Five Spanish Franciscan missionaries killed on the Georgia coast more than 400 years ago will take a major step toward sainthood in a historic Catholic Church ceremony in Savannah next week.
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The beatification of the men, known as the Georgia Martyrs, is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 31, at 11 a.m. at the Savannah Convention Center. The ceremony will mark the first beatification in Georgia and the first in the American South, according to the Diocese of Savannah.
Cardinal Frank Leo, the archbishop of Toronto, will represent the pope and preside over the beatification Mass.
The five missionaries are Father Pedro de Corpa, Father Blas Rodríguez, Father Miguel de Añon, Brother Antonio de Badajóz and Father Francisco de Veráscola. Pope Francis authorized the recognition of their martyrdom in January 2025.
The missionaries arrived on the Georgia coast in 1595 to minister to the Guale people, an Indigenous community in the region. According to the official Georgia Martyrs website, the friars lived among the Guale and established missions before violence broke out in September 1597.
The killings began after Pedro de Corpa opposed a baptized Guale leader’s decision to take a second wife, according to the historical account published by the organization. The leader then assembled a group that attacked the missions, killing the five friars. A sixth missionary, Francisco de Ávila, was captured and later released.
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The Catholic Church recognized the five men as martyrs who died “in hatred of the faith,” clearing the way for their beatification.
Beatification is an important step in the Catholic Church’s process of recognizing saints. Those who are beatified receive the title “Blessed” and are approved for limited public veneration. For people recognized as martyrs, a miracle is not required for beatification. A second miracle attributed to their intercession is generally required for canonization, the final step in being declared saints.
Beatification is an important step in the Catholic Church’s process of recognizing saints. Those who are beatified receive the title “Blessed” and are approved for limited public veneration. For people recognized as martyrs, a miracle is not required for beatification. A second miracle attributed to their intercession is generally required for canonization, the final step in being declared saints.
The cause for canonization of the Georgia Martyrs began in 1950, and the Diocese of Savannah formally opened its diocesan investigation in 1984. The investigation was completed in 2007, with documents submitted to the Vatican for review, according to the Georgia Martyrs organization.
The beatification also comes as the Catholic Church marks the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi, the founder of the Franciscan order, in 1226.
Doors at the Savannah Convention Center will open at 8 a.m. Saturday. The beatification Mass is expected to last about two hours, with a Georgia Martyr Museum and art exhibit available for visitors before and after the ceremony.
There are no tickets or reserved seats for the general public, and seating is first come, first served. The event’s official registration page currently says registration is closed.
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