When the Aleuts refused, the priest had a toe severed from each of Peter's feet. Peter still refused to renounce his faith and the Spanish priest ordered a group of California Indians to cut off each finger of Peter's hands, one joint at a time, finally removing both his hands. They eventually disemboweled[?] him, crowning his life with martyrdom. They were about to torture the next Aleut when orders were received to release them.
Upon receiving the report of Peter's death St. Herman[?] back on Kodiak Island was moved to cry out, "Holy, new-martyr Peter, pray to God for us!" Peter the Aleut was formally declared a Saint as the "Martyr of San Francisco" in 1980. His feast day is commemorated in the Orthodox faith on September 24.
Subsequently he was joined with St. Andrew Bobola, a martyr for the Roman Catholic faith at the hands of two Orthodox Cossacks, in a special devotion[?] for the reunion of the two branches of Christianity.
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