“Long live Christ the King and the Virgin of Guadalupe!”

This was the catchphrase of the 1920s "Cristero" uprising in Mexico against the anti-Catholic government, which had enacted and was enforcing laws against the Church in a ridiculous attempt to eradicate the Catholic faith in Mexico. The laws even went so far as to forbid the celebration of Mass in certain areas and all foreign clergy.

Between 1915 and 1937, St. Christopher Magallanes and twenty-one other priests and three lay companions were executed by hanging or shooting in eight different Mexican states as a result of their affiliation with the Cristero movement. In addition to building a seminary in Totatiche, Magallanes and his friends provided covert sermons and pastoral care to the devout.

Magallanes' final words which he yelled from his cell were "I am innocent and I die innocent . I forgive with all my heart those responsible for my death, and I ask God that the shedding of my blood serve the peace of our divided Mexico".

The Cristero martyrs were beatified in 1992 and canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2000.

Other Saints of the Day
Saint Zeno
Saint Gollen
Saint Barrfoin
Saint Agustin Caloca Cortes
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