From Our Pastor's Desk
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From Our Pastor's Desk
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The Cause for Beatification
History of the Beatification Effort Only now is the extraordinary story of the Florida martyrs fully emerging. From an early date poets, artisans, chroniclers, religious superiors, a duke, a king, governors, and bishops had commemorated the saintly deaths of the Florida martyrs, and some had even anticipated their canonization. Yet despite these precious testimonies and the occasional prodding by a small number of historians to recognize this proud part of our American tradition, the story of the Florida martyrs lay largely dormant for centuries. Not until the 1930s and the efforts of John Mark Gannon, Bishop of Erie, was a formal effort undertaken for their canonization. This effort has slowly matured into the present cause. In 1939 John Wynne, S.J., who had been Vice-Postulator for the cause of the North American martyrs and was now Postulator for Kateri Tekakwitha, sent Bishop Gannon a letter that contained a list of 106 “bold martyrs on the soil of our country” (Wynne to Gannon, 6/24/1939). Bishop Gannon was surprised: “I never knew there were so many American martyrs until I received your enclosure. Why something has not been done in this matter before, is a mystery to me . . . I am fascinated with it all and will be glad to co-operate with you in any way I can” (Gannon to Wynne, 6/26/1939). Gannon in fact eagerly took the lead in this task, which he would ardently champion until his death in 1968. Having received the support of the American hierarchy at their annual meeting in November 1939, Bishop Gannon assembled a team of preeminent ecclesiastical historians, which included representatives from the Jesuits (Fr. John Wynne of Fordham University, and Fr. Michael Kenny of Spring Hill College), Dominicans (Victor O’Daniel, the noted historian of the Dominican order, and then Fr. Reginald Coffey, the archivist of the Dominican House of Studies), Fran-ciscans (Fr. Marion Habig of Quincy College, and Fr. Roland Burke of Warwick, New York, who was the Vice-Postulator of the cause of Mother Schervier, the foundress of the Little Sisters of the Poor of St. Francis), and the secular clergy (Fr. Peter Guilday of The Catholic University of America). The secretary was Fr. (later Msgr.) James M. Powers of the Diocese of Erie. Members of the committee convened twice in early 1941 at the Commodore Hotel in New York City, where they assigned responsibilities and began to prepare a submission to Rome. The work was facilitated by an earlier “American martyrology” assembled by Fr. Habig, which would be the core of the sub-mission. By the fall of 1941 the completed report had been signed by Cardinal Dennis Joseph Dougherty of Philadelphia. In November of that year, the Apostolic Delegate to the United States, Archbishop Amleto Cicognani, sent to Rome three handsome red volumes for Cardinal Carlo Salotti, the Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Rites, and three ivory bound volumes to be delivered to the Holy Father, Pope Pius XII. But more than three years would elapse before Bishop Gannon learned of the status of this submission. The Sacred Congregation of Rites had indeed re-ceived the report, and Monsignor Carinci, the Secretary, had issued a reply on August 8, 1943, but this reply never reached Bishop Gannon or, so far as we know, anyone else in the United States (Powers to Habig, 5/1/1945). We will continue next week with The Cause for Beatification Source: Martyrs - Martyrs of La Florida Missions - Tallahassee, Sunday, December 17, 2023 – Third Sunday of Advent - Cycle B
Readings: Isaiah 61: 1-2A, 10-11, Luke 1 “My soul rejoices in my God”, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24, John 1: 6-8, 19-28 The Cause for Beatification "The Story of the promotion of the Cause of the Martyrs in the United States is in itself simple, one that might be ex-pressed in few words; the magnitude of the Cause, the motives of justice and charity underlying it, and the glorious end in view, might well fill volumes." --Rev. Msgr. James M. Powers, LL.D. Commission of the Beatification of the US Martyrs, 1957 Status of the Beatification Effort Bishop William A. Wack of Pensacola-Tallahassee is the ‘competent bishop’ for the beatification effort of the Martyrs of La Florida. The bishops across the Southeast who have martyrdoms from historic Florida in their dioceses have been invited to participate in the beatification cause. Several bishops have given their assent to include their martyrs in the united cause. The Congregation for the Causes of Saints has permitted the unified group cause because all of the presumed martyrs were killed in the evangelization of La Florida. Since the cause opened in October of 2015, the timeline to close the diocesan phase and to move toward beatification rests squarely on the shoulders of the scholars who form the historical commission. The commission must complete the identification and verification of all supporting documents. Further, the historians will be required to give sworn testimony to the tribunal concerning the strength or weakness of each proposed martyr in each event. Since that time, members of the Historical Commission have been extensively researching numerous individuals from the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries who are report-ed to have died for the faith within the land that was once known as La Florida. These investigations have taken members of the Historical Commission to archives in Florida, Georgia, Missouri, and Louisiana, as well as Cuba, Mexico, Spain, and Rome. In keeping with the Church’s prudent requirements, the Historical Commission has rigorously examined each and every report of martyrdom in order to assess its accuracy and credibility. We will continue next week with The Cause for Beatification Source: Martyrs - Martyrs of La Florida Missions - Tallahassee, FL The Martyrs of la Florida
After suffering from dawn until dusk, Antonio received a great gift: the Blessed Mother appeared to him. Antonio declared that the Most Holy Virgin was helping him to endure his martyrdom. The extraordinary faith and holy death of these Florida natives captured the admiration of the Spanish King, Philip V, who directed his ambassador in Rome to inform the Pope of this event. 31) Fray Manuel de Mendoza, O.F.M. (June 3, 1704)32) Sacristan 33-34) two-year old Native American (June 3, 1704 or shortly thereafter) and Native American woman of Patale (between June 3 and June 9, 1704) Fray Manuel de Mendoza, a native of the Castilian town of Medina de Rioseco, served for 26 years in the Florida missions. Known for his generosity to the poor, Fr. Mendoza succeeded Fr. Parga at Mission Patale. Some four months after the carnage in January 1704, the English renewed their attacks on the Florida missions. Fr. Mendoza was shot and burned after he was lured out of his convent. Fr. Mendoza’s sacristan was also killed, and the convent was burned. Also killed were a two-year old and a woman who had been taken captive from Patale. 35) Balthasar Francisco (July 4, 1704) 36) Don Pedro Marmolejo (July 4, 1704) 37–51) 15 Apalachee Indians (July 4, 1704) These Spanish soldiers and Native Americans were tortured and crucified on July 4, 1704 a half league west of Mission Patale following the battle that marked the end of the Catholic missions in Apalachee. The English and their Creek allies tied fifteen faithful Apalachee men and two Spanish soldiers to the outdoor Stations of the Cross surrounding the plaza in Patale. They set fires at the foot of these crosses, slashed their captives, and put burning splinters in their wounds. Despite his intense suffering, Baltasar Francisco preached from the cross and called upon the Virgin Mary, confi-dent that she would carry him to God. 52) Timucuan Cacique of San Pedro (August 1704) 53) Timucuan Cacique of San Mateo (August 1704) Following the devastation in Apalachee, English-allied Indians con-tinued to attack the remaining missions in northern Florida. In August of 1704, the Timucuan villages of San Pedro and San Mateo were destroyed and their caciques (leaders) burned. 54) Fray Agustín Ponce de León, O.F.M. (September 3, 1705) Fr. Agustín Ponce de León, O.F.M., a native of St. Augustine, had gone with Capt. Joseph Begambre in pursuit of some Native Americans who had taken numerous prisoners—women and children—from the town over which Fr. Agustín had care. During a battle at dawn on September 3, Fr.Agustín distinguished himself by encouraging the Spanish and Native Americans and by administering the sacrament of penance to the wounded. Like a “good pastor he gave up his soul in defense of his sheep and the children of his doctrina,” but he managed to bring about the release of the majority of the prisoners. We will continue next week. Source: Martyrs - Martyrs of La Florida Missions - Tallahassee, FL |
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