Every October 20, the Church celebrates Saint Peter of Alcántara, OFM (1499-1562), Spanish Franciscan friar, confessor of Saint Teresa of Ávila and, since 1826, patron saint of Brazil.
Prayer Centered Life
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With the secular name Juan de Garavito y Vilela de Sanabria, he was born in Alcántara, Extremadura (Spain), in 1499, into a noble family. He began studying law at the University of Salamanca, but abandoned his studies when he discovered that God was calling him to his service. He became a Franciscan friar and was later ordained a priest.
Fray Pedro de Alcántara promoted the founding of several convents: first, some destined for his Order; then, from others for the nascent reform of Carmel, which he fervently supported. Pedro knew firsthand the spirit that drove the work of Teresa of Ávila.
The Franciscan was a man of profound spiritual life. In fact, he became known for the dedication he put, in time and intensity, to dealing with the Lord in prayer, manifested in his constant efforts meditating and praying.
So that everyone knows God
Saint Peter of Alcántara learned to balance the contemplative life with preaching and caring for souls: he used to make trips to the towns located near the Arenas convent, where he lived. He was characterized by being a model of compliance and respect for the principles that governed monastic life, which encouraged many brothers to be more generous with the affairs of God.
Fray Pedro also acquired a reputation as a good preacher, and it should be noted that many conversions occurred among those who were able to listen to him. At the same time, he had special concern that everyone achieve due benefit in the spiritual life. For this reason he proposed to write some popular works: Fray Pedro de Alcántara is credited with having written the compact edition of the Book of prayer and meditation by Fray Luis de Granada, under the title of Treatise on prayer and meditation.
reforming spirit
Saint Peter of Alcántara maintained cordial relations with Saint Francis of Borja and, in a special and fruitful way, with Saint Teresa of Ávila. Friar Pedro became the saint’s confessor and spiritual director, and it was he who most encouraged her to carry out the barefoot Carmelite reform. He himself, moved by the desire to renew the spirituality of religious life, implemented a reform within the Franciscan Order, founding a branch of “strict observance” whose members became known as “alcantarinos.”
Saint Teresa of Jesus tells in her autobiography how grateful she was to the Franciscan friar for his wisdom and holiness. Teresa even relates how Fray Pedro appeared to her in a dream after he died and said: “Happy sufferings and penances on earth, which got me such great rewards in heaven.”
To the house of the Lord
San Pedro de Alcántara died peacefully, returning to the Convent of Arenas in 1562, after having made one of his usual itineraries through Ávila and Oropesa. His transition occurred in the company of his religious brothers whom he loved so much.
The people of Arenas, for their part, expressed their gratitude to the saint for everything he had done for him during his life. Everyone who treated him closely was well on the way to God. His final words, taken from Psalm 21, were the perfect seal and testimony of what moved his mind and heart: “What joy when they told me let’s go to the house of the Lord!”
Patron of Brazil
Saint Peter of Alcántara is, curiously, patron of the Federative Republic of Brazil – an honor that he “shares” with Our Lady Aparecida – without being Brazilian or Portuguese. The reason for this is that, by virtue of the reputation as a spiritual man that he acquired in life, the king of Portugal, Dom João III the Pious, asked him to be his confessor.
Close to the Portuguese crown, San Pedro de Alcántara touched the souls of many nobles, princes and infants. The mark he left on the royal family was so deep that it transcended time, and, when the newly independent Brazil of the first decades of the 19th century became an empire – with a constitutional monarchy -, something providential happened: he was named first Emperor Dom Pedro I. This was the Portuguese crown prince, whose name, received at baptism, was given in honor of the 16th century Spanish friar, who was a friend of the crown.
Shortly after the country’s independence was achieved, in 1826, Pope Leo XII, at the request of Dom Pedro I, declared Saint Peter of Alcántara as Patron of Brazil.
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Due to the strong habit of spending sleepless nights in incessant prayer, San Pedro de Alcántara is recognized as the protector or patron of the guards and night guards.
Saint Peter of Alcántara was beatified by Pope Gregory XV in 1622 and canonized by Clement IX in 1669.
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If you want to know more about San Pedro de Alcántara, we recommend the following article from the Catholic Encyclopedia: https://ec.aciprensa.com/wiki/San_Pedro_de_Alc%C3%A1ntara.
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