Top photo caption: Members of the faithful pray before the first-class relics of six Mexican Martyrs during their visit to the Red Bank Oratory of St. Philip Neri. José Santiago photos.
By Angelica Chicaiza, Correspondent
Shelly Gonzalez is a lifelong Catholic, but she had not heard of the Mexican Martyrs.
Gonzalez said she became aware of them when St. Ann Parish, Browns Mills, hosted the relics of six of the martyrs. The more she learned, the more she appreciated their significance, she said.
“It makes you question that as a Catholic, ‘Would we do that? If we were put in that situation, would we die for Jesus the way that they did?’”
The six priests were killed for their faith during the 1920s persecution of Catholics by the Mexican government. They were among 25 martyrs canonized by Pope John Paul II on May 21, 2000, and their relics are housed in the Sanctuary of the Martyrs of Christ the King in Guadalajara, Mexico.
PHOTO GALLERY: Mexican Relics in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral
PHOTO GALLERY: Mexican Martyrs Relics in St. Anthony’s, Red Bank
PHOTO GALLERY: Mexican Martyrs Relics in Mother of Mercy, Asbury Park
PHOTO GALLERY: Mexican Martyrs Relics in Sea Girt parish
A Catholic Tradition
Relics are typically personal items – in this case bone chips – contained in a special reliquary. St. Ann was one of 21 churches in the state and one of eight in the Diocese of Trenton that displayed the relics in June and July, part of a tour sponsored by the Knights of Columbus. Hundreds of faithful venerated them during Masses and prayer services that were presided over by the parish priests. The relics were displayed on tables set up in the sanctuaries of the churches and the faithful prayed before them, some from their seats in the pews and others kneeling in front of the display.
“It’s a personal encounter to be with these priests who made this staggering act of faith and sacrifice,” said John Tirado, director of the New Jersey State Council of the K of C. “These men had a gun to their head and said, ‘I’d rather die than renounce God.’ To have that opportunity to offer that veneration throughout New Jersey is an honor and a privilege.”
Freddy Mauricio Romero of St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral Parish, Trenton, said venerating relics is one reason for Catholics to be proud.
“We have the privilege of having these first-class relics visiting us today,” Romero said July 9 when the collection was on display in the Diocese’s Mother Church. “We know that their example will remain very present as we continue on this path of love, faith and hope – to spread more and more of this love for our Lord Jesus Christ.”
In his homily during the Cathedral Mass, Deacon Mynor Pardo explained that 100 years ago, a Mexican statute known as Calles Law sought to restrict religion in Mexico; it sparked the 1926-29 Cristero War. The war’s main purpose, he said, was “to eliminate the Catholic Church, because it was considered the most backward institution of that time. Then they would target the pastors and priests.”
He continued, “There was strict government control; the government decided what could be said and what could not be said.”
Deacon Pardo said government officials at the time believed that “man does not need religion to be good.”
“They believed that man was the owner of his own freedom, and that God was the oppressor from whom man needed to be liberated. They believed that if God was present, man could not progress,” the deacon stated.
Priests with Courage
Cathedral parishioner Angel Martinez thought the relics were a powerful reminder of “the great faith that these people had at the moment when they were called to defend the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ. They did it with courage, and we feel honored to have them here with us.”
A woman who identified herself only as Josephine, who was visiting Trenton from Kenya and attended the event in the Cathedral, said she believed it was “important for people to understand the sacrifice that these people made, so that the faith could spread in Mexico and so that it could continue today.”
“Even those who have come from Mexico have carried that faith,” she added.
Msgr. Joseph Roldan, Cathedral rector, reflected on the lasting witness of the Mexican martyrs and the call to live faith with courage.
“A lot of times we take for granted what our ancestors struggled to have. It just reminds us that we, too, are called to sainthood, that we’re called to defend our faith. Maybe not in the way they did, in giving up their life, but we’re called to be witnesses of our faith,” he said.
