Saint Peter of Saint Joseph de Betancur

Image: Statue of St. Peter of St. Joseph in the Cave of Santo Hermano Pedro,
Tenerife, Spain

The 18th of April is the feast day of Saint Peter of Saint Joseph Betancur (March 21, 1626 – April 25, 1667). He is also known as Hermano Pedro de San José Betancurt or more simply Hermano Pedro, Santo Hermano Pedro, or San Pedro de Vilaflor. He is the patron saint of Canary Islands, Guatemala, Central America, catechists of Guatemala, Honorary Mayor of municipalities in the south of Tenerife and Honorary Mayor of Antigua Guatemala, and of the homeless.

Saint Peter of Saint Joseph Betancur, was born in the Canary Islands to poverty. He was a shepherd until he was 24 years old when he decided to travel to Guatemala, which was then the capital of New Spain. He had hoped to meet a relative and begin his training as a priest. The trip greatly impoverished him and he entered a bread line served by the Franciscans. He then worked in a textile factory and entered a Jesuit college hoping to become a priest. He was a poor student and had to leave school. He became a lay Third Order Franciscan and dedicated his life serving the poor and oppressed in jails and hospitals as well as the African slaves, Native Americans and anyone else that needed help. He founded a hospital and school for the poor, and a shelter for the homeless. He preached to the rich, telling them to repent. He was known as the “St Francis of the Americas.” He gained a following and there founded the Bethlehemite Brothers and Sisters. Their charism involved a devotion to the Divine Child and the Blessed Virgin and they offered prayers and sacrifices to the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Every night, Saint Peter carried a wooden cross through the streets as a form of penance and a way to evangelise. He is thought to have started the Posadas procession in Advent. He died in 1667 and Pope Saint John Paul II canonised him, becoming the first saint from Central America.