“I must dedicate myself to the service of God until death.”

Claver was born on June 26, 1580, in the village of Verdú, Spain to a devout Catholic and prosperous farming family.

From a young age, he showed piety and intellectual gifts.

He went off to the University of Barcelona, but while studying, he felt a calling and entered the Society of Jesus at the age of 20. His superiors sent him to study philosophy in Mallorca, a Jesuit college. It is where he met and befriended Saint Alphonsus Rodriguez who encouraged his dedication to missions in the New World to save “millions of perishing souls”.

He volunteered for the new colonies and in 1610, he arrived in Cartagena, a port city in present day Colombia. He continued his studies there and was ordained a priest 5 years later.

African slave trade had been in place for several decades in the South Americas with Cartagena as a major hub. Peter witnessed the cruelty treatment firsthand as a third of the slaves did not survive the harrowing journey. Despite condemnations by Pope Paul III and Pius IX, European colonists continued importing slaves.

Moved by their suffering, he resolved to bring both bodily and spiritual aid to the slaves. Despite his own health problems, which were aggravated by the tropical climate, and the language barrier, he would harbor and board incoming ships to care for the terrified and poorly treated passengers. He tended the sick and baptized those in immediate danger of death.

Many Spanish Royal officials appreciated his work and made contributions toward the slaves’ relief and religious education. The slave traders found him a nuisance.

After they were herded from the ship and penned in nearby yards, he joined them with medicine and food. Through assisting catechists who spoke their language he administered Sacraments.

He did not lose sight of his converts and followed them to the plantations in which they were sent. He traveled from location to location to provide spiritual direction and prevailed in their owners to treat them humanely. He preached in the city square, to sailors and traders, and conducted country missions avoiding hospitality and instead, lodging in the same quarters as the slaves.

He also ministered to visitors which also included Muslims and Protestants, to prisoners and condemned criminals, and to the city’s hospitals.

Through his efforts over his 40 years of ministry, 300,000 souls entered the Church.

He became too ill to leave his room and lingered for 4 years, largely forgotten and neglected. He never complained and accepted it as a just punishment for his sins. He died on September 8, 1654.

City magistrates, who had previously considered him a nuisance with his advocacy, ordered a public funeral and he was buried with pomp and ceremony.

He is the patron saint of seafarers, African missions, slaves, race relations, and Colombia.

His feast day is September 9.

For God’s Glory.