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76 pages

English

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This is the inspiring story of the famous Father Miguel Pro who was executed in Mexico in 1927 for the crime of being a Catholic priest. This young Jesuit spent most of his short life in the priesthood dodging the Mexican police as he ministered to the underground Church during the Mexican Revolution. Fr Pro's quick wit and keen sense of humor were put to good use as he pedaled around Mexico City on his bicycle in various disguises, en route to administering the Sacraments, giving spiritual talks or begging food and money for the poor. But behind the disguises beat the heart of a Saint - as the Mexican people testified by turning out in throngs to pay their last respects after his martyrdom. Fr Pro offered his life for the Catholic Faith and his last words on this earth were: "Viva Cristo Rey" - Long live Christ the King! Blessed Miguel Pro makes history come alive and highlights the dramatic conflict between the Church and her enemies that continues even to this day. Every member of the family will be delighted by this fast-paced true story of a modern Catholic hero who proclaimed both in life and death the reign of Christ the King.

Sujets

Philosophie et théologie

Christian theology

Catholic Church

Christianity

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Publié par	TAN Books
Date de parution	01 juillet 1996
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781618901538
Langue	English

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Blessed Miguel Agustin Pro Juarez, S.J. (1891-1927) was martyred for the Faith in Mexico.

Copyright © 1996 by TAN Books and Publishers, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be repro duced or transmitted in any form or by any means, elec tronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, with out permission in writing from the Publisher, except that brief selections may be quoted or copied for non-profit use without permission, provided that full credit is given.
Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 96-60532
ISBN: 978-0-89555-542-7
Printed and bound in the United States of America.
TAN Books Charlotte, North Carolina 2011
DEDICATION
This book is lovingly dedicated to my son Raul, my grandchildren Austin, Max, Tori, Michael and “Angelito,” and to the youth of America. May the merry Mexican martyr, Miguel Pro, lead them with love and laughter to “ mi Padre Dios .”
CONTENTS
Author’s Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1: A Lively Childhood
Chapter 2: Formative Years
Chapter 3: Young Manhood
Chapter 4: Mounting Political Tensions
Chapter 5: Three Vocations
Chapter 6: Flight from Mexico
Chapter 7: A Priest at Last
Chapter 8: Crosses of Body and Soul
Chapter 9: Return to Mexico: The Church Goes Underground
Chapter 10: The First Arrest
Chapter 11: Works of Mercy
Chapter 12: The Danger Increases
Chapter 13: Capture!
Chapter 14: Martyrdom
Chapter 15: Favors From Heaven
Appendix 1: Writings of Bl. Miguel Pro
Appendix 2: Prayers
Appendix 3: A Celebration in Honor of Bl. Miguel Pro
Selected Bibliography
DECLARATION OF OBEDIENCE
In loving obedience to the decrees of several Roman Pontiffs, in particular those of Pope Urban VIII, I declare that I in no way intend to prejudge Holy Mother Church in the matter of Saints, sanctity, miracles and so forth. Final authority in such matters rests with the See of Rome, to whose judgment I willingly submit.
—Ann Ball
AUTHOR’S PREFACE
My interest in the life of Bl. Miguel Pro, S.J., began over 25 years ago when I had barely begun to gather information for a book on modern saints. In my initial research on his life and martyrdom, I was captivated by his happy nature and spirit of joy combined with a deep seriousness of thought, his consuming zeal for souls, his passion for justice, his dedication to obedience and his strong devotion, as well as his sublime heroism.
After Fr. Pro’s beatification I wrote a chaplet in his honor, which I had hoped would help his Cause in some way. My Bishop, the Most Rev. Joseph A. Fiorenza, issued an Imprimatur for the chaplet and expressed his hope that, by praying it, many would be brought closer to God through the intercession of Bl. Miguel Pro and that they would experience the deep faith and love for Christ the King which motivated and sustained Bl. Miguel in his priestly mission and martyrdom.
I firmly believe in the communion of Saints as defined by the Catholic Church, and for me Bl. Miguel is a friend, a counselor, a helper and a guide— not just a subject of my writings. Also, like my beloved patron St. John Bosco, he seems to bring forth love and laughter and happy surprises!
After the approval of the chaplet, through a long-time friend I met Carol and Lawrence Le Leux of ProVision, * who were enthusiastic supporters of Bl. Miguel. About that same time, I located and was able to speak with the current vice postulator of Fr. Pro’s Cause, Fr. Fernando Suarez Santoyo, S.J. From that point it seemed as if my merry Mexican martyr was pushing me to help him spread his joy across the United States, where so many Catholics today, especially our youth, are so badly in need of Christian heroes.
A new medal was struck, and the chaplets were produced. I wrote an article about Fr. Pro, which was published in Our Sunday Visitor , a national Catholic paper. In the article, I gave the address of ProVision for those who wanted more information. The paper immediately received a flood of letters from all across the United States from people who seemed hungry to know more about this happy martyr.
Although I could locate a number of articles and brief biographies in collected works in English, it seemed that the major biographies of Bl. Miguel were either in other languages or were out of print and difficult to find. In addition, the blessings and support of my Bishop and of Fr. Pro’s vice postulator, the comments and blessings from Fr.Molinari (Postulator General of the Jesuits) and from Bishop Tamayo (the auxiliary Bishop of my diocese) and from Bishop Ramirez of Las Cruces, as well as the requests, support and prayers of the Le Leux’s and of so many others, all convinced me that a new work on Fr. Pro was needed.
Before his death Bl. Miguel told some of his friends that he believed that the offering of his life would be accepted and that martyrdom would be his key to Heaven. He then remarked jokingly that if he were allowed this favor, his friends should get their petitions ready, because from Heaven he would deal out favors as if they were a deck of cards.
It is my sincere prayer that this brief retelling of the story of the Mexican “Joker” will help him in some small way to continue his “game” of uniting hearts to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and of gaining souls for “ mi Padre Dios ”—“God my Father”—which was Bl. Miguel’s favorite name for Divine Providence.
—Ann Ball

_________
* ProVision is a group of people dedicated to the promotion of Fr. Pro’s Cause.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
My thanks are gratefully extended to these and other correspondents and friends—friends of mine and of Bl. Miguel:
Rev. Luis Diaz Borrundo, M.Sp.S.
Rev. John Boscoe, C.S.B.
Rev. Jack Broussard, C.S.B.
Rev. Enrique Cardenas, S.J. (R.I.P), former Vice Postulator
Rev. A. Dragon, S.J. (R.I.P.)
Most Rev. Joseph A. Fiorenza, Bishop of Galveston- Houston
Rev. Richard Flores
Rev. Bill Frankenberger, C.S.B.
Rev. Troy Gately
Rev. Peter Gumpel, S.J.
Margaret Hotze
Lawrence and Carol Le Leux, ProVision
Sister Margaret Mary, M.C.
Rev. Paolo Molinari, S.J., Postulator General of the Jesuits
Rev. Max Murphy, C.S.B.
Jeanne Noxon
Most Rev. Ricardo Ramirez, C.S.B., Bishop of Las Cruces
Rev. Fernando Suarez Santoyo, S.J., Vice Postulator
Rev. Raphael O’Laughlin, C.S.B.
Very Rev. Enrique San Pedro, S.J. (R.I.P.), former Bishop of Brownsville
Most Rev. James T. Tamayo, Auxiliary Bishop of Galveston-Houston
Bea Whitfil
Bro. David Lopez, O.S.F.
Fausto Zelaya, Jr.
Without their help, encouragement and support, and especially their prayers, I could not have told this story. May God and our merry Mexican martyr bless them.
—Ann Ball
INTRODUCTION
This is a book about one man’s love of God, how with true Christian joy he worked for the good of souls and how he gave his life in defense of the Catholic Faith.
This is not a book on politics. Study as much as you like, the political situation of Mexico was, and is, complicated. In this brief work there is not space to include a definitive rendering of all the political motivations and actions in Mexico between 1890 and 1940. Other books detail the problems of the Catholic Church in Mexico. * Most Americans can barely comprehend the situation; the fact that these things occurred so close to our own nation astounds many who think of Mexico only as a Catholic country, not as a persecuted one.
Fr. Pro was by no means the only Catholic to give his life for the Faith during the long, dark years of religious persecution in Mexico. Thousands of Catholics—priests, religious and laity—were harassed, tortured, killed or forced to flee their fatherland.
A cause for beatification has been begun for a number of these heroes for the Faith; the heroic exploits of many live on only in the hearts of their families and in the memories of the people of their native regions. Two examples—one from the beginning and one from the end of the active persecution against the Church in Mexico—are briefly mentioned here.
_______
* For details on the history of the Catholic Church in Mexico, see Blood-Drenched Altars , by Most Rev. Francis C. Kelley and Mexican Martyrdom , by Fr. Wilfrid Parsons, S.J. Both books are published by TAN Books.
Fr. Mateo Correa
The holy priest who poured the living water over the infant Miguel Pro was Fr. Mateo Correa. Fr. Correa’s life was crowned with his execution for refusing to break the seal of the confessional.
One day the elderly Fr. Correa, obediently continuing his ministry to the people in his area, was taking Viaticum to a sick person when he was surprised by a group of soldiers. He consumed the Host in order that it not be desecrated and he was then taken before the military commander, where he was accused of being in league with the Catholic Libertadores (a group of men, also known as the Cristeros , who advocated force in order to achieve freedom for the Catholic Church).
Fr. Correa was sent to hear the Confessions of prisoners before they were executed. When the commander then demanded to know what the prisoners had told the priest in their Confessions, the brave confessor refused to say. He was shot on February 6, 1927.
Maria de la Luz Camacho
When the former governor of Tabasco, Tomas Garrido Canabal, became the Minister of Agriculture in the cabinet of President Cárdenas in December of 1934, he brought to the capital his own personal shock troops, the Rojinegros (“Red Blacks”), a well-trained and disciplined semimilitary body of young men and women. Garrido, the “Scourge of Tabasco,” preached a mixture of socialism and fanatical anti-religion, and he held weekly “Red Saturdays” in which religious articles and books were burned to the accompaniment of dance and song. Houses and churches in the city were raided for the material for the weekly bonfire. Garrido then began to send his troops to the suburbs to hold demonstrations.
On December 30, 1934, about 50 or 60 of the Rojin