Apostle of afro-Americans and liberator of slaves

1. SAINT PETER CLAVER

2. He was born in June 1580 in the "town of the black
pitchers", as Verdú (Lérida) was called, in the Urgel valley

3. He was one of the children (along with Juan, Santiago and Isabel)
of the marriage of Pedro Claver and Mingüella, and Ana Corberó.
His father was a modest owner of vineyards and olive groves.

4. In 1595, at the age of fifteen, he received the clerical
tonsure in his town and, sponsored by a canon uncle, he
moved to Barcelona in 1596 to study “letters and arts”
in the General Study of the University.

5. Finished the
rhetoric, he came
into contact with
the Jesuits of the
Belén school to
study philosophy.
There he felt a
vocation for the
Society of Jesus,
which he entered
on August 7, 1602.

6. After a fervent
novitiate and after
pronouncing his
first vows, he went
to Gerona to
dedicate himself
tostudy of the
humanities.

7. great friendship and admiration
that he felt at the Colegio Nuestra
Señora de Montesión, in Palma de
Mallorca, where he was assigned to
further his studies in philosophy
(1605-1608), with his brother
Alonso Rodríguez Gómez
(1531-1617).

8. He obtained permission
from his superiors to talk
with Alonso Rodríguez
for a quarter of an hour
every night. Pedro took
full advantage of these
talks, the insights of
which he collected in a
notebook that
accompanied him
throughout his life. He
also received from the
holy brother a book of
spiritual notes, "a great
treasure", as he said,
which he bequeathed
to the novitiate of Tunja
in Colombia, then
New Granada.

9. He went on foot to Valencia and then to Seville, from where he would set sail
in the fleet of galleons in the company of Father Mejía and two young priests.

10. After a first contact
withthe stronghold of
Cartagena de Indias, a
hive of slavers, pirates
and inquisitors, moved,
in a slow trip in
champagne down the
Magdalena River and
then on the back of a
mule, to Santa Fe
de Bogotá,

11. Brilliantly
completing his
studies at the
College and
Seminary of San
Bartolomé, today
the Colegio Mayor
de San Bartolomé
and Pontificia
Universidad
Javeriana, he was
assigned to the
novitiate in Tunja

12. his superiors assigned him to Cartagena de Indias, where he
was ordained a priest on March 19, 1616, at the age of 35,
by the Dominican bishop Fray Pedro de la Vega.

13. He met the wise Jesuit Alonso de Sandoval,
researcher of the life of the blacks and author of the
famous book De instauranda ethiopum salute, who,
contrary to the dominant slave environment, received
with affection and baptized the slaves who arrived at
the port in abundance and in a dire state in the
cellarsof the slave ships, coming from Africa.
Inspired by Sandoval and by the
prevailing situation, Claver gave
himself body and soul to the black
muzzles

14. Cartagena de Indias was, due to its position in the Caribbean Sea, the
main slave marketof the New World. A thousand slaves arrived there
a month, and mosquitoes and diseases devoured the healthy ones. The
purchase price of a slave was two shields, and two hundred the selling
prive. Even if half the "cargo" died, the traffic was still "profitable."

15. Neither the repeated censures of the Pope nor those of the
Catholic moralists could prevail against this avaricious trade.
The missionaries could not abolish slavery, only mitigate it

16. slave
ship

17. Petrus Claver, aethiopum semper servus
("Pedro Claver, slave of the blacks forever")

18. He tried to find out in advance of the arrival of a slave ship –
and found out what nation was coming to procure
interpreters, which he was looking for throughout Cartagena

19. Accompanied by his interpreters, Claver went to the port carrying on his arm a basket
loaded with bananas, oranges, lemons, bread, wine, tobacco, brandy and incense. Then,
he heroically descended into the bilge of the ship where for more than forty or fifty days
between three and four hundred black slaves had remained "buried." Before the wild
eyes of terror of the poor Africans, he told them that he wanted to be his father and
pretended to treat them well; that he did not go with the intention of eating them, as
they believed, or mistreating them, but to love them and teach them the way of Jesus.

20. If someone arrived in danger
of death, he himself would
wrap him in his mantle
andhe took him to a hospital

21. for catechism he
followed the method
of Father Sandoval,
explaining the Christian
doctrine to them
through very lively
pictures and the help of
interpreters in the midst
of an unbreathable
atmosphere. When he
felt disgust, he kissed
the sores of the slaves
and finally baptized
them.

22. When he knew that someone
was whipping his slaves, he
would come to the house and
beg or authoritatively ask
them not to whip them.
His confessional was reserved
for blacks, while the city's big
names had to queue behind
them if they wanted to confess
to the Jesuit.

23. During the smallpox plague that struck Cartagena in 1633 and 1634, Pedro
Claver multiplied himself to care for the victims until he exhausted two and
three of his companions. His cloak served as a dress for the naked
newcomers, as a pillow and as a bed for the sick.

24. On the eve of Easter he
gathered all the black
people in the city to
fulfill the precept,
confessed them, gave
them communion and
served them a modest
breakfast himself.
-Also once with the
discipline with which he
whipped himself he
broke into some night
dance, when the
Africans got drunk or
prostituted themselves

25. He also took care of common prisoners or those imprisoned by the Inquisition,
and spent long hours in the dungeons listening to their troubles.

26. At their request,
two lawyers were in
charge of defending
the poor prisoners.
He also comforted
the condemned at
the time of execution
with wine, perfume,
and biscuits.

27. And with the
Protestants, some of
them executed in an
Auto de Fe, he
behaved with equal
affection and mercy,
regardless of the
consequences.
He went on to convert
several, including an
Archdeacon of London.

28. He also missioned surrounding towns, eating and sleeping
in abandoned huts, among bats and rats.

29. They appointed him minister (in charge of material affairs) of the house. But, as
he always took on the toughest trades for himself, the superior made him master
of novice coadjutors, whom he led to the leper colony with a broom in hand.

30. He led a profound
spiritual life,
And was austere to the
point of heroism –
he slept little
and on the floor,
he hardly ate anything
and wore hair shirts,
even in the Cartagena
climate.
He told the doorman
not to bother the other
priests at night when
they came to ask for
sacraments, but to
go to him.

31. For prayer he liked to look at a picture book of the life of Our Lordand he mostly
dwelled on passages from the Passion that he remembered the rest of the day.

32. The negro, Diego
Folupo ,saw him
raised from the
ground with his
eyes fixed on a
crucifix that he
held in his hands.
Numerous
miracles were
attributed to him,
such as
resurrection of the
dead, clairvoyance
and prophecy.

33. News arrived from the
curia accusing him of
"abusing his interpreters
at the expense of the
College", of "retaining
deposits of money in his
possession without
specifying whether it
was with the authority
of the local superiors",
and having in his room
jars of wine, which he
used for your negros

34. He was accused of
being overzealous
and of having
profaned the
sacraments by giving
them to "creatures
who barely they
had a soul.
"Important women
from Cartagena
refused to enter the
church where Father
Claver gathered
his negros

35. Physically handicapped, he spent the last four years sick, in his cell,
practically alone and almost unable to move, in a frightening state
of abandonment by others that he, however, accepted. He finally
passed away in the early morning of September 9, 1654

36. Many extraordinary events, were verified both in life and
after his death. He is reported to have converted and
baptised up to 300,000 negros by his hand.

37. Pedro Claver
instilled in the
slaves a sense of
human dignity and a
singular value for
life that represented
a clear subversion of
the principles of the
slave trade. One of
his maxims, «First
the facts, then the
words», and the
daily practice of
suffering alongside
the suffering,
following them
to the mines
and plantations,
interceding for them
and protesting for
their care.

38. He was beatified on July 16, 1850 by Pope Pius IX, and
proclaimed a saint by Pope Leo XIII on January 15, 1888.
On July 7, 1896 he was declared patron saint of missions
among blacks and, in 1985, Humans right's defender

39. new and more subtle forms
of slavery arise because "the
mystery of iniquity" does not
cease to act in man and in the
world. Today, as in the
seventeenth century in which
Pedro Claver lived, the
ambition of money takes over
the hearts of many people and
turns them, through the drug
trade, into traffickers of the
freedom of their brothers
whom they enslave with a
more scary, sometimes,
of black slaves. Visita de Juan Pablo II al puerto de
embarco de los esclavos en Senegal 1992

40. Slave traders prevented their victims from exercising their freedom. Drug traffickers lead their
own to the very destruction of personality. As free men whom Christ has called to live in
freedom, we must fight resolutely against this new form of slavery that subjugates so many in
so many parts of the world, especially among the youth, which must be prevented at all costs,
and help the drug victims to free themselves from it. John Paul II – 1986 in Cartagena.

42. Museum of Saint Peter Claver en Cartagena

44. Blessed Maria Teresa
Ledóchowska (1863-
1922), known as
"Mother of Africa",
dedicated herself to the
fight against slavery in
Africa. She founder of the
magazine "The Echo of
Africa", she organized a
printing company in order
to publish missionary
religious publications.
Leo XIII received her in
audience in 1894 and
supported her idea of
founding a missionary
institute to fight against
slavery in Africa, which
would be the "San Pedro
Claver Institute"

45. LIST OF PRESENTATIONS IN ENGLISH
Revised 27-6-2022
Advent and Christmas – time of hope and peace
All Souls Day
Amoris Laetitia – ch 1 – In the Light of the Word
Amoris Laetitia – ch 2 – The Experiences and Challenges of Families
Amoris Laetitia – ch 3 - Looking to Jesus, the Vocation of the Family
Amoris Laetitia – ch 4 - Love in Marriage
Amoris Laetitia – ch 5 – Love made Fruitfuol
Amoris Laetitia – ch 6 – Some Pastoral Perspectives
Amoris Laetitia – ch 7 – Towards a better education of children
Amoris Laetitia – ch 8 – Accompanying, discerning and integrating weaknwss
Amoris Laetitia – ch 9 – The Spirituality of Marriage and the Family
Beloved Amazon 1ª – A Social Dream
Beloved Amazon 2 - A Cultural Dream
Beloved Amazon 3 – An Ecological Dream
Beloved Amazon 4 - An Ecclesiastical Dream
Carnival
Conscience
Christ is Alive
Fatima, History of the Apparitiions
Familiaris Consortio (FC) 1 – Church and Family today
Familiaris Consortio (FC) 2 - God’s plan for the family
Familiaris Consortio (FC) 3 – 1 – family as a Community
Familiaris Consortio (FC) 3 – 2 – serving life and education
Familiaris Consortio (FC) 3 – 3 – mission of the family in society
Familiaris Consortio (FC) 3 – 4 - Family in the Church
Familiaris Consortio (FC) 4 Pastoral familiar
Football in Spain
Freedom
Grace and Justification
Haurietis aquas – devotion to the Sacred Heart by Pius XII
Holidays and Holy Days
Holy Spirit
Holy Week – drawings for children
Holy Week – glmjpses of the last hours of JC
Human Community
Inauguration of President Donald Trump
Juno explores Jupiter
Kingdom of Christ
Laudato si 1 – care for the common home
Laudato si 2 – Gospel of creation
Laudato si 3 – Human roots of the ecological crisis
Laudato si 4 – integral ecology
Laudato si 5 – lines of approach and action
Laudato si 6 – Education y Ecological Spirituality
Life in Christ
Love and Marriage 12,3,4,5,6,7,8,9
Lumen Fidei – ch 1,2,3,4
Mary – Doctrine and dogmas
Mary in the bible
Martyrs of North America and Canada
Medjugore Santuario Mariano
Merit and Holiness
Misericordiae Vultus in English
Moral Law
Morality of Human Acts
Passions
Pope Franciss in Thailand
Pope Francis in Japan
Pope Francis in Sweden
Pope Francis in Hungary, Slovaquia
Pope Francis in America
Pope Francis in the WYD in Poland 2016
Passions
Querida Amazonia
Resurrection of Jesus Christ –according to the Gospels
Russian Revolution and Communismo 3 civil war 1918.1921
Russian Revolution and Communism 1
Russian Revolution and Communismo 2
Saint Agatha, virgin and martyr
Saint Albert the Great
Saint Anthony of Padua
Saint Francis de Sales
Saint Francis of Assisi
Saint Ignatius of Loyola
Saint James, apostle
Saint John N. Neumann, bishop of Philadelphia
Saint Joseph
Saint Maria Goretti
Saint Mary Magdalen
Saint Mark, evangelist
Saint Martha, Mary and Lazarus
Saint Martin of Tours
Saint Maximilian Kolbe
Saint Mother Theresa of Calcutta
Saints Nazario and Celso
Saint Jean Baptiste MarieaVianney, Curé of Ars
Saint John N. Neumann, bishop of Philadelphia
Saint John of the Cross
Saint Mother Teresa of Calcuta
Saint Patrick and Ireland
Saing Peter Claver
Saints Zachary and Elizabeth, parents of John Baptis
Signs of hope
Sunday – day of the Lord
Thanksgiving – History and Customs
The Body, the cult – (Eucharist)
The Chursh, Mother and Teacher
Valentine
Vocation to Beatitude
Virgin of Guadalupe – Apparitions
Virgin of the Pillar and Hispaniic feast day
Virgin of Sheshan, China
Vocation – mconnor@legionaries.org
WMoFamilies Rome 2022 – festval of families
Way of the Cross – drawings for children
For commentaries – email – mflynn@legionaries.org
Fb – Martin M Flynn
Donations to - BANCO - 03069 INTESA SANPAOLO SPA
Name – EUR-CA-ASTI
IBAN – IT61Q0306909606100000139493

46. LISTA DE PRESENTACIONES EN ESPAÑOL
Revisado 27-6-2022
Abuelos
Adviento y Navidad, tiempo de esperanza
Amor y Matrimonio 1 - 9
Amoris Laetitia – ch 1 – A la luz de la Palabre
Amoris Laetitia – ch 2 – Realidad y Desafíos de las Familias
Amoris Laetitia – ch 3 La mirada puesta en Jesús: Vocación de la Familia
Amoris Laetitia – ch 4 - El Amor en el Matrimonio
Amoris Laetitia – ch 5 – Amor que se vuelve fecundo
Amoris Laetitia – ch 6 – Algunas Perspectivas Pastorales
Amoris Laetitia – ch 7 – Fortalecer la educacion de los hijos
Amoris Laetitia – ch 8 – Acompañar, discernir e integrar la fragilidad
Amoris Laetitia – ch 9 – Espiritualidad Matrimonial y Familiar
Carnaval
Conciencia
Cristo Vive
Dia de todos los difuntos
Domingo – día del Señor
El camino de la cruz de JC en dibujos para niños
El Cuerpo, el culto – (eucarisía)
Encuentro Mundial de Familias Roma 2022 – festival de las familias
Espíritu Santo
Fatima – Historia de las apariciones
Familiaris Consortio (FC) 1 – iglesia y familia hoy
Familiaris Consortio (FC) 2 - el plan de Dios para la familia
Familiaris Consortio (FC) 3 – 1 – familia como comunidad
Familiaris Consortio (FC) 3 – 2 – servicio a la vida y educación
Familiaris Consortio (FC) 3 – 3 – misión de la familia en la sociedad
Familiaris Consortio (FC) 3 – 4 - participación de la familia en la iglesia
Familiaris Consortio (FC) 4 Pastoral familiar
Fátima – Historia de las Apariciones de la Virgen
Feria de Sevilla
Haurietis aquas – el culto al Sagrado Corazón
Hermandades y cofradías
Hispanidad
La Iglesia, Madre y Maestra
La Comunidad Humana
La Vida en Cristo
Laudato si 1 – cuidado del hogar común
Laudato si 2 – evangelio de creación
Laudato si 3 – La raíz de la crisis ecológica
Laudato si 4 – ecología integral
Laudato si 5 – líneas de acción
Laudato si 6 – Educación y Espiritualidad Ecológica
Ley Moral
Libertad
Lumen Fidei – cap 1,2,3,4
María y la Biblia
Martires de Nor America y Canada
Medjugore peregrinación
Misericordiae Vultus en Español
Moralidad de actos humanos
Pasiones
Papa Francisco en Bulgaria
Papa Francisco en Rumania
Papa Francisco en Marruecos
Papa Francisco en México
Papa Francisco – mensaje para la Jornada Mundial Juventud 2016
Papa Francisco – visita a Chile
Papa Francisco – visita a Perú
Papa Francisco en Colombia 1 + 2
Papa Francisco en Cuba
Papa Francisco en Fátima
Papa Francisco en la JMJ 2016 – Polonia
Papa Francisco en Hugaría e Eslovaquia
Queridas Amazoznia 1,2,3,4
El Reino de Cristo
Resurrección de Jesucristo – según los Evangelios
Revolución Rusa y Comunismo 1, 2, 3
Santa Agata, virgen y martir
San Alberto Magno
San Antonio de Padua
San Francisco de Asis 1,2,3,4
San Francisco de Sales
Santa Maria Goretti
Santa María Magdalena
San Marco, evangelista
San Ignacio de Loyola
San José, obrero, marido, padre
San Juan Ma Vianney, Curé de’Ars
San Juan de la Cruz
San Juan N. Neumann, obispo de Philadelphia
San Martin de Tours
San Maximiliano Kolbe
Santa Teresa de Calcuta
Santos Marta, Maria, y Lazaro
San Nazario e Celso
San Padre Pio de Pietralcina
San Patricio e Irlanda
San Pedro Claver
Santiago Apóstol
Santos Zacarias e Isabel, padres de Juan Bautista
Semana santa – Vistas de las últimas horas de JC
Vacaciones Cristianas
Valentín
Vida en Cristo
Virgen de Guadalupe, Mexico
Virgen de Pilar – fiesta de la hispanidad
Virgen de Sheshan, China
Virtud
Vocación a la bienaventuranza
Vocación – www.vocación.org
Vocación a evangelizar
Para comentarios – email – mflynn@lcegionaries.org
fb – martin m. flynn
Donations to - BANCO - 03069 INTESA SANPAOLO SPA
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