The Tablet Staff

The Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn, will lead a special Mass on the Feast Day of Saint Peter Claver tonight, Thursday, September 9, 2021, at 7:30 p.m. at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph, located at 856 Pacific Street in the Prospect Heights section of Brooklyn.

Throughout his life, St. Peter Claver cared for African Americans who would arrive on slave ships by providing them medical care and food.  Over the course of a 40-year ministry, it is estimated that he baptized 300,000 slaves.

The Mass will also commemorate the 100th anniversary of the founding of Saint Peter Claver Roman Catholic Church in Bedford Stuyvesant, the first African American Church in the Diocese of Brooklyn. The Church was founded by Monsignor Bernard J. Quinn, who is currently being considered for sainthood for his work for racial equality.

Father Alonzo Cox, Coordinator of the African-American Apostolate for the Diocese of Brooklyn, will concelebrate the Mass. Members of the Knights of Saint Peter Claver, who work to promote civic and social justice, award scholarships, and nurture relationships among communities and families, will also be in attendance.

The Mass will be live-streamed and broadcast on NET-TV. The Tablet will have a full report tomorrow, September 10.