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𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐒𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐓
Jesuit missionary to South America who, in dedicating his life to the aid of enslaved Africans, earned the title of “apostle of the Negroes.”
Peter entered the Society of Jesus in 1602 and eight years later was sent to Cartagena, where he was ordained in 1616. The miserable condition of enslaved people aboard ships and in the pens of Cartagena, South America’s chief slave market, caused Peter to declare himself “the slave of the Negroes forever”; he dedicated the rest of his life to alleviating their suffering. Accompanied by interpreters and carrying food and medicines, he boarded every incoming slave ship and visited the pens, where he nursed the sick, comforted the distraught and terrified captives, and taught religion. Despite strong official opposition, Peter persevered for 38 years, baptizing an estimated 300,000 enslaved individuals. He also visited them on the local plantations to encourage their faith and to exhort their masters to treat them humanely; during these visits he often refused the hospitality of the plantation owners and instead stayed in the slave quarters.
He was canonized by Pope Leo XIII, who in 1896 proclaimed him patron of all Roman Catholic missions to African peoples. Peter is also the patron saint of those in slavery and the Republic of Colombia.
𝐏𝐑𝐀𝐘𝐄𝐑
𝘖 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘚𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘗𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱, 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵, 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵, 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘣𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩. 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘚𝘰𝘯, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵, 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳.
𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘯.
