Mrs. Isabel Samuels, Mrs. Willie Evelyn Malone (St. Peter Villa)
Jenny Marshall (Willow Bend at Marion Ark Nursing Home)
Mr. Floyd Shavers (Metro Community Care Home)
Ill at Home
Mrs. Audrey Allen, Mr. Herbert Allen, Mr. Joseph Alsandor, Mrs. Annie Hines Atkins, Mrs. Essie Berry, Mrs. Monique Meacham Bethany, Mr. Gerald Bond, Mrs. Lula Crawford, Mr. Robert Crowley, Mrs. Judy Epps, Mrs. Wendy Funches, Mrs. Marshia Gilmore, Mr. Emory Gordon, Mrs. Lottie Gordon, Ms. Jacqueline Guerrero,Mr. William Harris, Mr. Darrell Hollimon, Mr. Willie Hollimon, Mrs. Helen Hoof, Mr. Robert Hooper, Dr. William Johnson, Mrs. Mary M. Jones, Mrs. Teresa Kimbrough, Mrs. Laura Kinchelow, Mrs. Mary Monroe, Mrs. Maurice McDonald, Mrs. Florine McMillan, Mrs. Bobby Redmond, Mr. Frank Reynolds, Mr. Stanley Robinson, Mrs. Allura Tate, Mrs. Forrestine Weed, Mr. Malcolm Weed, Mr. Johnnie Weaver.
St. Benedict the Black Council #188 was established in 1977 at St. Thomas Parish, and has become a part of the life of St. Augustine. The group is open to any practicing Catholic male who is at least 18 years of age. Meetings are held the fourth Sunday of each month. Joseph Randolph is the lead Knight.
There is also a Junior Knights Division for boys ages 7 to 17. Junior Knights are a part of the growth and future of the Knights of Peter Claver.
The order was founded in 1909 in Mobile, Alabama is to render service and named after St. Peter Claver. St. Peter Claver (artist's depiction shown above) was born was born in 1580 in northern Spain. At the age of 42 he became the first Jesuit Priest to be ordained in Cartagena. He made his solemn profession in 1622 and signed the final formula: Peter Claver, slave of the Negroes forever.
St. Peter Claver is honored among Black Catholics because he honored the dignity of African Slaves till his death. St. Peter Claver met every slave ship upon its arrival, bringing with him bread, brandy, lemons and tobacco. He cared for the sick and the dying in the most unselfish manner. Peter Claver died on September 8, 1654. Pope Pius IX beatified him in 1851 and he was declared a Saint in 1888 by Pope Leo XIII.
The Knights of Peter Claver, Inc. is the nation's largest African-American Catholic lay organization. The Order was founded on Nov. 7, 1909, in Mobile, AL for Black men who had no significant organizational role in the Catholic Church.
Peter Claver is said to have converted over 300,000 slaves to Catholicism. The Knights of Peter Claver is a parish based fraternal order with units in more than 300 predominately African American parishes in the United States. The Order engages in a variety of church and community service projects. It also supports charitable appeals of many national and international organizations such as the NAACP and the United Negro College Fund, Catholic elementary and secondary schools and Xavier University in New Orleans.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops recently renewed a grant to the organization to continue the National Environmental Health and Justice Literacy Project, a program designed to educate citizens of poor communities about environmental health hazards. The Knights of Peter Claver is a member of the worldwide International Alliance of Catholic Knights.
Gene Phillips, Sr. is the Supreme Knight of the Knights of Peter Claver. Many well-known Black Catholic leaders, including ArchBishop Wilton Gregory and Memphis Diocese Bishop J. Terry Steib, belong to this fraternal order. To learn about the Knights of Peter Claver and the impact they are having all across America, click below:
Knights Of Peter Claver, Inc. To Host National Conventions Las Vegas, July 29th through August 3rd
The Knights of Peter Claver (artist's depiction above) and the Ladies' Auxiliary of the Knights of Peter Claver will hold their National Convention at Bally's in Las Vegas, July 29th through August 3rd. Additionally, the Junior Knights/Junior Daughters of Peter Claver will host their 16th Biennial Junior National Convention in New Orleans at the Hyatt July 7th through July 10th. The theme for the Junior National Convention is "Claverism: God's Gift to Youth".
Contact: Mr. Athanase J. Jones, Executive Director Knights of Peter Claver, Inc. National Headquarters 1825 Orleans Avenue New Orleans LA 70116 Phone: (504) 821-4225/Fax: (504) 821-4253 E-mail: execdir@knightsofpeterclaver.com
“One of the natural signs of a true Paulist is that he would prefer to suffer from the excesses of liberty rather than from the arbitrary actions of tyranny.”
Father Isaac Hecker, founder of the Paulist Fathers
