Antonio Alcalde Barriga (14 March 1701 - 7 August 1792) was a
a diocese in Mexico where he would be until being relocated to Guadalajara.[3][4] It was there that his main legacies included the hospital and college he helped found there in addition to his dedication to restoring and constructing churches and schools.[1][2]
His beatification process opened in late 1994 and he became titled as a Servant of God. The cause later stalled due to low promotion and little interest though was resumed in 2013 upon new impetus for promoting his life and holiness.[2][4]
Life
Antonio Alcalde Barriga was born on 14 March 1701 in
cattle while his father and uncle were responsible for his religious upbringing; his uncle encouraged his educational pursuits.[3] In his childhood he had a habit of remaining long hours in the church that he would sometimes fall asleep which angered the sacristan
. The sacristan would be forced to escort him home and this would prompt his parents to reprimand him for his behavior.
He entered the
seminarians and novices in the convents he was stationed at from 1727 to 1753. Alcalde received his master's degree in 1751 around the time he was appointed as the prior for the Santo Domingo convent in Zamora. He served as the prior for the Jesús María o de Nuestra Señora de Valverde convent (seven kilometers outside of Madrid) from 13 May 1753.[2][3]
Mayan language
when he arrived in Mexico.
Alcalde was appointed as the
Universidad de Guadalajara (obtaining approval for the college's construction in 1791 from King Charles IV) as he helped to found both during his episcopate. The hospital would be inaugurated on 5 November 1792 which would be three months after the bishop's death.[1][2]
The bishop's tenure was marked with a dedication to construct and restore churches across the large diocese which also extended to convents and schools since he had made education in the faith one of his main priorities.
The people came to respect their bishop and knew him best for his gentle and affable attitude while noting him as a jovial but direct individual. He had a bed of simple
vegetables but would sometimes add meat to his meal on some occasions.[4]
Alcalde died on 4 August 1792 in Guadalajara and his remains were buried in the diocese.
Beatification process
In 1992 calls for his beatification process were made and the cause launched in the Guadalajara archdiocese on 15 October 1994. The official introduction to the cause came on 17 December 1994 after the
Congregation for the Causes of Saints issued the official "nihil obstat" (no objections to the cause) edict and titled Alcalde as a Servant of God
. The cause stalled due to a lack of promotion and waning interest though was revitalized in 2013 due to the efforts of Fr. Tomás de Hijar Ornelas.
