Martyrs of Cajonos

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
18 September[1]
PatronageSan Francisco Cajonos

Juan Bautista and Jacinto de los Ángeles (c. 1660 – 16 September 1700) were

Dominican convent and after having professed their faith to their attackers.[2][1]

Both men were venerated long after their murders and a beatification cause was introduced. It later remained dormant for sometime due to a lack of interest but was reignited during the late 1980s and into the 1990s when the formal process was launched. The two were beatified on 1 August 2002 in Mexico on the occasion that Pope John Paul II visited the nation.[3][4][5]

Lives

Backgrounds

Juan Bautista was born circa 1660. He married Josefa de la Cruz and the pair had a daughter named Rosa.

tribal chiefs
.

Both Juan Bautista and Jacinto de Los Ángeles - who were both born in

catechists.[3][4]

Life and murder

Both Juan and Jacinto were

altar servers
in their childhood and often aided their local parish priest in duties. The two later secured jobs that would see them work to ensure the protection of moral practices and to safeguard the faith in their town of San Francisco Cajonos.

On 14 September 1700 the pair learnt that there would be a ritual for idols in the evening to be held at the home of the local Indio José Flores. The two alerted the

Dominicans and it was agreed that both Juan and Jacinto would intervene. The two went to Flores' home and managed to enter without being seen though their presence came as a great surprise to all those present since Juan and Jacinto were well known in their town.[2] Juan and Jacinto - as well as the now-arrived Dominicans - began reproving those present to which the Indios blew out their candles and ran out of Flores' house covering their faces. The idolater's items were all confiscated and taken to the Dominican convent.[1]

During the morning on 15 September the Dominican provincial-superior for the Oaxaca region was informed of what had transpired the night before. But Juan and Jacinto learned at around noon that the idolaters were preparing to retaliate which prompted both men to flee to the convent to hide. But the Indio mob learnt of this and around 8:00pm burst into the convent with clubs and spears and with their faces and feet covered so as not to be identified.[2] The mob ordered the priests to hand over Juan and Jacinto lest all others in the convent be killed. But the priests Gaspar and Alonzo refused which prompted the mob to threaten burning down the church. Members of the mob then broke one of the doors leading to their confiscated possessions all the while setting fire to Juan's home which was not too far from the convent.[2][1]

Both men realized that remaining hidden meant the senseless deaths of all those in the convent so stepped forward to face the mob. Jacinto asked the priest to hear his confession and to give him

Communion before leaving with the mob since he desired to "die for love of God and without using weapons".[2] The two were whipped out of the convent with one of the men asking the priests: "Fathers - commend us to God!"[1]
Juan and Jacinto were beaten and tortured as the mob attempted to persuade them to abjure their faith. Both were defiant and continued to profess their faith. The mob took the men for further torture and during the morning on 16 September moved them to San Pedro village to be taken to the Tanga Hill.

That afternoon both Juan and Jacinto were thrown down the hill before being beaten with clubs and cut down with

Archbishop of Antequera de Oaxaca who moved them into the archdiocesan cathedral.[2][1]

Beatification

The beatification process had not been initiated until several preliminaries were launched in the 1970s and the 1980s to assess if evidence existed to support a formal canonization process. But it remained dormant until 25 January 1991 when the

Congregation for the Causes of Saints issued the "nihil obstat" (no objections) edict and titled Juan and Jacinto as Servants of God. The diocesan process of investigation was inaugurated a month later on 21 February and closed months later that 12 December before the C.C.S. validated the process in Rome on 20 November 1992. The cause's leading officials (the postulation) compiled and submitted a Positio dossier to the C.C.S. for evaluation in 1999 before a board of historians approved it that 7 December. Theologians confirmed on 22 May 2001 that the two men were murdered "in odium fidei" (in hatred of the faith) which was a verdict that the C.C.S. also accepted in their meeting on 11 June. Pope John Paul II
approved the cause (and their beatification) on 7 July.

John Paul II beatified the two men on 1 August 2002 during his apostolic visit to Mexico; those Mexican immigrants from Oaxaca living in Los Angeles attended the beatification.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Beati Giovanni Battista e Giacinto de los Ángeles". Santi e Beati. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Juan Bautista and Jacinto de los Ángeles". Holy See. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d "Blessed Jacinto de los Ángeles". Saints SQPN. 19 September 2017. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Blessed Juan Bautista". Saints SQPN. 19 September 2007. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  5. ^ a b c Stephen Henderson (27 July 2002). "Mexican Martyrs to Be Beatified+date=27 July 2002". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 5 December 2017.

External links

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