Georgia Martyrs to be Beatified
On Jan. 27, 2025, Pope Francis authorized the beatification of Venerable Servant of God Pedro de Corpa, OFM, and his four companions.
Commonly known as the Georgia Martyrs, the five Spanish friars gave their lives for their faith in 1597 in what is today the Diocese of Savannah, Georgia. The date and place for the rite of beatification have yet to be determined.
The Order of Friars Minor, to which the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe belongs, has worked with the Diocese of Savannah to promote their cause for canonization since the mid 20th century.
Who are the Georgia Martyrs?
The Georgia Martyrs are five Franciscan friars who died for their faith between Sept. 14 and 17, 1597, in modern-day Georgia.
The friars arrived in what is now Florida in the 16th century. At the time, there was a great zeal among Catholics to proclaim the Gospel to the indigenous population of the New World as Spain sought to establish commercial ties with them and trading routes across the Atlantic Ocean.
In 1565, the Spanish founded St. Augustine, Florida, and used it as a base from which to establish missions along the coastline and later westward toward what is now the Florida "Panhandle." It is important to remember the term "Georgia" did not exist until 1732. The Spanish called the entire region "La Florida." By 1597, there were five missions in what is now coastal Georgia, where Franciscans ministered to several different tribes, including the Guale (pronounced “wally”) people.
The Guale occupied the coastal area of present-day Georgia, including the islands of Ossabaw, St. Catherines and Sapelo. The friars learned their language and lived peacefully among them without the presence of Spanish soldiers.
“Franciscans were guests in these villages,” said Br. Dominic Monti, OFM, historian and vice-postulator for the cause. “Archeologists are still finding artifacts there that show a blending of native and Christian motifs, showing that the Christian faith was thoroughly accepted by the native people.
“The friars weren’t coming in with power and force,” he added. “These were not 'missions' like those that were established later in California, where native people were gathered together under friar supervision. The Guale were already living in towns; the friars were welcomed into these villages by local chiefs and lived among the people. This model of evangelization resembled more contemporary methods.”
How did the Georgia Martyrs die?
Conflict arose in 1597 when Juanillo, the young heir to a Guale chiefdom, wanted to take a second wife. Because Juanillo was baptized, Friar Pedro de Corpa opposed the second marriage, which violated his existing union. He also made known his opposition to Juanillo’s succession as chief. Although the friars had no weapons or political power, Juanillo felt threatened enough to resort to violence.
Juanillo, together with a band of like-minded allies, killed Pedro de Corpa, OFM, on Sept. 14, 1597. The group then proceeded to other local missions, intending to kill the remaining friars in the area.
Friar Blas Rodríguez was killed near Darien, Georgia.
Friars Miguel de Añon and Antonio de Badajoz were killed on Sept. 17, the feast of the Stigmata of St. Francis, as they prayed inside the chapel on modern-day St. Catherines Island. The local chief begged the friars to flee before Juanillo and his allies arrived, but the friars disregarded the warning.
Friar Francisco de Veráscola was killed as he returned by canoe from St. Augustine to his mission on present-day St. Simons Island.
A sixth friar, Francisco de Avila, was kidnapped and tortured until he was liberated months later.
Despite this, Franciscan friars were able to return to their missions among the Guale people on the barrier islands in 1605.
“Canonizing martyrs does not increase their happiness, but the recognition of their witness to the faith moves us to imitate their courage,” wrote the late Fr. Conrad Harkins, OFM, who promoted the cause for decades, in Our Sunday Visitor. “No one would deny that we need such a witness.
“We also need their intercession,” he continued. “Remember the words of the friars in 1612: ‘It is the pious belief that these blessed ones are in God’s presence, interceding for the conversion of this land.’ The land is still here, stretching from sea to sea, filled with peoples from many nations, and always in need of conversion.”
The history of the cause
In 1947, the late Fr. Mathias Faust, OFM, an American friar, was appointed Procurator General of the Order of Friars Minor. His responsibilities included representing the Order with various dicasteries of the Holy See, including the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
At the time, the majority of Catholics in the U.S. were relatively recent immigrants, largely working-class people, and not fully accepted within American society. This was true especially in many parts of the South where prejudice against them was still strong. This was the context in which Fr. Mathias chose to raise awareness of the cause of the Georgia martyrs.
“Fr. Mathias wanted to show that Franciscans were involved in the history of the Catholic Church in the United States of America from an early age,” said Br. Dominic. “Raising awareness of the Georgia martyrs was a way of showing that we Franciscans had a lot to be proud of in the Southern United States.”
The cause officially began in the Diocese of Savannah in 1981. Many friars contributed to the cause, including:
Fr. Marion Habig, OFM, the first vice-postulator for the Cause who began publicity spadework
Fr. Alexander Wyse, OFM, the second vice-postulator and a member of the Historical Commission that gathered documents to aid the Holy See in its judgment of the cause
Fr. Conrad Harkins, OFM, the third vice-postulator, who delivered the final report on the martyrs to the Vatican in 2007
Several Franciscan, diocesan and lay scholars labored to compile the Positio, or Report, used by the Vatican as it considered the cause. Among the Franciscan scholars were Fathers Conrad, Francis Muller, OFM, Cyprian Lynch, OFM, Patrick Adams, and Capistran Hanlon, OFM, as well as Fr. Francisco Morales, OFM, of Holy Gospel Province (Mexico).
For more information on the Georgia Martyrs, visit TheGeorgiaMartyrs.org.
Artwork courtesy of the Order of Friars Minor (OFM)