St Peter Claver, Day of Prayer & Fasting

As we enter into the month of September, there is an important saint whose faith and life we celebrate early in the month.  St. Peter Claver, the son of a farmer, was born in Spain, in the year 1581.  At the age of 20, he entered the Society of Jesus, commonly called the Jesuits.  Accepting his religious order’s charge to assist in evangelizing the Spanish colonies in the Americas, in 1610, Peter Claver arrived in Cartagena, Colombia, which was the chief African slave market in the world.  It would be in Cartagena that St. Peter Claver would become known as ‘the apostle to the slaves’ and the ‘slave of the slaves’ because for 44 years St. Peter Claver would serve their needs. 

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has declared the Feast of St. Peter Claver, September 9^th, to be a day of prayer for peace in our communities.  In these days when our country continues to struggle to overcome racism and to achieve greater harmony and understanding between people of different races, I am asking that we keep September 9^th, the Feast of St. Peter Claver, as a Day of Prayer and Fasting for this purpose. 

In addition to prayer and fasting, I strongly encourage you, if you have not already done so, to download and read the recent USCCB Pastoral Letter Against Racism entitled OPEN WIDE OUR HEARTS:  The Enduring Call to Love.  You can download a free copy of the pastoral letter at usccb.org/racism.  There are also other resources on the website that can assist in reflection and prayer on this day, as well as ways that we can actively engage in responding to the evil and sin of racism.  

On Wednesday, September 9^th at 7:00 PM, we will celebrate Mass at St. Francis de Sales Cathedral in Houma for the Feast of St. Peter Claver, praying in a special way for peace and healing.  I invite you to join me in fasting, prayer and worship on September 9^th, begging the Lord to strengthen our resolve and to bless our efforts to end racism and bring about greater peace in our communities, and greater harmony among people of different races.  Through the intercession of St. Peter Claver, may God grant success to our efforts!  

You can read more about St Peter Claver’s life in an article I wrote for the September issue of the Bayou Catholic: https://htdiocese.org/news/st-peter-claver-day-of-prayer-fasting

- Bishop Shelton Fabre