The Knights of Peter Claver, Inc.

Our story

The Knights of Peter Claver, Inc. was founded on November 7, 1909, in Mobile, Alabama, by four Josephite priests and three laymen to provide men of color membership in a Catholic fraternal society. The Noble Order was incorporated on July 12, 1911. In 1922, the Ladies Auxiliary was authorized and formally recognized as a division in 1926.

With the support of the Catholic Church, the Order has grown to more than 700 units across the United States and a unit in Colombia, South America. Headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana, the Order includes over 18,000 Catholic family members and is a proud member of the International Alliance of Catholic Knights.

Our Patron, St. Peter Claver

St. Peter Claver (d. 1654), a Jesuit priest, is honored as the patron saint of slaves. Declaring himself the “slave of the Negroes forever,” he ministered courageously to enslaved Africans arriving in Cartagena, Colombia. Over 40 years, he catechized and baptized an estimated 300,000 people while organizing groups to care for both their physical and spiritual needs. We look to him as the model for our mission of service to the poor and oppressed.

The Ladies Auxiliary

The Ladies Auxiliary today includes approximately 12,000 Ladies and 4,000 Junior Daughters, organized into 403 Courts across 33 states. These Courts respond to community needs through a wide variety of programs. On a national level, we support causes such as the United Negro College Fund, sickle cell anemia and cancer research, shelters for battered women and children, and the NAACP. We also provide financial support for African Americans pursuing religious vocations and collaborate with organizations such as the National Council of Catholic Women, the National Black Sisters’ Conference, and the National Black Catholic Congress.

Court #181 – Our Local Story

Court #181 was established on April 25, 1976, at St. Felicitas Catholic Church in Chicago, when 11 women were initiated into the Ladies Auxiliary. Today, St. Felicitas–St. Ailbe Court #181, now rooted at St. Katharine Drexel Catholic Church, includes 81 members and 20 Junior Daughters.

For over 40 years, Court #181 has been deeply involved in community service. We operated a monthly food pantry serving more than 150 people, half of whom were seniors. We support survivors of sex trafficking and domestic violence, providing essentials and holiday gifts. Our Junior Daughters bring joy to children, seniors, and shut-ins by creating Easter baskets, visiting nursing homes, and offering care packages.

The Order was founded by four priests of the St. Joseph's Society of the Sacred Heart, Fathers Conrad F. Rebesher, John H. Dorsey, Samuel J. Kelly, and Joseph P. Van Baast, S.S.J.'s and three lay men of the Diocese of Mobile - Messrs Gilbert Faustina, Frank Collins and Frank Trenier, they have all now passed to their eternal rewards.

Key Events in the Order’s History

  • The order was founded November 7, 1909 and incorporated July 12, 1911 in Mobile, Alabama

  • The Meritorious Fourth Degree Knights were authorized in 1917

  • The Junior Knights were authorized January 14, 1917 and recognized as a Division of the National Council Occtber 1, 1935

  • The Ladies Auxiliary was authorized August, 1922 and recognized as a Division of the National Council at Galveston, Texas, August, 1926

  • The Junior Daughters were established in 1930

  • The first official organ of the Order was The Shield published for the first time at Mobile, Alabama, November 1910, with Frank Trenier, Charter Member and National Secretary, as Editor.

  • The successor to The Shield is The Claverite, authorized in 1922 and its first Editor was Joseph H. Rieras who served until 1928.