Jenaro Sánchez y Delgadillo was a

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

Catholic priest The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the Holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in layman's terms ''priest'' refers only ...

who was executed by the Mexican military during the

Cristero War The Cristero War ( es, Guerra Cristera), also known as the Cristero Rebellion or es, La Cristiada, label=none, italics=no , was a widespread struggle in central and western Mexico from 1 August 1926 to 21 June 1929 in response to the implementa ...

in that country, born on 19 September 1886 and died on 17 January 1927. He is now honored as a

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', 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 ...

and saint by the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Life

Sánchez Delgadillo was born in the town of Agualele, in the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality ...

Zapopan, Jalisco Zapopan () is a city and municipality located in the Mexican state of Jalisco. Part of the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area, the population of Zapopan city proper makes it the second largest city in the state, very close behind the population of ...

, the son of Cristóbal Sánchez and Julia Delgadillo, on 19 September 1886."Canonizations 1993-2013", ''L'Osservatore Romano''
/ref> With a scholarship, he entered the

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy ...

of the Archdiocese of Guadalajara and was later

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform var ...

a priest of the Archdiocese by Archbishop José de Jesús Ortíz y Rodríguez on 20 August 1911. Sánchez then served as a

curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...

in various parishes of the Archdiocese, becoming known for his humility and his obedience to the

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

s under whom he served. The care of the sick was a major focus of his ministry, as well as teaching the catechism to the children of the parish.Barba, Oscar Sánchez. "San Gennaro Sanchez Delgadillo", Santi e Beati, July 5, 2001
/ref> When he was stationed in

Cocula, Jalisco Cocula ( nah, Cocollán "ondulated place") is a city and municipality in the Mexican state of Jalisco. It is located southwest of Guadalajara, on Mexico Highway 80. It sits at an elevation of . According to the 2020 census, the population of the ...

, he taught classes at a

minor seminary A minor seminary or high school seminary is a secondary day or boarding school created for the specific purpose of enrolling teenage boys who have expressed interest in becoming Catholic priests. They are generally Catholic institutions, and ...

established within the parish. As a result of the increasing tension between the Catholic Church and the government of Mexico, in 1917 the Archbishop of Guadalajara, Francisco Orozco y Jiménez, issued a

pastoral letter A pastoral letter, often simply called a pastoral, is an open letter addressed by a bishop to the clergy or laity of a diocese or to both, containing general admonition, instruction or consolation, or directions for behaviour in particular circumst ...

on behalf of the bishops of Mexico—most of whom were then in exile in the United States—in which he detailed the sufferings he was enduring for defending the rights of the Church against government interference. For reading this letter publicly at the Sunday service in his church, Sánchez was jailed by the local police. In 1923 Sánchez was appointed as the

vicar A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pr ...

of the village of Tamazulita, within the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

of Tecolotlan. Due to the prohibition of public worship by the Republic of Mexico, Sánchez conducted secret Masses in private homes.Staley, Tony. "A priest of the Mexican Revolution", ''The Compass'', January 15, 2011
/ref> He and his parents were given shelter by the Castillo family at their home at Rancho La Cañada. On 17 January 1927, he was out hunting with Herculano, Crescenciano and Cresencio Castillo, Lucio Camacho and Ricardo Brambila. Soldiers were waiting for him. Though everyone said he should escape, he decided to stay and face the consequences. The soldiers took them prisoner and tied everyone back to back. The others were released but the soldiers hanged Sánchez from a nearby tree. Before dawn, the soldiers returned shot Sánchez in the left shoulder and then lowered the body to the ground. One of the soldiers then pierced his chest with a bayonet. Sánchez' body was then taken to a private home from which it was buried in the cemetery of Tecolotlan. In 1934, with the approval of the Curia of Guadalajara, the remains were transferred to the

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activitie ...

in Tecolotlan Cocula, Jalisco. He was beatified on 22 November 1992 by John Paul II and canonized by that same pope at the Jubilee of 2000, on 21 May of that year.

References

Sources

San Jenaro Sánchex por la Archidiócesis de Puebla

San Jenaro por Misión Guadalupana

San Jenaro por Aciprensa

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanchez Delgadillo, Jenaro 1886 births 1927 deaths People from Zapopan, Jalisco 20th-century Mexican Roman Catholic priests Deaths by bayonet Martyred Roman Catholic priests People executed by Mexico by hanging 20th-century Roman Catholic martyrs Victims of anti-Catholic violence in Mexico Mexican Roman Catholic saints 19th-century Christian saints 20th-century Christian saints Beatifications by Pope John Paul II Canonizations by Pope John Paul II