Hermano Pedro lived in the 1600s and is a beloved person in the history of Guatemala and beyond.  He was born in the Canary Islands and as a boy worked as a shepherd.  In his twenties he traveled first to Cuba, and then to Guatemala, in search of a relative.  He never left Guatemala and is buried on the grounds of the Church of San Francisco in Antigua.  He entered the seminary but was unable to master the studies and didn’t graduate.  After that he joined the Franciscan Brotherhood.  He is credited with starting and developing much of the social work that still continues today.

This morning there was an important event in Antigua.  The hospital  of Hermano Pedro moved.  In this small square, the entrance to the church is on the left, and the main entrance to the hospital and headquarters (Sede) is the door on the right.

I won’t translate this entire banner but basically it is announcing a blessing and procession commemorating the move to a new site for this important center for medical care and social outreach.

Thousands turned out to process with the handicapped, the hospitalized, and the staff of the Sede de Las Obras Sociales del Hermano Pedro.