ARCHDIOCESE OF PHILADELPHIA

Dear Friends in Christ,

Today is the Feast day of St Charles Lwanga and his companions. They are martyrs from Uganda in East Africa, martyred just more than a hundred years ago. Their crime was wanting to remain Christians.

Today, we are also here to honor and remember six Mexican priests that were martyred by their government during the persecution of the Church in Mexico in the 1920s and 1930s. They are among many other priests, bishops, religious and lay persons that, like their predecessors in Africa, were martyred for defending their Catholic faith in Mexico.

Our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, when outlining his apostolic letter Tertio Millennio Ineunte, wrote that: "The Church of the new millennium was born of the blood of martyrs: ‘the blood of the martyrs is the seed of Christians.’ " It has been said that the twentieth century is known as the century that has given the Church more martyrs than any other time in the Church’s entire history.

Martyrs are persons just like you and me that come from all walks of life, from different social classes, ethnic groups and different cultures. They are persons that have paid the ultimate price with their own blood in defense of their faith. Many endured years in prison, tortures and horrible deaths, all for the love of Christ and His Church.

For this reason the Church canonizes these holy men and women and calls them "martyrs." These are the saints that intercede for us; these are the saints that continue to stimulate us in our daily Christian lives as we continue our pilgrimage toward the heavenly Jerusalem!

These holy people lived normal lives and experienced the same joys and sorrows that we all do. They shared the same human failings and struggles that we all do, but their love of God and their faith was what fed their souls and helped them to continue along the journey, despite the difficulties they encountered. These were Eucharistic people who were fed and nourished at the table of the Lord and through that Eucharist they were prepared for what lay ahead. Their strength and courage came from the Lord himself as he empowered them for their heroic act; their faith never wavered.

Perhaps you may never be called to such heroic acts, but you are called to live exemplary lives as good husbands and wives, good parents, good sons and daughters, good neighbors. We are all called to be Christ to others, to love one another, to be Christlike even when it is difficult and never to give up. Everything that we do, we must do it well; we should not let our burdens overpower us. With God’s grace we must lift ourselves up and others with us.

This is where you will find the love and the uplifting power of God, walking with you and carrying you lovingly in His arms when everything seems hopeless. He will give you the strength that He gave to all these heroic persons whom the Church calls "martyrs."

We are all called to be saints. We are reminded in the Vatican Council Document on the Church, Lumen Gentium, about the universal call to holiness for all the faithful:
"Thus it is evident to everyone that all the faithful of Christ of whatever rank or status are called to the fullness of the Christian life and to the perfection of charity. By this holiness a more human way of life is promoted even in this earthly society. In order that the faithful may reach this perfection, they must use their strength according as they have received it, as a gift from Christ. In this way they can follow in His footsteps and mold themselves in His image, seeking the will of the Father in all things, devoting themselves with all their being to the glory of God and the service of their neighbor. In this way too, the holiness of the People of God will grow into an abundant harvest of good, as is brilliantly proved by the lives of so many saints in Church history" (no. 40).

These six holy men whose relics we venerate today are among the 25 Mexican Martyrs canonized by the late Pope John Paul II on May 24, 2000. They were all members of the Knights of Columbus, to whom they render immense honor, as they do also to the universal Church.

The government that was in power during the 1920s and 1930s was anti-Catholic and began a reign of terror as early as 1910. An anti-Catholic constitution was written and Mexico became a secular state.

Many bishops, priests, religious and lay persons were persecuted because they refused to stop practicing their faith. During this period of time approximately 40,000 Catholics were martyred or killed, 90 priests and more than 70 members of the Knights of Columbus. What an incentive to fidelity for the Knights of Columbus and for all Catholics!

The six courageous Knights of Columbus Priest Martyrs of Mexico—Father Luis Batiz Sainz, Father José María Robles Hurtado, Father Mateo Correa Magallanes, Father Miguel de la Mora, Father Rodrigo Aguilar Alemán, Father Pedro de Jesús Maldonado Lucero—died violent deaths while denouncing the anti-Catholic government. During the funeral processions for the priests, thousands of Catholics followed the funeral procession through the streets praying the rosary and shouting: «¡Qué viva Cristo Rey!» (Long Live Christ the King!).

The silver reliquary containing the relics of these martyrs and a painting of these six priests have been traveling on a pilgrimage since September 2005, up to the present time throughout Mexico and various dioceses in the United States, mainly in the Southwest. They will continue their pilgrimage through various states until August 2006, when it will end in Orlando, Florida.

Our Church has been blessed by the testimony of faith, love and fidelity that these people have left for us. Their example enriches the Church, and their blood spilled in defense of the faith was not a sacrifice in vain. The martyrs are a very important part of our Church and for that reason she elevates them to honor of the altars, calling them "Martyr witnesses of the Faith."

Today our local Church has been blessed with the visit of the reliquary containing the relics of these martyrs; may they continue to intercede for us.

We thank the Knights of Columbus for this honor. We also wish to express appreciation to Father Arthur Taraborelli, Pastor of Saint Thomas Aquinas and his parish for hosting this event. We are very grateful to the Hispanic Evangelization Team, to the Office for Hispanic Catholics and to all of you for your presence. May the Martyrs’ prayers obtain for us grace and strength in following faithfully our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.