Faith & Tradition

Rooted in African Heritage

We are Roman Catholic in our identity, and we welcome everyone, regardless of faith tradition. Catholic education in America has a rich history, and we are proud to be able to continue the tradition with a spirit of justice and generosity toward all of God’s beloved children.

Saint Peter Claver’s purpose and mission is to provide a high-quality education to all children regardless of their families’s ability to pay tuition.

In supporting and welcoming students from diverse cultural and economic backgrounds, the school reflects both Catholic social teaching and its emphasis on the universal nature of the Church. The school manifests a respect for individual learners, different learning styles, and effective educational process and methodologies. Teachers strive to correlate principles and values with all subject areas.

Special attention is given to curriculum materials and working experiences reflecting African heritage, based on the Nguzo Saba Principles:

• Umoja (Unity): To strive for and to maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.
• Kujichagulia (Self-Determination): To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves stand up.
• Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility): To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers’ and sisters’ problems our problems, and to solve them together.
• Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics): To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.
• Nia (Purpose): To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.
• Kuumba (Creativity): To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.
• Imani (Faith): To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.