Homily Feast of Peter Claver
Homily Feast of Peter Claver
I once was part of an immersion program and lived in the inner city of Indianapolis. Part of the experience, we seminarians had, was that we attended African American Church services. One of the Catholic organizations in the African American community was the Knights of Peter Claver.
I had heard of the Knight of Columbus, the Knights of Malta, etc. I asked how this group came about and I was informed that people of color were not welcome in Catholic fraternal organizations in the 1950’s when many African Americans were joining the church. They wanted to have a group that was their own.
I had never heard of Peter Claver. I found out he was a very heroic figure in the history of the Americas. Peter Claver was born in Spain in 1580 to a working-class family. He joined the Jesuits and he became interested in missionary work. He went to Columbia and was sent to Cartagena. This was the port where thousands of slaves came to the new world.
Peter Claver would meet the slave ships and try to minister to the dispirited and terrified slaves. He would do basic medical care and he would give rudimentary instruction in the Christian faith. It is estimated that he baptized close to 300,000 Africans as they arrived in the new world.
The slaves were the least of the least in the eyes of the world. Peter Claver believed that they were an image of God. Peter gained no earthly reward for ministering to them other than their great affection. At the end of his life Peter fell ill. The nurse who took care of him was callous toward him. It was ironic that a man who was so generous with caring for others was so neglected at the end of his life.
Reflection Questions:
- Peter Claver could have probably ministered to the wealthy and the power, but he chose to minister to slaves? Could I make such a choice?
- Sometimes we do not recognize another person’s holiness until after they die. Peter Claver never won any prizes for being a humanitarian. What was it that motivated him?
Dear Parishioners,
The days are growing shorter, and the weather is getting unstable. This makes outdoor activities more unpredictable.
Last Sunday our Mass was rained out. If this happens in upcoming Sundays, we will move into the church. I would invite people to come into the church if you would like. We will livestream the service as we did last Sunday at 9 a.m. When people come into the church because of rain, we would ask that you put your families name on a list with a phone number. That way if we need to do contact tracing we can. We will have to follow all the other protocols as well. If we can not seat everyone you can always come to the 11 a.m. Mass. There is usually room.
I would also mention that, if it is raining after our live stream Mass we will not be able to distribute communion outside. We will do the best we can to accommodate people, but sometimes things are beyond our control.
May Our Lady and All the Angels and Saints watch over you today.
Fr. Mark