“Long live Christ the King and the
Virgin of Guadalupe!”
This was the slogan of the “Cristero”
uprising in the 1920’s against the anti-Catholic government of Mexico which had
instituted and enforced laws against the Church in an absurd attempt to
eradicate the Catholic faith in Mexico, even going so far as to ban all foreign
clergy and the celebration of Mass in some regions.
St. Christopher Magallanes, along with
21 other priests and three lay companions, were martyred between 1915 and 1937,
by shooting or hanging, throughout eight Mexican states, for their membership
in the Cristero movement. Magallanes erected a seminary in Totatiche and he and
his companions secretly preached and ministered to the faithful.
The last words heard spoken by
Magallanes were from his cell, when he shouted, "I am innocent and I die
innocent. I forgive with all my heart those responsible for my death, and I ask
God that the shedding of my blood serve the peace of our divided Mexico".
Pope John Paul II beatified the Cristero
martyrs in 1992 and canonized them in 2000.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.