- José María Robles Hurtado
Infobox Saint
name=José María de Robles Hurtado
birth_date=May 3 1888
death_date=June 25 1927
feast_day=May 25 ,June 26 [http://www.kofc.org/publications/columbia/detail.cfm?id=4323 "St. José María Robles Hurtado" by Pedro A. Moreno] ]
venerated_in=Roman Catholic Church
birth_place=Mascota ,Jalisco ,Mexico
death_place=Quila, Jalisco ,Mexico
titles=Martyr; Madman of the Sacred Heart
beatified_date=November 22 ,1992
beatified_place=
beatified_by= Pope John Paul II
canonized_date=May 21 2000
canonized_place=
canonized_by=Pope John Paul II
attributes=
patronage=
major_shrine=Tecolotlán ,Jalisco
prayer=
prayer_attrib=Saint José María Robles Hurtado (
May 3 ,1888 –June 25 ,1927 ) was aMexican priest and one of the several priests martyred during theCristero War .Biography
He was born to the devoutly Catholic family of Antonio Robles and Petronilla Hurtado in
Mascota ,Jalisco . At age twelve, he entered the seminary at Guadalajara. [http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintj90.htm Patron Saints Index:Jose Maria Robles Hurtado] ] He was ordained to the priesthood at Guadalajara in 1913, at the age of 25. A few years later, he founded theSisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus . He wrote a number of works to propagate the Catholic faith, and also cathechized others in ways which were contrary to the laws of the country at the time. While serving as the pastor at a parish inTecolotlán , he began to promote greater devotion to theSacred Heart of Jesus through his preaching, his personal example and his great devotion to theEucharist . His fervency was so pronounced that he became known as the "Madman of the Sacred Heart". He was known to work tirelessly for the care of the sick in his parish, and often spent several hours hearing theconfession s of his parishioners. He also worked for greater reverence toOur Lady of Guadalupe . He was aKnight of Columbus council 1979.Persecution
At the time, the
Constitution of 1917 , which prohibited any publicprocessions or other devotional practices, was the law. Hurtado proposed the creation of a hugecross to be placed in the geographic center ofMexico , which he said would be symbolic of how Mexico recognized Christ as its king, and organized a public ceremony for the laying of the cornerstone of the cross, in direct violation of the existing constitution.In anticipation of the laying of the cornerstone, signs were placed throughout Mexico proclaimingChrist the "King of Mexico", and declaring the nation’s devotion to the Sacred Heart. In 1923, an estimated 40,000 Roman Catholics made their way to the site of the cross to take part in the groundbreaking ceremonies at the hill, which was at the time called "La Loma" and is today called the mountain of Christ the King. After this open display of defiance, the government decided to intensify its persecution of Catholics in Mexico and to ensure that Robles in particular would not engage in such acts again.Despite the increasing persecution of Catholics in general and explicit invitations to him to leave Mexico personally, Robles remained and continued to minister to his congregation and offer what solace he could to the survivors and families of Catholics who had been persecuted and killed by the government. In time, he even went further, and promoted the idea of armed defense of Catholics who were suffering from the persecution.
Death
Robles Hurtado recognized the likelihood of his being killed for his actions, and wrote a poem in which he explicitly stated, "I want to love you until martyrdom". He was finally arrested on
25 June 1927 for saying a Mass in the home of the Agraz family, who were hiding him at the time. He was found guilty, and sentenced to be hanged from an oak tree. The next day, beforedawn , he was led to the tree. In a final display of compassion for his executioners, he offered a smallvotive candle he had in his pocket to them to help light the path to the tree where he would be hanged. Upon arriving there, he forgave the men for what they were about to do. He took the noose into his own hands, saying "Don’t dirty your hands" to the man who brought it, kissed it, and placed it around his own neck.Veneration
He was beatified by
Pope John Paul II onNovember 22 ,1992 , and canonized onMay 21 ,2000 byPope John Paul II , together with others involved in the Cristero War, includingCristobal Magallanes Jara and his 24 companions in martyrdom, andMaría de Jesús Sacramentado Venegas , the first Mexican woman to be canonized. [http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/homilies/documents/hf_jp-ii_hom_20000521_canonizations_en.html Homily of Pope John Paul II at the canonization] ]References
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