Feast day: 10 February
Saint José Sánchez del Río
A fourteen-year-old Mexican boy tortured and shot in 1928 for refusing to deny Christ, who died crying out 'Viva Cristo Rey!'
- Born
- 28 March 1913, Sahuayo, Michoacán (Mexico)
- Died
- 10 February 1928, Sahuayo, Michoacán (Mexico)
- Canonization
- Beatified 20 November 2005 by Benedict XVI; canonized 16 October 2016 by Pope Francis.
- Country
- Mexico
Biography
A boy in a persecuted Church
José was born in Sahuayo during the years when the Mexican government of Plutarco Elías Calles enforced anticlerical laws that closed churches and outlawed public worship. Two of his brothers joined the Cristero rising; José begged to serve, and was finally accepted as a flag-bearer and aide rather than a combatant.
Capture
In a skirmish on 6 February 1928 he gave his own horse to his commander, General Guízar, and was taken prisoner. Held in the sacristy of the parish church of Santiago in Sahuayo, which had been turned into a stable, he wrote a serene letter to his mother telling her he was resigned to God's will.
Martyrdom
Offered his life in exchange for renouncing his faith, he refused. On 10 February the soles of his feet were cut and he was made to walk to the cemetery, stabbed along the way, and finally shot. Witnesses reported his last words as 'Viva Cristo Rey!' He was buried in Sahuayo, and his cause opened with the other Cristero martyrs.
Timeline
- 1913 — Born at Sahuayo, Michoacán
- 1926 — Persecution of the Church begins in Mexico
- 1928 — Captured on 6 February; martyred on 10 February
- 2005 — Beatified by Benedict XVI
- 2016 — Canonized by Pope Francis
Dates marked ~ are traditional or debated among historians.
Symbols
Cristero flag — The banner of Christ the King he carried.
Wounded feet — His walk to the cemetery, a share in the way of the Cross.
Palm — Martyrdom.
Virtues & spiritual lessons
Fearless confession of faith at fourteen, obedience, and love for the Eucharist and the Virgin of Guadalupe.
Importance in the Church
The best known of the young Cristero martyrs, canonized as a model for adolescents that holiness and courage are possible at any age.
Quotes
“Viva Cristo Rey! Long live Christ the King!”
Last words, 10 February 1928, recorded by witnesses
“I have never done anything so easy as dying for Christ.”
Attributed, letter to his aunt María Sánchez de Olmedo
Prayers
Prayer to Saint José Sánchez del Río
Saint José, young martyr of Christ the King, you preferred wounds and death to a word against your Lord. Obtain for the young of our time courage in trial, faithfulness in persecution, and hearts that fear nothing but sin. Viva Cristo Rey! Amen.
Devotional prayer used in Mexican parishes after his canonization.
Places
Parish of Santiago Apóstol, Sahuayo — Where he was imprisoned and where his relics are venerated.
Cerro del Cubilete, Guanajuato — National monument to Christ the King, heart of Cristero devotion.
Entries are drawn from the Roman Martyrology, the General Roman Calendar, canonization records of the Holy See, and the saints' own writings. Where a date, quotation or attribution is uncertain, it is marked as such. (63 saints)