The Catholic Church in the United States is gearing up for another beatification ceremony after the historic beatification of Archbishop Fulton J Sheen last week.The Bishop of Savannah, Stephen D Parkes, announced that the beatification of the 16th-century Franciscan missionaries known as the “Georgia Martyrs” will take place on October 31, 2026, in Savannah, Georgia. A September 26 statement by the Order of Friars Minor announced that Cardinal Frank Leo, Metropolitan Archbishop of Toronto, will represent the Holy Father as Papal Legate and preside over the beatification liturgy, which will take place at the Savannah Convention Center at 11 AM.
DIED DEFENDING THE SANCTITY OF MARRIAGE
In 1595, five Spanish Franciscan friars, Father Pedro de Corpa, Father Blas Rodríguez, Father Miguel de Añon, Brother Antonio de Badajóz, and Father Francisco de Veráscola, came to what is now the Georgia coast to minister to the native people called the Guale. They learned the indigenous language and lived peacefully with the native population, receiving many of them into the Catholic faith. Two years later, when Don Juanillo, a young baptized Christian and heir to the tribal chief, wanted to take a second wife, following Guale custom, Friar Pedro de Corpa firmly opposed it. In revenge, Juanillo struck and killed the friar on September 14, 1597. With his warriors, he went on to other Guale missions and killed the other four friars.
The cause of beatification of the martyrs officially began in the Diocese of Savannah in 1981. In January 2025, Pope Francis authorized the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints to officially recognize the martyrdom of Franciscan missionaries Pedro de Corpa and Four Companions, murdered “in hatred of the faith”— specifically for defending the sanctity of marriage.
Leave a Reply