The Marian Fathers have opened the cause for canonization of the Servant of God Fabian and four companions, Andrew, Eugene, John, and Vladas. They died for the faith. Let us make sure they’re remembered, and ask for their prayers, especially during the month of November.
Martyred for his refusal to deny Christ, 14-year-old St. José Sánchez del Rio (feast day: Feb. 10) was a member of the Cristeros, a group of landowners, ranchers, and sharecroppers who revolted against the anti-Catholic government of Mexico in the 1920s. The first article in a new series on saints and future saints from Canada, the United States, and Mexico.
In this age of the persecution of Christians, Perpetua and Felicity seem more relevant than ever. The two women, whom we commemorate on March 7, were martyred for their Christian faith by the Roman Empire and have been venerated as saints ever since.
The six Mexican Martyrs (feast day, May 21), canonized by Pope St. John Paul II on this day in 2000, were all priests and members of the Knights of Columbus, killed during the persecution of the faithful in the Mexican Cristero War in the 1920’s.
He may not have been born in Canada, but he was exiled and died there, and a national shrine of Canadian martyrs is named for him. He is Blessed Bishop Vasyl Velychkovsky (feast day: June 27), a Ukrainian Greek Catholic bishop martyred for the faith after the Soviet Union’s takeover of Ukraine during World War II.
