October 19th Feast of St. Peter of Alcantara
St Peter of Alcantara Biography
St Peter of Alcantara was the son of Peter Garavita, governor of Alcantara in Spain and his mother hailed from the noble family of Sanabia.
Peter went to Salamanca University to study civil and canon law. In 1515, he joined the Franciscan congregation and became a Franciscan Friar of the Stricter Observance at the Friary at Manxaretes, Extramadura in Spain.
At the young age of 22, he founded the friary at Babajoz which followed the Stricter Observance of the Rules of St Francis Xavier and served as its superior.
At age 25, in 1524, he was ordained as a priest and thereafter became the Guardian of the St Mary of the Angels’ friary at Robredillo, Spain.
St Peter of Alcantara became known for his eloquent and inspirational preaching. He was more attracted to preaching to the poor where he drew his sermons from the Prophetic and Poetic Books of the Holy Bible.
Peter later entered the Order of the reform of the Discalced Friars and was made Franciscan provincial minister of the province of St Gabriel of Estremadura in 1538.
He tried to enforce strict observance of rules among the friars but his plans were vehemently opposed until he resigned from that position.
He retired to the mountains of Arrábida in Portugal, where he stayed and lived a new life of solitude and prayers. When he returned to Spain, he continued to live in solitude and prayers for two years, from 1553 to early 1555.
After spending two years in solitude, St Peter of Alcantara went barefoot on a pilgrimage all the way to Rome.
In Rome, he obtained permission from Pope Julius III to establish friaries. On his way back home, he established several friaries and enforced a very strict constitution similar to that which he had hoped to enforce in St Gabriel Province. The reforms spread very fast into other provinces of Spain and Portugal.
St Peter of Alcantara was very instrumental in encouraging St Teresa of Avila to found her monasteries in Avila and enforce strict observance of rules. Peter also wrote a Treatise on Prayer and Meditation, which became very useful to Teresa, and St Francis de Sales.
St Peter of Alcantara lived a very pious and austere life and ate food a few times per week. He also slept a few minutes each day and would stay awake most of the night.
This is how he became the patron saint of night watchmen. He was very prayerful and it is said that he would levitate while deep in prayer.
On his deathbed, he delined a cup of water saying, “Even my Lord Jesus Christ thirsted on the Cross.” He died in prayer and meditation on October 18 1562 in the monastery at Arenas de San Pedro, Ávila, Spain.
