Saint Peter of Alcantara was born in Alcantara, Spain in 1499. He was accepted as a Franciscan Friar of the Stricter Observance in the Friary of Manxaretes Extremadura in 1515. He was ordained a priest in 1524 and became the Guardian of the friary of St. Mary of the Angels at Robredillo, Old Castile in 1525.
He later became the Superior of the St. Gabriel province of the reform of the Discalced Friars in 1538. He drew up new constitutions that were met with resistance and eventually resigned from his post.
After this, he began to pay more attention to the spiritual aspect of his vocation, spending his time preaching to the poor. His sermons mainly drew from Old Testament books pertaining to compassion for others.
During this time, he spent much of this time in solitude and prayer. Peter later made a pilgrimage to Rome, completely barefoot the entire way. When he eventually got to Rome, he asked Pope Julius III permission to establish friaries. He was granted permission just before the Holy Father’s passing.
He established several friaries, many of which adopted the constitution he drafted in previous years and proved fruitful.
He was known to experience ecstasy, a state in which one is entirely consumed by the warmth and light of the Holy Spirit. Some even claimed to have witnessed him levitating during prayer.