Several years ago, a family of my parishioners from Saint Anne Church in Richmond Hill, Georgia dressed up as the now Venerable Georgia Martyrs. Their tonsures are not fake! They tried to be as accurate as possible in depicting the Venerables. The two tallest, father and son, reprise their role in the video at the end of this post which is professionally produced.
The Georgia martyrs were martyred between September 14th and September 17th, 1597 on Saint Catherine Island which is a barrier island off of Richmond Hill, Georgia. There is good news concerning their canonization process which the Diocese of Savannah has been seeking for many years:
On behalf of Bishop Stephen D. Parkes, the Diocese of Savannah is grateful to announce that on January 27, 2025, Pope Francis authorized the promulgation of the Decree concerning the martyrdom of the Servants of God Pedro de Corpa and Companions, of the Order of Friars Minor, killed in odium fidei (“hatred of the faith”) in September 1597.
The publication of the Decree – declaring that the friars were true martyrs for Christ – is an official act that paves the way for the celebration of the rite of beatification. From this day forward and until beatification, Friar Pedro de Corpa, Friar Blas Rodríguez, Friar Miguel de Añon, Friar Antonio de Badajóz, and Friar Francisco de Veráscola are entitled to the title of “Venerables.”
Details regarding the rite of beatification will be forthcoming.
Bishop Parkes would like to thank the Holy Father; His Eminence Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints; the Order of Friars Minor of the Our Lady of Guadalupe Province; and all of those who have worked to promote the Cause of the Georgia Martyrs for over four decades. May Venerable Friar Pedro de Corpa and Companions intercede for families everywhere, and inspire husbands and wives around the world to live out the sacrament of marriage with love, truth, and fidelity.
1 comment:
Orate pro nobis!
Nick
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