Of Mexican Saints, Earthquakes, and Social Justice
Mexico’s Saints
I grew up with a constant awareness of my dual nationality – United States and Mexico. Even though I was born in Laredo, Texas and therefore a natural born United States citizen, my mother and father were born in Mexico, so I knew how to say “Yo soy Mexicano” before I learned English! I guess it’s because my Dad was a Mexican Consul, working for Mexico’s Secretaria de Relaciones Exteriores in the United States. I remember always hearing that everything Mexican was G-R-E-A-T.
Why do I talk about my Mexican ancestry in a section discussing saints? It is because as I sat in Catholic school in the 1950s, the other kids learned about the hundreds of Spanish, and Irish, and French, and Italian and German and Dutch and Norwegian (and on and on) saints, I had to bow my head to learn that there was only one Mexican saint! For over 400 years, just one Mexican saint! Of course our Guadalupanismo, our unmatched devotion as a nation for Our Lady cures everything. But still, why did the Church have to wait more than 400 years to recognize more than one canonized Mexican saint? This is another reason I am so interested in Fr. Francisco, who lived through the Cristero War – the period that produced 25 martyrs in such a horrific way. In learning about the martyrs, I discovered Fr. Francisco had a more than passing connection with at least one of those martyrs.
San Felipe de Jesus
First, a word about San Felipe de Jesus a 23-year-old missionary priest who died in 1597 for his faith alongside San Francisco Javier (my patron saint) following months of torture and ridicule by Japanese unbelievers. San Felipe, finishes his studied for his priestly formation in the Philippines for Mexico as his first missionary assignment. A sudden storm forced the ship taking him to Mexico to seek a safe port and the nearest port was on the coast of Japan. Once in Japan San Felipe said he felt his landing in Japan was the will of God and asked his Franciscan superior for permission to stay in Japan where he met his martyrdom.
Saint Magallanes and his 24 Companions
Now, San Felipe de Jesus has been joined by 30 more Mexican Saints, among them the Martyrs of the Cristero War, San Cristóbal Magallanes Jara and his 24 companions (liturgical Feast Day, May 21). San Cristobal Magallanes and his companions suffered and died at the hands of federal troops during three-years of violence (1926 to 1929) when Mexican President Calles passed anti-clerical laws making it unlawful to hold public religious worship anywhere in the country. While the law expressly stated “no PUBLIC celebrations of Mass” President Calles also interpreted this to mean, “no PRIVATE religious observances, either. No Mass, no Sacraments, no vespers, no Baptisms, no Church weddings, no adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, no Rosaries, nothing religious. Hundreds of bishops and priests who did not leave Mexico or who did not hide in San Luis Potosi thanks to a friendly governor there, were hunted down, tortured, and killed.
Churches were desecrated and burned. Sacred and precious church articles were confiscated or destroyed. Townspeople were forced to watch the public execution of priests, bishops and nuns, most of which occurred in Jalisco and a few other southern Mexican states. I notice the similarities of the hate-filled 1926-1929 “Cristero War” in Mexico to the anti-Catholic massacres of religious men and women in Spain, ten years later during the Spanish Civil War. Religious men and women, and even those who helped them, who were unable to hide or flee the war-torn areas of Spain were hunted down and killed. Spanish saints have also been canonized from that era.
On May 21, 2000 Pope John Paul II canonized the 25 martyrs of the Cristero War who died during the – I want to call it – “clerical cleansing” of Mexico ordered by President Calles.
In addition to the 25 martyrs the Roman Catholic Church also now lists as “Blessed” 25 more holy Mexican men and women. As to the martyrs, it is hard to comprehend how humans can cause such pain and suffering, and eventually kill other humans. But whether we recognize holy men and women because they died for their faith as Martyrs, or because of their fame for holiness, we can certainly pray in confidence to these Mexican Servants of God, knowing they do pray and intercede for us before God.
The following Internet blog is one place where you can learn about the 30 Martyrs and Blessed holy men and women:
https://defendiendomife.wordpress.com/2014/08/01/santos-y-beatos-de-mexico/
Fr. Francisco describes how SAN SABÁS became a martyr
As I searched for writings attributed to Fr. Francisco himself. I found some letters he wrote by hand or by the use of a typewriter in the historical archives of the Archdiocese of Guadalajara. The letters were chiefly administrative correspondence to and from the Archbishop of Guadalajara, such as explaining certain trips to attend liturgical events or responding to questions from Archdiocesan departments about his Pastoral duties. Even when he was clearly rushed or concerned about a topic, his orthography and grammar were crisp, bold, and clear.
In July 2016, the priest responsible for coordinating official reports to the Vatican regarding Causes for Sainthood from the Archdiocese of Guadalajara, pulled from a shelf the bound volume containing the 16-page report attributed to Fr. Francisco V. Ruiz about the arrest, torture, and execution of San Sabás Reyes Salazar. From the book it is not clear when Fr. Francisco research and wrote the report, but I believe he may have written the report between July 1935 and May 1938 when he was called to Guadalajara on “special assignment.” I found this letter in the Archdiocese of Guadalajara Historical Archives:
May 7, 1935 Letter A-712/35 – JGR/br. Letter from Auxiliary Bishop Adolfo Hernandez to report to him for “razones reservadas” [certain undisclosed reasons] for which it is better that he should be relieved of pastoral duties for a brief time and that he should present himself to the Auxiliary Bishop as soon as possible. [Was this to interrogate Fr. Francisco about why he was absent from Tototlan, the parish where his parochial vicar was tortured and executed by Mexican troops when the parochial vicar refused to tell the whereabouts of Fr. Francisco? Actually Fr. Francisco had been called away from his parish by the Archbishop to become the Archbishop’s body guard at precisely the time when General Izaguirre began searching for him.]
Fr. Francisco and his parochial vicar, San Sabás
The suffering and death of Sabás Reyes held special significance for Fr. Francisco. The martyred priest was Fr. Francisco’s parochial vicar, ordered to stay behind while Fr. Francisco was called to Guadalajara by the Archbishop. Saint Sabás Reyes is one of the 25 Mexican martyrs. He was killed on Holy Thursday, April 1927, during the Cristero War as General Izaguirre searched for Fr. Francisco.
Fr. Francisco’s report is published in the official book of declarations in support of the Cause of Sainthood of Fr. Sabás Reyes Salazar. The series of bound books contain specific details of the martyrdom of all 25 Martyrs of the Cristero War.
CONGREGATIO PRO CAUSIS SANCTORUM, p.m. 1407, MEXICANA (REI PUBLICAE), BEATIFICATIONIS SEO DECLARATIONIS MARTYRII SERVORUM DEI, CHRISTOPHORI MAGALLANES ET XXIV SOCIORUM, IN ODIUM FIDEI, UTI FERTUR, INTERFECTORUM (+1915 – 1937), POSITIO SUPER MARTYRIO, VOL. III
My grand-uncle was assigned to write a full description of the horrific torture, suffering and death of San. Sabás Reyes. This official report, 16 single-spaced pages long, was written sometime between 1935 and 1937 and printed in bound form in 1991. I have read my grand-uncle’s report which appears in Spanish in Volume III of the official Declarations as submitted to the Vatican.
Fr. Francisco’s written statement confirms that Father Sabás was his parochial vicar who stayed behind when in Spring 1927 when the Archbishop ordered Fr. Francisco to leave his parish in Tototlan, Jalisco and to travel to Guadalajara for his safety and, some have told me, to act as one of the Archbishop’s bodyguards. Fr. Sabás, the parochial vicar was to stay in charge of Tototlan parish. It was generally known that Mexican Army General Izaguirre was searching surrounding towns for Fr. Francisco, to arrest him on the charge that my grand-uncle was suspected of inciting the resistance against the so called “Calles Law” – the series of anti-Catholic statutes enacted in 1926 in Mexico during the term of President Plutarco Elías Calles. He stated to the world he was merely enforcing restrictions against the Catholic Church found in Article 130 of the Mexican Constitution of 1917. Townspeople in Tototlan quoted Mexican Army officers as telling them that my grand-uncle – Fr. Francisco – was “el jefe de toda esta revolución y ya verán cómo le va.” (I interpret this to mean: ‘[We know] He is the boss of this revolution and he’s going to get what’s coming to him.’) Now, let’s read what Fr. Francisco said was happening. I have summarized my grand-uncle’s written declaration, which I found in official Vatican documents:
When the army troops looking for Fr. Francisco at his parish office found that he was not there, they would leave and then return several days later. This happened several times. In the meantime, the parochial vicar continued his priestly duties, even though the government had declared such activities to be illegal. He celebrated Mass, administered the Sacraments, and counselled parishioners regarding spiritual matters. Sometimes the parochial vicar would hide. Other times the soldiers did not look where he was, as he was visiting families. Finally, during their final return visit they thoroughly searched and located Fr. Sabás, who was unable to get away. General Izaguirre was assigned to kill any priests who were still exercising their priestly duties. His soldiers arrested and then slowly tortured Fr. Sabás, trying to get the parochial vicar to reveal the whereabouts of his pastor, Fr. Francisco. Fr. Sabás continually refused to answer. They burned his hands and feet. He refused to answer. They constantly kept a rope around his neck, pulled tight, and would tug at it for long periods of time. He refused to answer. They threatened slow death of a strangulation hanging. He refused to answer. Townspeople would try to get in to visit their priest but they were not allowed. Finally, on the evening of the fourteenth day of torture, the townspeople heard shots coming from the cemetery. The next day – Holy Thursday, Fr. Sabás was found dead, with four bullet wounds, two in his chest, one in his arm and one in his head. The person whose home had been used to billet some of the officers overheard one of them say that evening, “Man, it hurt to kill that priest; his death was not justified. We shot him with three or four bullets and he still kept yelling “Viva Cristo Rey.”
Here, I must also insert the full explanation regarding Fr. Francisco’s innocence during the Cristero War, as found on page 427 of the same, just cited volume, DECLARATIONIS MARTYRII. You can click on the image to read, in high resolution, a clear version of the page.
This is my translation of the above text: “They were searching for the priest [Fr. Francisco Vizcarra Ruiz] because a man [MY NOTE: The man is not identified] had accused him of involvement in obtaining weapons for use against the Government. Of the five persons the man had accused, three died, and after formal declarations heard before General Amaro [MY NOTE: This toward the end of the Cristero hostilities] that the accusations had been false, the remaining two [accused persons] were no longer sought; The General was greatly displeased when he learned that the false accusations had unjustly caused the deaths of three persons.”
These are the facts my grand uncle wrote for the official Vatican documents, after having interviewed the townspeople who witnessed the horrific events. As I read the above and other declarations written by my grand uncle under orders by his superiors, wondered how my grand-uncle himself must have suffered; he was required to describe in excruciating detail how his own parochial vicar suffered a martyr’s torture and death – and all because of his absence. Even knowing that Fr. Francisco’s absence was at the behest of his Bishop, he must have agonized, questioning himself, “what if I not been called away, leaving Fr. Sabás to be tortured and killed by General Izaguirre’s soldiers?” Surely in having to write this official Church description for the official Vatican documents, of the torture his parochial vicar suffered followed by his tragic death, it is only natural to ask whether being absent from the Tototlan parish office may have worsened the suffering of his parochial vicar. These thoughts must have rested heavily on his thoughts, a burden for Fr. Francisco. I wonder if this somehow affected Fr. Francisco’s inner sense of self-worth for the remainder of his life, his spiritual life, and psychological well-being. Did my uncle ask himself:
“What would have happened if I had not been called away from by parish inTototlan in 1927?”
As the 1930’s began the Cristero War (1927-1929) was the topic of much attention by Mexico’s neighbor to the north. The involvement of the Government of the United States in helping the killing to come to an end is a story that has been told many times elsewhere. A little-discussed area is how the American Bishops also became involved. Certain reports are found on the Internet, including a letter written by Fr. Brian Van Hove, S.J. about Baltimore’s Archbishop Michael Joseph Curley and Oklahoma’s Bishop Francis Clement Kelley involvement in what Fr. Van Hove titles “The Mexican Affair, 1934-1936.” Other books available worldwide report that Guadalajara’s Archbishops had travelled several times to San Diego, California, San Antonio, Texas and Chicago, Illinois to meet with American Bishops and Archbishops.
In Mexico the lengthy attempts to end the Cristero War appear to have begun to take shape in June 1929 when parties met to stop the bloodshed and to negotiate the so-called Modus Vivendi – norms by which to live at peace – to stop Mexican Government persecution of the Catholic Church. The agreements are sometimes called “Los Arreglos” – “The Agreements” or “The Understandings” – One of the “Arreglos” was that all Catholic priests and nuns must register with civil authorities. As a result the Government officially keeps tabs on the number and assigned parishes of all priests within Mexico. Below is a direct quote from Fr. Van Hove’s report to help us understand the state of affairs in Mexico around the time Fr. Francisco began as Pastor in Zapotiltic.
“The Baltimore Catholic Review of August 23, 1935 printed the following figures for its American readers. Between 1926 and 1934 at least 40 priests were killed. Miguel Agustín Pro, SJ, had been summarily shot on November 23, 1927. Pro was later to be beatified in 1988. There were 2,500 priests in hiding, many of them in the Federal District, the State of San Luis Potosí (where the local governor received priests and nuns, despite federal laws) or in exile. The Apostolic Delegate and Archbishop of Morelia, himself a Mexican, and five additional bishops had been exiled. Twelve bishops were impeded from their dioceses, and four were arrested but later released. In 1934 there were 334 priests licensed to practice their ministry by the government for fifteen million people, whereas in 1926 there were 3,000 serving the people.”
Internet document found September 11, 2016 at: http://www.ewtn.com/library/homelibr/fr94204.txt
Zapotiltic, The 1941 Earthquake and El Templo
Since the mid 1600s, Zapotiltic was known as a rest stop for commercial and government travelers using the Royal Road (El Camino Real), on their way between the major city of Guadalajara in the highlands and the ocean port of Colima on the Pacific coast. Local natives would set up their roadside stands to sell fruits, water and food to the travelers. Among the produce for sale were small sweet-tasting tropical fruits called “Zapote blanco” and “Zapote negro” which grew in abundance in the area at that time.
That is why the town is called Zapotiltic, from the indigenous Nahuatl language, “Tzapote” and “tiltic,” meaning “Zapote-land.” In later years, European entrepreneurs settled there and built restaurants and hostels, enabling tired and hungry travelers to stay overnight while their 2 to 3-day trips. Franciscan and Dominican missionaries and nuns built convents and churches in and around Zapotiltic, and soon the impromptu crossroads village became recognized as a town. When Fr. Francisco arrived in 1938 Zapotiltic was known for the rich agricultural harvests and fertile lands as well as its rich mineral resources, primarily calcium/lime and limestone.
Fr. Francisco was assigned pastor of Zapotiltic in 1938 and had already begun to make a difference with his apostolic work in Zapotiltic with his creative ideas and ability to make them work, when, on April 14-15, 1941 a series of severe earthquakes shook the region. Newspapers articles report that nearly 90% of people’s homes and businesses in Zapotiltic were destroyed, including the already crumbling parish church, built many years earlier. It fell upon Fr. Francisco use his many grace-inspired skills to energize the entire town – the rich and the poor – for a project that would in the end become his nightmare. At the insistence of the parishioners, and with the permission of the Archbishop, he set out to gather donations, materials, and volunteer laborers. The project that they knew would take many resources and many years to complete was to raze the old church and to quickly build a new, bigger, modern, parish church.
Every weekend for years, on Saturdays and Sundays hundreds of men would gather for a faena – hard working volunteer details. Volunteer men and older boys would come from the Zapotiltic, from surrounding towns, and even from the big city of Guadalajara, accompanied by their wives and younger children, all of whom participated in one way or another in the long-term job. The work began September 14, 1948 with the laying of the corner-stone. Side by side, they tore down the old, ruined church, hauled away the rubble, truck by truck, and began the job of designing and building a new magnificent parish church. After eight years of total commitment by the townspeople and a few financial stumbles along the way, the church was substantially finished. They gathered inside the new church for the official dedication Mass on March 29, 1956.
They placed the original image of the Crucified Christ, El Señor del Perdón at the same position of honor that the crucifix had occupied within the Sanctuary of the old church. Fr. Francisco knew this would strengthen the strong devotion and faith of the people.
Every day, and throughout the day, month after month, Father prayed for and with everyone.
My translation of Fr. Francisco’s prayer: “Let us Pray. Eternal and All Powerful God: We ask that you bless us and bless this church which we are building in your name for your glory and so that we can sing praises to you here on earth, until the time comes that we will sing those praises in the eternal temple of your glory. We ask this in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ who lives and reigns with you forever and ever.”