The Knights of St. Peter Claver

The Knights of St. Peter Claver is the largest historically African-American Catholic lay organization in the United States. The Order was founded November 7, 1909 at Mobile Alabama; by four Josephite priests (Conrad F. Rebesher, John H. Dorsey, Samuel J. Kelly, and Joseph P. Van Baast) and the three laymen of the Diocese of Mobile (Gilbert Faustina, Frank Collins and Frank Trenier). The Fourth Degree was authorized in 1917. The Ladies Auxiliary was authorized and their constitution adopted at Opelousas, Louisiana, August, 1922. The first official journal was The Shield, published for the first time at Mobile, Alabama, in 1910. The successor to The Shield is The Claverite, authorized in 1922 as a monthly publication. The Claverite changed to a Quarterly Publication in 1948, and it is presently published biennially.
(From the order’s website)