Historic Beatification Mass of 5 Franciscan Martyrs in Georgia, USA with 10,000 Attending the Celebration! WATCH the Video Replay
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Five 16th-Century Franciscan Missionaries Beatified in Savannah, Georgia, U.S.A.
10,000 people attended a spectacular Holy Mass of beatification, in English, Spanish, and Latin, in Georgia. Five Spanish Franciscan missionaries killed in 1597 while ministering to the Indigenous Guale people were beatified in Savannah, Georgia, on Saturday, October 31. Known collectively as the "Georgia Martyrs"—Pedro de Corpa, Blas Rodríguez, Miguel de Añon, Antonio de Badajóz, and Francisco de Veráscola—the friars were slain during a 1597 uprising triggered when Friar Pedro opposed a local leader’s decision to take a second wife, upholding Christian teachings on marriage.
Presiding over the beatification liturgy as papal legate, Cardinal Frank Leo, Metropolitan Archbishop of Toronto, delivered greetings from Pope Leo XIV.
Con-celebrating the Mass was Cardinal Gabriele Caccia, the apostolic nuncio to the United States. He was joined by nearly 30 other bishops, and dozens of priests -.png)
Key concelebrants included:
Bishop Stephen D. Parkes of Savannah, Georgia
Bishop Kevin Boland, Bishop Emeritus of Savannah
Archbishop José Rodríguez Carballo OFM, Archbishop of Mérida-Badajoz, Spain
Archbishop Joan-Enric Vives i Sicília, of Urgell, Spain, a delegate of Spain's Episcopal Conference
Archbishop Gregory J. Hartmayer of Atlanta, Georgia
Father Michael Perry, OFM, who serves as the Provincial Minister of the Franciscan Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe
In his homily, Cardinal Leo praised the martyrs as "shining witnesses of the Gospel" whose legacy offers a vital message to the modern Church. He tied the occasion to two upcoming milestones: the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence and the 800th anniversary of St. Francis of Assisi’s death.
Highlighting their defense of human dignity, holiness, and evangelization, Cardinal Leo urged the faithful to draw inspiration from the martyrs' courage to heal modern division and polarization. "Polarization is not of God," he noted, calling on parishes, families, and communities to embrace reconciliation, service, and joyful faith, concluding with the reminder: “There are some things today that are still worth living and dying for.”
Key Highlights: Beatification of the "Georgia Martyrs"
The Event: Five Spanish Franciscan friars martyred in 1597 were officially beatified on Saturday, October 31, in Savannah, Georgia.
Historical Context: The missionaries served the Indigenous Guale people along the Georgia coast. They were killed after opposing a local leader's attempt to take a second wife, contrary to Christian teachings on marriage.
Papal Representation: Cardinal Frank Leo of Toronto presided as papal legate on behalf of Pope Leo XIV.
Core Themes of the Homily:
Enduring Witness: Honored the friars for upholding human dignity, the sanctity of marriage, and selfless service.
Modern Relevance: Called on Christians to combat polarization through charity, dialogue, and reconciliation.
Historic Milestones: Connected the beatification to the upcoming U.S. Semiquincentennial (250th anniversary) and the 800th anniversary of St. Francis of Assisi's death.
Friar Pedro was born in the small village of Corpa, in the territory of the present Diocese of Madrid-Alcalá, around 1560. Ordained a priest of the Province of the Friars Minor of Castile around 1584, he left Spain to serve as a missionary in the New World on July 21, 1587 – shipmates with Bl. Friar Antonio de Badajoz, OFM. One of the more experienced friars, Friar Pedro was eventually assigned to the chief village of Tolomato, where he built a mission and served the Guale people, teaching them about Jesus and baptizing those drawn to the Catholic faith.
Bl. Friar Blas Rodríguez de Cuacos, OFM
Friar Blas was born in the Spanish village of Cuacos, near the border with Portugal, beween 1550 and 1560. A priest of the Discalced Reform in the Alcantarina Province of the Friars Minor of San Gabriel, he came to the New World in 1590 and was assigned to the village of Tupiqui, close by Bl. Friar Pedro de Corpa. The two were able to meet from time to time, easing the strain of their solidarity and difficult lifestyle, and providing the opportunity to consult with one another about the canonical and pastoral matters that arose when imparting the sacraments to indoctrinated Indigenous people, such as the custom of taking multiple wives.
Bl. Friar Miguel de Añon, OFM
In 1595, Friar Miguel, a priest of the Province of the Friars Minor of Castile, responded to a call for service in the missions of La Florida. Although the year of his birth is uncertain, the missionary was probably in his forties at the time of his martyrdom. Sailing on the same Spanish vessel as Bl. Friar Francisco de Veráscola, OFM, he joined Bl. Friar Antonio de Badajoz, OFM, at Mission Santa Catalina de Guale (present- day St. Catherines Island), which was expected to become an ideal mission station due to its strategic central location on the barrier islands. He quickly established a reputation as an esteemed and holy man with a beautiful singing voice, especially beloved and respected by the Guale.
Bl. Friar Antonio de Badajoz, OFM
Friar Antonio arrived in the New World from Spain in 1587, sailing on the same ship as Bl. Friar Pedro de Corpa, OFM. A lay religious of Alcantarina Province of the Friars Minor of San Gabriel, he was the only one of the Georgia Martyrs not ordained to the priesthood. Having spent ten years in La Florida, his command of the Guale language was excellent, and he served as interpreter for Bl. Friar Miguel de Añon, OFM. When the two were assigned to Santa Catalina de Guale. Catechizing the natives was a priority, but the friars were also tasked with restoring the importance of the mission, which had been largely abandoned after the Jesuit withdrawal in 1571.
Bl. Francisco de Veráscola, OFM
Friar Francisco was born on Feb. 13,1564, in the present-day Beraskola neighborhood of Gordexola, a town in the Basque region of Spain. He entered the Franciscan Province of Cantabria and was ordained to the priesthood in 1590. One of 12 Franciscans volunteering to help the missions in La Florida, he set out for the New World on June 10, 1595, sailing on the same ship as Bl. Friar Miguel de Añon, OFM. Due to his enormous stature, he was nicknamed “the Cantabrian giant.” He often joined the Guale youth in athletic games, and he occasionally served as bodyguard for visitors to the Georgia coast.
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