Every November 23, the Catholic Church commemorates Blessed Father Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez, Jesuit priest, martyr of the Cristero War (1926-1929).
Cristiada (1926-1929)
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The so-called Cristero War, War of the Cristeros or ‘Cristiada’, was a civil war that pitted the Mexican Government against the armed Catholic militias of that country, who resisted complying with the disastrous “Streets Law”, which unduly restricted freedom of religion.
This law, of openly anti-Christian inspiration, was promulgated by President Plutarco Elías Calles in 1926, with the purpose of radicalizing the control measures on Catholic worship and limiting it as much as possible. In practice it was nothing more than the legal instrument to organize a bloody persecution against the Catholic Church, making use of the repressive apparatus of the State against those who defended religious freedom, accusing them of being against the interests of the people.
The war lasted until 1929. Blessed Miguel Pro was a victim of repression by the capital’s police, sentenced to death along with his brother Humberto, without further investigation or defense witnesses, or trial, both accused of terrorism and sabotage. The event sparked a wave of protests due to the unfairness of the process, its falsely “instructive” nature and because it was covered by the newspapers of the time with a sensationalist spirit.
Childhood: near the mines
José Ramón Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez was born in Zacatecas (Mexico) in 1891. His family owned some mines, so Miguel spent his childhood visiting them one after another with his father, a skilled engineer, of relative wealth and a very human character. This allowed Miguel Agustín to learn about the way of life of mining workers and become aware of the reality of the working class in his country.
Miguel was a child with a great sense of humor and joy. He had a peculiar talent for drawing and a predilection for caricatures.
Called to be another Christ
A few years later, the life of the Pro family would change significantly. Miguel’s older sisters left the home and embarked on the path of religious life. Miguel’s mother, seeing that her son began to feel a little lonely and sad, suggested that he go to a retreat, to see if God called him too.
Thus, the young man enrolled to attend a vocational retreat organized by the Society of Jesus, from which he emerged determined to become a Jesuit priest.
At the age of 20, Miguel was accepted into the seminary. Unfortunately, the social and political situation in Mexico became hostile to the Church, so he and his fellow seminarians were sent to study in California (United States). From there he would be sent to Spain, where he completed his training and was ordained a priest at the age of 24, in 1925.
“The Lord is with you, brave warrior!” (Judges 6:12)
When he returned to Mexico, the blessed found a country devastated by violence, in which Christians were persecuted and had to resist countless abuses from the Government. So, the new Father Miguel Pro had no choice but to exercise his pastoral ministry in secret – liturgical celebrations were prohibited and priests could not wear a cassock.
Father Pro’s greatest concern was to ensure spiritual assistance to his parishioners, so he firmly proposed to facilitate their access to the Eucharist and the sacraments. He organized a kind of system of secret “stations” or “stops” in different parts of the city to distribute communion. More than a thousand people attended these points in total. Accompanied by other brave priests, Father Miguel also managed to celebrate masses and Eucharistic adorations in different unconventional establishments, attracting people of all ages and social conditions.
“Blessed are those who suffer persecution for righteousness” (Mt 5, 10)
President Plutarco Elías Calles (p. 1924-1928), having learned of the clandestine activities carried out by some priests such as Father Pro and his friends, decided to put an end to them and organized the police for this purpose. First several Catholic leaders were arrested, and then almost anyone who tried to practice their faith. Those detained were generally tortured and in many cases executed without any judicial process. Meanwhile, Father Miguel managed to slip away and continue his priestly service.
On one occasion, Father Pro was giving a spiritual talk to a hundred young girls in a theater, behind closed doors, when the police began a raid to arrest him. Father Miguel, thanks to the collaboration of the assistants, was able to flee between the roofs of the surrounding houses, without anyone giving him away.
On another occasion, the priest was in a taxi and realized that he was being followed. Then he asked the taxi driver to continue moving forward, while he surreptitiously took to the street. Once recovered, he began to walk among the people like a drunk, with the purpose of confusing his pursuers. When they came to recognize him it was already too late, the blessed was out of their reach.
Father Pro became one of the main leaders of the Catholic resistance, united under the motto “Long live Christ the King!” He became a primary target of the State’s repressive apparatus and it seemed that his arrest was only a matter of time. No doubt, once he was arrested, the Government would have no qualms about getting rid of him.
Thus, a short time later, Father Pro fell into the hands of the police along with his brother Humberto and a group of fervent Catholics, who were accused of being conspirators to assassinate the then candidate Alvaro Obregón and thus destabilize the government. Without any trial, Blessed Pro was sentenced to death by firing squad.
Long live Christ the King!
On November 23, 1927, Father Miguel Agustín Pro was presented before the firing squad, he denied having participated in any conspiracy, asked for a moment to pray, knelt down and said: “Lord, You know that I am innocent. “I forgive my enemies from the bottom of my heart.”
Before being shot, he stood up and extended his arms in a cross, holding the Holy Rosary in one hand and the Crucifix in the other. Then he shouted: “Long live Christ the King!” After the discharge, his body fell to the ground as an offering placed at the feet of the Lord. A police officer approached and gave him a thank you shot. Father Pro had offered his life out of fidelity to the Gospel, becoming one of the brave martyrs of the Cristero War.
Blessed José Ramón Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez was beatified during the pontificate of Saint John Paul II, on September 25, 1988.
Central Editorial
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