Cristóbal Magallanes Jara
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Cristóbal Magallanes Jara (
anglicized Anglicisation or anglicization is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England. It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English place adopts the English language ...
as Christopher Magallanes; July 30, 1869 – May 25, 1927) was a Mexican Catholic priest and
martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' Word stem, stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In ...
who was killed without trial on the way to say Mass during the
Cristero War The Cristero War (), also known as the Cristero Rebellion or , was a widespread struggle in central and western Mexico from 3 August 1926 to 21 June 1929 in response to the implementation of secularism, secularist and anti-clericalism, anticler ...
. He had faced trumped-up charges of inciting rebellion.


Early life

Cristóbal Magallanes Jara was born in San Rafael, Totatiche,
Jalisco Jalisco, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in western Mexico and is bordered by s ...
, Mexico on July 30, 1869. He was son of Rafael Magallanes Romero and Clara Jara Sanchez, who were farmers. He worked as a shepherd in his youth and enrolled in the Conciliar Seminary of San José in
Guadalajara Guadalajara ( ; ) is the capital and the most populous city in the western Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco, as well as the most densely populated municipality in Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population ...
at the age of 19."Cristóbal Magallanes", Saints Resource, RCL Benziger
/ref>


Ordination and priestly life

Cristóbal was ordained at the age of 30 at Santa Teresa in Guadalajara in 1899 and served as chaplain of the School of Arts and Works of the Holy Spirit in Guadalajara. He was then designated as the parish priest for his hometown of Totatiche, where he helped found schools and carpentry shops and assisted in planning for hydrological works, including the dam of La Candelaria. He took special interest in the evangelization of the local indigenous
Huichol people The Huichol () or Wixárika () are an Indigenous people of Mexico living in the Sierra Madre Occidental range in the states of Nayarit, Jalisco, Zacatecas, and Durango, with considerable communities in the United States, in the states of Califor ...
and was instrumental in the foundation of the mission in the indigenous town of Azqueltán. When government decrees closed the seminary in Guadalajara in 1914, Magallanes offered to open a clandestine seminary in his parish. In July 1915, he opened the Auxiliary Seminary of Totatiche, which achieved a student body of 17 students by the following year and was recognized by the Archbishop of Guadalajara,
José Francisco Orozco y Jiménez José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced very differently in each of the two languages: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , ...
, who appointed a precept and two professors to the seminary.


Death

Magallanes wrote and preached against armed rebellion, but was falsely accused of promoting the Cristero Rebellion in the area. Arrested on May 21, 1927, while en route to celebrate Mass at a farm, he gave away his few remaining possessions to his executioners, gave them absolution, and without a trial, he was killed four days later with Agustín Caloca in
Colotlán The Municipio (Mexico), municipality of Colotlán is in the northern extremity of the Mexican state of Jalisco. The municipality covers an area of approximately 648 square kilometers. Colotlán is located at . It stands at above sea level. Co ...
, Jalisco. His last words to his executioners were "I die innocent, and ask God that my blood may serve to unite my Mexican brethren."


Legacy

Christopher Magallanes was
canonized Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of sa ...
by
Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...
on May 21, 2000. His annual liturgical celebration in the Latin Catholic Church is assigned as an optional memorial to 21 May. The concluding sequence of the movie ''
For Greater Glory ''For Greater Glory: The True Story of Cristiada'', also known as ''Cristiada'' and as ''Outlaws'', is a 2012 epic historical war drama filmYoung, James"''Cristiada'' welcomed in Durango" August 21, 2010, ''Variety'' directed by Dean Wright and w ...
'' (2012) says that the fictional character "Father Christopher" portrayed by actor
Peter O'Toole Peter Seamus O'Toole (; 2 August 1932 – 14 December 2013) was an English actor known for his leading roles on stage and screen. His numerous accolades include the Academy Honorary Award, a BAFTA Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and four Golde ...
was based on Cristobal Magallanes Jara.


Agustín Caloca Cortés

Agustín Caloca Cortés (May 5, 1898 – May 25, 1927) was one of the
martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' Word stem, stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In ...
s of
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
during the
Cristero War The Cristero War (), also known as the Cristero Rebellion or , was a widespread struggle in central and western Mexico from 3 August 1926 to 21 June 1929 in response to the implementation of secularism, secularist and anti-clericalism, anticler ...
. Cortés was canonized on May 21, 2000, as part of a group referred to as "Cristóbal Magallanes Jara and 19 companions".


Life

Agustin Caloca Cortés was born in San Juan Bautista del Teúl,
Zacatecas Zacatecas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Zacatecas, is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 31 states of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Zacatecas, 58 municipalities and its capital city is Zacatecas City, Zacatec ...
, on the ranch of La Presa. His parents, Eduwiges and María Plutarca Cortés Caloca, were simple peasants. He began his priestly studies at the Guadalajara Seminary, but in 1914 this campus was closed due to the anticlericalism of the Carrancista leaders. He then went to the Auxiliary Seminary of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Totatiche established by the priest Cristóbal Magallanes Jara. In 1919 he re-entered the Guadalajara Seminary to study Theology. He was ordained on August 5, 1923, in the Cathedral Church of Guadalajara. At Fr Magallanes' request, Cortés was assigned as a parish priest and as prefect of the auxiliary
seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...
."Agustín Caloca Cortés", Vatican News Service
/ref> In December 1926 he had to flee with eleven fifth year seminarians to Cocoatzco, where he remained until April 1927. In May 1927, he arrived at the seminary to announce that Mexican government soldiers were approaching Totatiche. He instructed the seminarians to abandon the seminary and disperse among the town's population. After helping their escape, he himself was taken prisoner and transported to a jail in
Colotlán The Municipio (Mexico), municipality of Colotlán is in the northern extremity of the Mexican state of Jalisco. The municipality covers an area of approximately 648 square kilometers. Colotlán is located at . It stands at above sea level. Co ...
where he was reunited with Fr Magallanes. He was reportedly offered his freedom by an army officer on account of his young age, but refused unless his fellow priest Fr Magallanes was also released. His last words before execution by firing squad were, "We live for God and for Him we die." He was originally buried in Colotlán but his remains were later exhumed and transferred to his home parish of San Juan Bautista in El Teúl.


References


External links


Genealogy of Cristóbal Magallanes Jara
*
Saints of the Cristero War On May 21, 2000, Pope John Paul II canonized a group of 25 saints and martyrs who had died in the Mexican Cristero War. The vast majority are Catholic priests who were executed for carrying out their ministry despite the suppression under the a ...

Baptism Record of Cristobal Magallanes Jara
{{DEFAULTSORT:Magallanes Jara, Cristobal 1869 births 1927 deaths Cristero War 20th-century Mexican Roman Catholic priests Mexican Roman Catholic saints Martyred Roman Catholic priests Executed Mexican people 20th-century executions by Mexico Victims of anti-Catholic violence in Mexico People from Jalisco 20th-century Roman Catholic martyrs 20th-century Christian saints Beatifications by Pope John Paul II Canonizations by Pope John Paul II