The Georgia Martyrs were killed at their missions in 1597 for defending marriage
SAVANNAH, Ga. — Five Franciscan friars killed in present-day Georgia for defending Church teaching in 1597 were beatified Oct. 31 at a Mass where Church leaders considered their witness amid historical complexities and contemporary challenges.
The Mass at the Savannah Convention Center began at 11 a.m. with Cardinal Frank Leo of Toronto, the papal delegate, as principal celebrant.
“The 16th-century Franciscan friars from Spain, courageous missionaries ministering to the Guale people in La Florida, are bright lights for our journey of faith, as they reflect the light of Christ into the challenges and complexities of a wounded world,” he said in the homily. “It is imperative to remember those blessed souls who have gone before us, marked with the sign of faith, especially those who gave the supreme witness of their very lives.”
Near the beginning of Mass, Bishop Stephen D. Parkes of Savannah made the official request for beatification to Cardinal Leo, briefly outlining the history of the friars’ cause. He noted that the Church is celebrating a Jubilee Year marking the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi, the founder of the Franciscans.
Short biographies of each of the Georgia Martyrs were read in English and Spanish, drawn from contemporary accounts and records.
Cardinal Leo then read aloud Pope Leo XIV’s apostolic letter proclaiming the five friars beatified. Archbishop Gregory J. Hartmayer of Atlanta, a Conventual Franciscan friar, read the letter in English, and Archbishop Joan-Enric Vives i Sicília of Urgell, Spain, read the letter in Spanish.
The letter, which Pope Leo signed in Rome on Sept. 30, the feast of St. Jerome, called the Georgia Martyrs “unconquered heralds of Christ” who “placed the saving truth of the Gospel before their own safety.” It also established Sept. 22 as the martyrs’ liturgical memorial.
With the official proclamation, the official beatification image of the five friars was unveiled to the hymn “Holy God, we praise thy name.” Drawing on traditional depictions of the martyrs, the artwork “The Georgia Martyrs” by Savannah artist Jared Matthew Seff won a contest for the official image held this year by the Diocese of Savannah.
In 1597, the Spanish Franciscans Pedro de Corpa, Blas Rodríguez de Cuacos, Miguel de Añon, Antonio de Badajoz and Francisco de Veráscola were ministering at five missions along the coast and barrier islands of present-day Georgia when they were killed out of hatred for the faith by a band of Indigenous men between Sept. 14-17.
The friars’ murders were prompted by Father de Corpa angering the heir to a Guale chiefdom, Juanillo, by telling him that as a baptized Christian, he could not follow his culture’s custom and take a second wife. Juanillo and his men killed the priest at a mission near the contemporary city of Eulonia, Georgia, before killing four of the other five Franciscan missionaries ministering in the area. The sixth friar, Francisco de Avila, was kidnapped and tortured for months before being set free. The incident is known as the 1597 Guale Uprising.
In remarks after the beatification rite, Bishop Parkes said, “I truly believe that through the intercession of Blessed Pedro de Corpa and four companions there will be greater respect for the dignity and character of the sacrament of holy matrimony.”
He continued: “May the witness of these holy men inspire fidelity between spouses, called into the covenantal bond of holy matrimony and help to create a renewed commitment to the growth of faith-filled families in the state of Georgia and beyond.”
With their beatification, “these newly minted blesseds are constituted powerful intercessors and extraordinary examples for every believer,” Cardinal Leo said.
“Fidelity to Christ Himself is the glory of the martyrs,” Cardinal Leo said. “The Church considers martyrdom an exceptional gift, and as the fullest proof of life.”
“For those who have not entered into the mystery of God in Christ, their death might seem as a total and utter catastrophe, but it is not so,” he said.
Pointing to the Mass’ Gospel reading from John 15:18-21, Cardinal Leo said, “St. John sets the record straight.”
“Whoever is begotten by God conquers the world, and the victory that conquers the world is our faith,” he said. “Who indeed is the victor over the world, but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”
“Very often today, aspects of the Catholic faith are challenged by many, and in countless ways we are cajoled and tempted to water down the very demands of the Gospel — to compromise the integrity of our faith, and to conform ourselves to the spirit of this age,” he continued.
With the martyrs’ witness, “we come to comprehend more clearly” the need to conform one’s life to Christ, “and to see everything and anyone in our life — relationships, studies, work and ministry — in relation to Him and to His eternal kingdom.”
The Georgia Martyrs’ beatification was the second beatification to take place in the United States this year. In September, Blessed Fulton J. Sheen was beatified by papal delegate Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis.
