South American slaves, teaching them the Gospel, ministering to them, and caring for their material needs.

He was known to heal the sick with the touch of his cloak, and would be bathed in a supernatural light on his hospital visits. St. Peter Claver died on September 8, 1654, having baptized and taught the faith to 300,000 slaves: a number that underscores the enormity of the evil involved as much as it does his own personal holiness and love of fellow-man.

St. Peter Claver