Sunday, November 26th, 2023 – The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe - Cycle B Readings: Ezequiel 34:11-12, 15-17, Psalm 23 “The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. ”, 1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 28, Matthew 2

                                    The Martyrs of la Florida
       Fr. Luis Sánchez, a native of Havana, was killed on October 29, 1696 in Jororo Province, which is located in central Florida, south of Orlando. Also killed with him were a sacristan and a young Indian chief from Aypaja. Additionally, two Sacristans, natives of Guale, were killed in a neighboring town in Jororo. Evidence of this event comes not only from Spanish sources but also from the journal of Jonathan Dickinson, a Quaker merchant who was shipwrecked off Jupiter Inlet in September of that year.
27) Antonio Inija (January 26, 1704)
28) Cui Domingo (January 26, 1704)
29) Cuipa Feliciano (January 26, 1704)
30) Fray Juan de Parga Araujo, O.F.M. (January 26, 1704)
Antonio Inija, Cuipa Feliciano, Cui Domingo, and Fray Juan Parga Araujo were martyred in the aftermath of the English and Creek attack on the Ayubale mission in January 1704.
     Antonio was an Inija (second in command) of the mission of San Luis de Talimali, the largest Apalachee mission in La Florida, with a population of approximately 8,000 Christian natives, among whom were Cuipa Feliciano and Cui Domingo. San Luis was located on the site of modern-day Tallahassee.
     On January 25, 1704, the English from the Carolinas led an attack on the mission village of La Concepcion de Ayubale, approximately 30 miles east of Tallahassee in modern-day Jefferson County. A group of Spanish soldiers and Apalachee natives, including Antonio Inija, Cuipa Feliciano, and Cui Domingo, left San Luis to aid the embattled villagers of Ayubale. The San Luis men rested off El Camino Real at the mission of San Pedro y Pablo de Patale, located about halfway between the missions of San Luis and Ayubale. The Franciscan Juan Parga Araujo, from the Province of Santiago in Galicia, was the priest and teacher at the Patale mission. Known as a preacher of great zeal who was fluent in the Apalachee language, he administered the sacraments and preached a lengthy sermon to the men from San Luis, anticipating the ensuing martyrdom. Despite multiple attempts to dissuade him, Fr. Parga insisted on accompanying the force to Ayubale. On January 26, the expedition met the larger English and Creek force at Ayubale and was defeated. Fr. Parga was killed on the road near Ayubale, and his severed head was brought to the council house. His body was found in a canebrake and was buried at the nearby mission of Ivitachuco at the request of Fray Juan de Villalva, the priest there. Antonio Inija, Cuipa Feliciano, and Cui Domingo were among those captured. Their English and Creek captors tied them to stakes and lit fires at their feet. Despite this torture, these Catholic natives encouraged each other and attempted to evangelize their tormentors.
     We will continue next week. Source: Martyrs - Martyrs of La Florida Missions - Tallahassee, FL