| Peter of Saint Joseph Betancur | |
|---|---|
Peter of Saint Joseph Betancur (Cave of Hermano Pedro, Tenerife). |
|
| Missionary | |
| Born | March 21, 1626 Vilaflor, Tenerife |
| Died | April 25, 1667 Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala |
| Honored in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Beatified | June 22, 1980 by Pope John Paul II |
| Canonized | July 30, 2002, Guatemala City, Guatemala by Pope John Paul II |
| Major shrine | Cave of Santo Hermano Pedro (Tenerife) and San Francisco Church in Antigua, Guatemala |
| Feast | April 18 |
| Attributes | Holds a walking stick and bell |
| Patronage | Canary Islands and Guatemala |
Brother Peter of Saint Joseph Betancur (March 21, 1626 (Tenerife)—April 25, 1667 (Antigua Guatemala), called Hermano Pedro de San José Betancurt or more simply Hermano Pedro, Santo Hermano Pedro, or San Pedro de Vilaflor, was a Spanish saint and missionary. He is known as the "St. Francis of the Americas." He is known as the first Canarian Saint.
Contents |
Born in Vilaflor, on the island of Tenerife, he spent some time in a little cave in the arid region near the present-day town of El Médano (municipality of Granadilla de Abona).
He worked as a shepherd until age 24, when in 1649, he began to make his way to Guatemala, hoping to connect with a relative engaged in government service there. By the time he reached Havana, Cuba, he was out of money. After working there to earn more, he arrived in Guatemala City the following year.
When he arrived he was so destitute that he joined the bread line which the Franciscans had established. He fell sick almost immediately but was able to recover his health.
He very much wanted to become a priest and soon enrolled in the local Jesuit college (Jesuit College of San Borgia) in hopes of studying for the priesthood. No matter how hard he tried, however, he could not master the material, and thus withdrew from the school.
Unable to receive holy orders, he became a Franciscan tertiary in the convent of Costa Rica in Antigua Guatemala, and took the name "Peter of Saint Joseph". He visited hospitals, jails, the unemployed, and the young. Three years later, he opened Our Lady of Bethlehem, a hospital for the convalescent poor. Soon after there was a shelter for the homeless, schools for the poor, an oratory, and an inn for priests. He was imitated by other tertiaries and Hermano Pedro soon wrote up a rule, which was adopted by the women who were involved in teaching the children. This led to the formation of a new religious order: la Orden de los Bethlemitas y de las Bethlemitas, subsequently recognized and approved by the Holy See.
He died in Antigua Guatemala at the age of 41. He left behind devotional writings.
He was beatified on June 22, 1980, and canonized on July 30, 2002, by Pope John Paul II. At the homily read by John Paul II in Guatemala City on July 30, 2002, Hermano Pedro was called the "first Canarian and Guatemalan saint."[1]
His tomb is in the San Francisco Church, in Antigua Guatemala. The Cave of Santo Hermano Pedro is located in the south of the island of Tenerife, in a desert on the outskirts of the city of El Medano. It is a very popular pilgrimage site, where the faithful present votive offerings to the saint. Inside the cave is a wooden statue of the saint.
He is sometimes credited with originating the Christmas Eve posadas procession in which people representing Mary and Joseph seek a night's lodging from their neighbors. The custom soon spread to Mexico and other Central American countries.
He was known to work miracles also. some of them including healing sick people in under an hour, also getting notes from te deceased family members by setting rocks out and letting the member arrange them over time.