Today is the Feast of José Sánchez del Río.
I would very much like a relic of this wonderful saint.
Anyone?
I suspect many people, perhaps even among the readers here, have convinced themselves that the persecution of the Church and Christians on a great scale could never happen in our time. There couldn’t possibly be such a change in our present conditions such that Catholics, priests especially, were rounded up and shot against the walls of their churches, hanged in their sanctuaries, put into concentration camps. No, No. That couldn’t possibly happen.
(Frankly, if the Catholics being rounded up also desired the TLM, highly placed prelates would help.)
Nor could a civilized society pass laws allowing abortion even up to the moment of entirely normal and natural birth. Nope. Couldn’t happen.
José Sánchez del Río, just a boy, joined the Cristeros when in Mexico there was a persecution of the Church by the government. Eventually he was captured. Soldiers made him watch the hanging of another Cristero in order to torment and break him, José – Josélito – encouraged the man, saying, “You will be in Heaven before me. Prepare a place for me. Tell Christ the King I shall be with him soon”. His captors tortured him by flaying the skin of the soles of his feet, forcing him to walk through salt, and then walk to the cemetery where he was to be executed. The soldiers said that if he denied Christ, they would spare him. Josélito shouted “Long live Christ the King! Long live Our Lady of Guadalupe!”. They shot him. He was 14 years old.
He was beatified during the pontificate of John Paul II and Francis proclaimed him to be a saint in 2016. Oddly, he does not appear on the Vatican Curia calendar. Notice the time of the Ave Maria Bell.
His relics are to venerated in the Church of Saint James the Apostle in Sahuayo.
Here is an excerpt from the movie For Greater Glory, about the Cristeros. US HERE – UK HERE
Remember. This happened in the 20th c. But it could never happen today! Right?
Finally, there was a just too cool “coincidence” involving Josélito and the marvelous portable altars made by St. Joseph’s Apprentice. HERE
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Saint Jose Sanchez del Rio pray for us. Intercede that we may have your fortitude and final perseverance. Viva Christo Rey!
What’s the latest on Blessed Miguel Pro becoming a Saint?
An incredible saint. His courage is a witness to all men.
Fr Z, Thanks so much for the reminder of St Joselito today. I have a great devotion to the Cristeros and have searched for years for a novena asking their intercession. Do you happen to know of such a novena? Or does anyone on here? I even reached out to the FSSP since their seminary is called Our Lady of Guadalupe and they supposedly have relics of some of the Cristeros but nothing. Welcome back!
iViva Cristo Rey!
janetstillinsandiego, the “Pray Catholic Prayers” app by Devoted Coders LLC, has a novena to St Jose Sanchez del Rio.
The app logo is a cross on a brown hill with a blue sky background, a very simple image.
The app is very helpful for novena reminders.
The movie is so inspiring! I wish it could be shown to older school kids, at least in Catholic schools. We need these Saints for our time more than ever.