Catholic Diocese of Memphis
By Robert Alan Glover and Beth Simkanin
Photography by Gragg Higginbotham
The Knights of Peter Claver is the largest and oldest Black Catholic lay organization in the United States. Founded in 1909 in Mobile, Alabama, by four Josephite priests and three African-American lay men, the organization was established to offer lay Black Catholics “a way to find fellowship and work together to promote the Gospel while serving the community and promoting educational, social and economic advances.” Headquartered in New Orleans, the Knights of Peter Claver strive to spread faith, hope, and love through friendship, unity, and Christian charity.
The organization is named after St. Peter Claver, a Jesuit priest who dedicated his life serving and ministering to enslaved men, women and children in Columbia. He was canonized by Pope Leo XIII in 1888 and his feast day is September 9. He is the patron saint of enslaved people, African missions and interracial justice.
According to the organization’s website, there are 17,000 active members worldwide. Jesse Johnson is the current Grand Knight of the Knights of Peter Claver at St. Augustine Catholic Church in south Memphis, which is the largest African-American Catholic church in the Catholic Diocese of Memphis. There are 20 active Knights at the parish, and they are involved in all aspects of the church – from parish life to parish management and leadership.
“Community outreach begins within our own church,” he said. “We have Knights who serve on the parish council, the finance council and the building and grounds committee.
In addition, the Knights and the Ladies Auxiliary, the companion organization consisting of women in the church, serve as Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist, sing in the choir, and decorate the church at Easter and Christmas, just to name a few.
The council and court cultivate the spiritual growth of St. Augustine's younger parishioners through its Junior Knights and Junior Daughters, which serve to keep youth, ages seven to 17, active in the church. “The main goal of the Junior Knights and Junior Daughters is to instill a sense of Catholic pride and prepare them to become Knights and Ladies [Auxiliary Members] in adulthood,” Johnson said. “We want to make them aware of the richness of their Catholic faith.”
In addition to its outreach in the parish, the Knights and Ladies Auxiliary are active throughout the Memphis community. The Knights provide Christmas bags for the sick and elderly men and women in the parish with help from the Ladies Auxiliary. The council provides school supplies to Hamilton Elementary School, which is a local public school near the parish, and offers incentives to students who make the honor roll by hosting an honor roll party for them each semester.
"This fall, the Knights are planning an intramural sports program, which will utilize the church's gymnasium and grounds,” Johnson said. “We plan to have football outside which we hope will lead to more interest in the Church.”
Denise Collins-Toy is Grand Lady of the Knights of Peter Claver Ladies Auxiliary, who assist the Knights in their service efforts.
"Our mission is to carry on the tradition of Saint Peter Claver, which is performing Christian charity, and aiding the poor, the sick, and the disabled in the name of friendship," she said. "I have been a member of the Ladies Auxiliary for nearly 20 years, and I can honestly say that the Auxiliary is almost like brotherhood, in that it provides an outlet for Catholic womanhood and the work that we do across the city.”
Members of the Ladies Auxiliary visit area nursing homes, provide gift cards to high school students upon graduation, and perform various other fundraisers throughout the year. The Knights of Peter Claver, Ladies Auxiliary, Junior Knights and Junior Daughters at St. Augustine contribute to many charitable causes and scholarships each year.
Membership in the Junior Knights and Junior Daughters is open to all Catholic children between the ages of seven to 17. Membership in in the Knights of Peter Claver and the Ladies Auxiliary is open to all active Catholics 18 years old and up.
For more information, please go to kofpc.org.
Bio: Robert Alan Glover is a writer for the Catholic Diocese of Lexington, Kentucky. He lives in Central Kentucky.
