St. Peter Claver Society
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THE ST. PETER CLAVER SOCIETY
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 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 |
