Peter of Saint Joseph Betancur

Peter of Saint Joseph de Betancur y Gonzles, O.F.B. April 25, 1667 , called Hermano Pedro de San Jos Betancurt or more simply Hermano Pedro, Santo Hermano Pedro, or San Pedro de Vilaflor, was a Spanish saint and missionary in Guatemala. Known as the St. Francis of Assisi of the Americas, he is the first saint native to the Canary Islands, is also considered the first saint of Guatemala and Central America.

Betancourt was born at Vilaflor on the Island of Tenerife in 1626, one of the five children of Amador Betancourt, a descendant of Jean de Bthencourt, the French knight and explorer who conquered the Canary Islands for King Henry III of Castile , and of Ana Gonzles Betancurt. As a small child, he worked as a shepherd, caring for his familys small flock, their only source of income, but also spending some time praying in small cave in the arid region near the presentday town of El Mdano . When the fathers estate was seized by a moneylender in 1638 for failure to pay the familys debt, Peter was indentured to his service in recompense for the monies still due him. During this period, his eldest brother, Mateo, migrated to Spains colonies in the New World, possibly settling in Ecuador.

Source: Wikipedia