THE
ST.
PETER CLAVER SOCIETY
Please visit our new site at www.saintpeterclaversociety.org
The
St. Peter Claver Society was founded in 2000. It was given this
name by its priestly founder after meditating on the life of
a great saint, priest and 16th century missionary, St. Peter
Claver.
The
purpose of this society is to raise funds to assist needy seminarians
studying to become Catholic priests. St. Peter Claver was sent
by his superiors to Cartagena, Columbia to evangelize the slaves
coming from Africa. There he labored for over forty years in
the most deplorable conditions preaching the Gospel and ministering
to the poorest and most forgotten human beings on the face of
the earth. After preaching to the thousands of slaves arriving
in Columbia with the help of seven interpreters who were able
to speak the language of these poor and abandoned human beings,
he instructed them in the Faith and brought to them the spiritual
gift of Baptism. It is estimated that in his ministry he baptized
over 300,000 slaves. After they were baptized, he forgave their
sins in the sacrament of Penance, nourished them with the Body
and Blood of Our Lord in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and
prepared them to enter Heaven by the sacrament of Extreme Unction.
Despite their human misery St. Peter Claver made it known to
these slaves that God loved them and wanted them to be citizens
of His heavenly kingdom. To put it simply, he was a model of
what a priest must be—a man for others.
In
the Church of today there is a great shortage of Catholic priests.
Many of our seminarians are in dire need of funds to pay for
their expenses in the seminary. Before entering the seminary,
many of them have incurred debts to pay for their college education.
In addition to these debts, they must face the present costs
of education in the seminary while preparing for the priesthood.
They cannot face these burdens alone. They need the help and
support of good Catholics everywhere.
To
give an example, it costs $22,000 per year to educate a seminarian.
For
those of you who want to help our future priests in their time
of financial need, we ask all those who read this message to
make a sacrificial contribution to solve this crisis.
Please
send your financial help so desperately needed to:
St.
Peter Claver Society
1010 Bryant St.
Palo Alto, CA 94301
We
need not only a one-time gift but a monthly pledge of whatever
you can give. All contributions to the society are tax-deductible.
The St. Peter Claver Society is a registered charitable organization,
and you may request an annual receipt of your donations for
your records and annual tax use if you desire. All of the seminarians
we are helping have promised to remember their benefactors in
their Masses and prayers.
As
Our Lord has said:
“Whatever
you do for the least of my brethren, you do unto Me."
Yours
gratefully in Christ,
Rev.
Raymond V. Dunn, M.A., STL, J.D., OSJ,
Founder
and President of the St. Peter Claver Society
