Christopher (Cristóbal) Magallanes was a Mexican parish priest born in 1869 in Totatiche, Jalisco, who founded a seminary and served the poor and indigenous people of his region. During the government persecution of the Church in the 1920s, he was arrested on his way to celebrate Mass and executed without trial on May 21, 1927. He and his companions — twenty-one priests and three laymen martyred in those years — were canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2000.
Before he died, Father Magallanes gave away his few belongings, absolved his fellow prisoner, and told his executioners, 'I die innocent, and I ask God that my blood may serve to unite my Mexican brethren.' He shows us how to remain gentle and forgiving even when everything is taken away, and to trust that God can draw peace and unity out of suffering. His quiet faithfulness to ordinary priestly work, right up to the end, reminds us that holiness is built in daily love long before any great trial comes.
Lord, through the prayers of Saint Christopher Magallanes and his companions, give us courage in trial and hearts quick to forgive. Unite all whom we love, on earth and in heaven, in Your peace. Amen.Enter today’s Mass → All saints →