St. Peter Claver, whose feast day is Sept. 9, was a Spanish Jesuit priest who left his homeland for the Caribbean port of Cartagena in 1610 to minister to African slaves. He is known for tirelessly ministering to the enslaved people there, visiting the slave ships as they arrived in the port and offering the people food, medicine and spiritual consolation. He learned several African languages and baptized 300,000 slaves over his 40-year ministry. In his honor, learn about our local Knights of Peter Claver: Council 411 for men, and Court 411 for women.
The Blessed Mother labored for Love Himself, giving birth to God’s only Son Jesus and raising Him here on earth. By extension, her mother St. Anne’s labor bringing her into the world was similarly blessed. In honor of Mary’s birthday on Sept. 8, the feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary Sept. 12, and the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows Sept. 15, get to know more about the life of Mary through the visions of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich, an Augustinian nun and stigmatic (someone who bears the physical wounds of Christ, called the stigmata), in “The Life of the Virgin Mary.”