Our family stepped outside the Spanish language school to the blare of trumpets and beating of drums. Hundreds of people, many in colorful indigenous attire, processed solemnly through the streets of Antigua, Guatemala. We caught whiffs of incense and watched it swirl and ascend from ornate silver thuribles swung by men dressed in cassocks and surplices.
My seven-year-old son held my hand as we strained to interpret the lyrics of the rather unmelodious songs of the devout. They were singing about Mary and the Saints.
As part of the procession, the glass-encased skeletal remains of a man known locally as “Hermano Pedro” passed before us. Such was my introduction, as a non-denominational Christian missionary, to the Catholic practice of veneration of the Saints.
Meet Hermano Pedro
Saint Peter de Betancurt, also known as “the Saint Francis of Central America,” was born into a poor family in the Canary Islands in 1626. In his youth, he shepherded his family’s small flock of sheep and became known for his exemplary faith and virtue.
At twenty-three years of age, having heard of the impoverished people in Guatemala, he felt called to bring Christ to them. He crossed the Atlantic, enduring many hardships and working at any available job to reach his goal. Arriving in Guatemala City penniless, Pedro daily stood in a bread line, until, providentially, he found a friend among the Franciscans who ran the program to feed the poor.
Pedro’s new friend helped him enroll in a Jesuit seminary, but he found the studies too rigorous, withdrew, and eventually joined the Third Order Franciscans. The remainder of his life he dedicated to serving African slaves, indigenous people, abandoned children, and the sick and infirm. The Saint not only educated them and cared for their bodily needs, but he advocated for their spiritual needs by insisting on early Mass times to allow laborers to attend.
On April 25, 1667, the exhaustion of labor and penances ended his forty-one years on earth. But his mission continued when a group of men who practiced Pedro’s way of life formed the Bethlehemite Congregation, approved by the pope after Pedro’s death. A Bethlehemite sisters’ community also found their inspiration in Pedro’s example. Both groups are still active today, living his values of compassion and care for all.
The Spirituality of Pedro
Hermano Pedro’s spirituality focused on two events in Christ’s life: the Incarnation and the Crucifixion. In 2002, at the canonization of Hermano Pedro as Guatemala’s first Saint, Pope Saint John Paul II encouraged prayerful meditation on both mysteries. In his homily, the pope spoke of Hermano Pedro’s contemplation of Christ, the Child of Bethlehem. An intimate knowledge of the Child Jesus undergirded Hermano Pedro’s ability to see the face of Christ in the poor, whom he served with reverence. In addition, when he came up against his own limitations, experiencing severe suffering in attempts to show God’s love and mercy to all, Hermano Pedro drew strength to persevere from his meditations on Christ’s suffering on the Cross.
Befriending Hermano Pedro
During a recent visit to Guatemala, now a Catholic and comfortable with the practice of veneration, I knelt at Hermano Pedro’s crypt and smiled, remembering my first encounter with the Saint who has become a friend and confidant. My smile turned to tears as I asked for his intercession for our children and grandchildren, especially for the soul of our son who had dreamed of building a river rafting venture in Guatemala that would benefit local owners. A professional white-water rafting guide, our son’s earthly mission had barely begun when it ended with a rafting accident in Guatemala. Although he lost his life to the river, his last known act was directing his friend to safety.
This is the same son who held my hand the day I first encountered Hermano Pedro. I recently discovered some common ground between them. They were both born into Christian families and demonstrated love for God from their youth. They both spent time in nature contemplating creation. Both traveled far from home in their early twenties and endured many hardships. They both found themselves unsuited to formal studies before finding their mission. And both served the poor of Guatemala from what little they had.
I find consolation in contemplating the communion shared between Hermano Pedro and our son. Has the Saint’s intercession obtained for him any needed final purification? Can they now swap stories, praising God together for all he has done? Do they intercede together for the living and deceased members of our family? Faith gives me good reason to hope so!
Saint Hermano Pedro is a friend who shows us that ordinary people can hear and respond to God’s call. If we let him befriend us, he will introduce us to the Child of Bethlehem so we can learn to recognize the face of Christ in others. As we ask for the Saint’s intercession and follow his example, God will provide what we need to both evangelize and ease the distress of those we encounter. In friendship with Pedro, we can meditate on the Cross of Christ and find strength to persevere through our own suffering. His liturgical feast is celebrated on April 25 (Source; source).
Lani Bogart was born in Hawaii and grew up in Ohio and Michigan. She was a small child when she began to love Jesus. She’s at home in Texas with her woodworker Deacon husband near their children and grandchildren, Lani is also an active spiritual director and trauma healing volunteer. You can read more at Lanibogart.blog
Lani Bogart nació en Hawaii y creció en Ohio y Michigan. Era una niña pequeña cuando empezó a amar a Jesús. Está en su casa en Texas con su esposo, un carpintero diácono, cerca de sus hijos y nietos. Lani también es una directora espiritual activa y voluntaria de curación de traumas. Puedes leer más en Lanibogart.blog
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