November 23 is the Feast Day of Blessed Miguel Pro. Born on January 13, 1891, in Guadalupe, Mexico, Miguel Pro was ordained a Jesuit priest in Belgium in 1925. He returned to his home country in 1926, in the midst of that country's Cristeros War. After being falsely accused of an attempted bombing, Father Pro was executed by government forces without trial.
Blessed Miguel Pro's final request was to be allowed to pray to his heavenly Father.
After which he refused a blindfold and faced the firing squad bravely, proclaiming ¡Viva Cristo Rey!
Christ the King, by the intercession of Blessed Miguel Pro, I beg you to answer my prayers. Give me the grace and the strength necessary to follow your heroic example and to live my Catholic faith in spite of all temptations and adversities. Amen.
Images from Wikipedia.
"I am saddened, but hardly surprised, at the ignorance of the American public regarding the persecution of Catholics, and of the Cristero War that took place in Mexico in 1926 through 1929."
ReplyDeleteAmericans are pretty ignorant on Mexican history in general, including the tragic episodes of the Mexican Revolution and the following wars it caused inside of the country.
The Revolution, much like the French Revolution, or the Russian Revolution, has had ongoing tragic consquences. Mexico only really began to recover from the legacy of its revolutionary period in the 1990s, as the PRI's influence began to wane. A tragic aspect of it, however, has been the weakening of the influence of the Church, which the PRI was a dedicated opponent of. This is a topic in and of itself which would make for a very lengthy post.
"Americans are pretty ignorant on [any] history in general" Yessir.
ReplyDeleteIt's especially appalling that the Cristeros War does not even seen to be taught in Catholic schools. Maybe if more Catholics knew their history, they'd actually even vote according to their faith.
Cheers.
"It's especially appalling that the Cristeros War does not even seen to be taught in Catholic schools. Maybe if more Catholics knew their history, they'd actually even vote according to their faith."
ReplyDeleteNot being a graduate, or even a former attendee, of Catholic schools, I don't know what is and what was taught there. I'd be curious, however, if it students were taught that Catholics were very much an "other" in the US until after World War Two and really became part of the main, if you will, following Kennedy's election. At least in my view, however, the compromises that Kennedy was willing to publicly make in order to reach the Oval Office did not do us any favors.