Rafael Cordero y Molina (October 24, 1790 – July 5, 1868), known as Maestro Cordero, was a self-educated Afro–Puerto Rican who provided free schooling to the children of his city regardless of race or social standing. In 2003, the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

began the process of Cordero's

beatification Beatification (from Latin , "blessed" and , "to make") is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name. ''Beati'' is the p ...

. In 2013,

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

recognized him as

Venerable ''The Venerable'' often shortened to Venerable is a style, title, or epithet used in some Christianity, Christian churches. The title is often accorded to holy persons for their spiritual perfection and wisdom. Catholic In the Catholic Churc ...

Early years

Cordero was born in

San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan ( , ; Spanish for "Saint John the Baptist, John") is the capital city and most populous Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality in the Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the ...

, then part of the

Viceroyalty of New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( ; Nahuatl: ''Yankwik Kaxtillan Birreiyotl''), originally the Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain. It was one of several ...

, into a low-income family. He was one of three children, born to Lucas Cordero and Rita Molina. His two older sisters were Gregoria and Celestina. His father worked in the

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

fields, while his mother tended the house. Cordero, who was of African ancestry, was self-educated. His love of literature and his determination to teach others and educate himself helped him develop the skills and preparation to teach primary school.En busca del Maestro Rafael Cordero/In search of The Master Rafael Cordero; By Jack Delano; Publisher: La Editorial Universidad de Puerto Rico; 1 edition (May 1994); ; Cordero received the

sacrament A sacrament is a Christian rite which is recognized as being particularly important and significant. There are various views on the existence, number and meaning of such rites. Many Christians consider the sacraments to be a visible symbol ...

Confirmation In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant (religion), covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. The ceremony typically involves laying on o ...

at the age of 14 from Bishop Juan Alejo de Arizmendi (1760–1814), the first native bishop of the island. He grew up and lived his life as a devout

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. In 1802, his older sister Celestina, also a pious Catholic, established a "escuela de amigas" for girls on the island.

Career

In 1826 Cordero established a free school for all the children in his house. He taught children regardless of their race and those who could not afford an education otherwise. There, he taught reading,

calligraphy Calligraphy () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an e ...

, mathematics, and religious instruction. Among the distinguished alumni who attended Cordero's school were José Julian Acosta,

Román Baldorioty de Castro Román Baldorioty de Castro (23 February 1822 – 30 September 1889) was a leading Puerto Rican Abolitionism, abolitionist and spokesman for the right to self-determination of Puerto Rico. In 1870, he was elected as a deputy in the Cortes Ge ...

and

Alejandro Tapia y Rivera Alejandro Tapia y Rivera (November 12, 1826 – July 19, 1882) was a Puerto Rican poet, playwright, essayist and writer. Tapia is considered to be the father of Puerto Rican literature and as the person who has contributed the most to the cultu ...

. Cordero maintained his educational center for 58 years at Luna Street. He proved that racial and economic integration could be possible and accepted. Cordero was awarded the ''Premio de Virtud'' by the

Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País en Puerto Rico The Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País en Puerto Rico (1813–1899) was a learned society in the Spanish colony San Juan, Puerto Rico, modelled after the Sociedad Económica de los Amigos del País in Spain. The society published a newspape ...

, an economic club whose members were friends of Puerto Rico. He was given 100

peso The peso is the monetary unit of several Hispanophone, Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America, as well as the Philippines. Originating in the Spanish Empire, the word translates to "weight". In most countries of the Americas, the symbol com ...

s, which he, in turn, gave away to those in need. He used half of the money (50 pesos) to buy books and clothes for his students, and the other half was given to the homeless. He was a great agitator for the abolition of slavery:

Death

The people's love and respect for Cordero were evidenced by the fact that more than 2,000 people attended his funeral in 1868.

Honors and veneration

Puerto Rican poet

José Gualberto Padilla José Gualberto Padilla (July 12, 1829 – May 26, 1896), also known as ''El Caribe'', was a physician, poet, journalist, politician, and advocate for Puerto Rico's independence. He suffered imprisonment and constant persecution by the Spanish Cr ...

published a poem titled "El maestro Rafael" honoring the educator. In 1891, Rafael Cordero was immortalized in a painting titled ''La Escuela del Maestro Rafael Cordero'' by the artist Francisco Oller which can be seen in the Puerto Rican Athenaeum. The Puerto Rico Teachers Association annually awards the teacher who has distinguished himself or herself in the field of public or private education with the National Medal Rafael Cordero. There are various schools named after him, among them a high school in San Juan, an elementary school in

Aguadilla Aguadilla (, ), founded in 1775 by Luis de Córdova, is a city and municipality located in the northwestern tip of Puerto Rico, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, north of Aguada, and Moca and west of Isabela. Aguadilla is s ...

, an elementary school in

Jersey City Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, and a Junior High School in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. In 2003, the

, upon the request of the Archbishop of San Juan, Roberto González Nieves, O.F.M., began the process of Cordero's

. This is the first step on the road to possible

canonization Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christianity, Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon ca ...

. On December 9, 2013,

advanced the cause for Cordero when he declared that Cordero had heroically lived the Christian virtues and has been declared

."Papa da inicio a beatificación de puertorriqueño Rafael Cordero"; "La Raza"; Retrieved December 9, 2013

Gallery

Rafael Cordero Graded School.jpg, School named in honor of Rafael Cordero in Cataño Street sign for Calle Maestro Rafael.jpg, The street sign of Calle Maestro Rafael in San Juan

References

External links

Rafael Cordero
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cordero, Rafael 1790 births 1868 deaths 19th-century venerated Christians 19th-century Puerto Rican educators American venerated Catholics Venerated Catholics by Pope Francis Puerto Rican people of African descent Puerto Rican Roman Catholics Educators from San Juan, Puerto Rico Burials at Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery