Blessed Pedro de Gante

Pieter van der Moere, also known as Brother Pedro de Gante or Pedro de Mura (c. 1480 – 1572) was a Franciscan missionary in sixteenth century Mexico. Born in Geraardsbergen in present-day Belgium, he was of Flemish descent. Since Flanders, like Spain, belonged to the Habsburg Empire and he was a relative of King Charles V (he was thought to be a bastard son of Emperor Maximilian I), he was allowed to travel to the colonies of New Spain as one of a group of Franciscan friars. Gante's group in fact arrived before the 12 Franciscans normally thought of as the first friars in New Spain. In Mexico he spent his life as a missionary, teaching the indigenous population in Christian catechism and dogma. He learned Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs, and composed a Christian "doctrina". One of his most significant contributions to Mexico was the creation of the School of San Jose de los Naturales. This was the first school set up by Europeans in the Americas. In 1988 he was beatified, by Pope John Paul II. He was ranked 99th in a 2005 vote on the list of Greatest Belgians (De Grootste Belg). Missionary Work and Evangelization Pedro de Gante was among the earliest Franciscan missionaries to arrive in New Spain, reaching Mexico in 1523, several years before the better-known group known as the Twelve Franciscan Apostles. His missionary activity focused primarily on the Indigenous populations of central Mexico, particularly Nahua communities. Gante distinguished himself by learning Nahuatl, the principal Indigenous language of the region, which enabled him to communicate Christian teachings directly to native audiences without reliance on interpreters. His evangelization strategy emphasized instruction, persuasion, and cultural adaptation rather than coercion, aligning with early Franciscan ideals of peaceful conversion. Education and Pedagogical Innovation Education was central to Pedro de Gante’s missionary method.