A Mexican priest of the Diocese of Chilapa killed in 1927 for continuing his ministry during the anti-Catholic persecution of the Cristero War.

Saint David Uribe Velasco (1889–1927) was a diocesan priest of Chilapa, Mexico, who was killed at age thirty-seven near Morelia during the government persecution of the Catholic Church that fueled the Cristero War. He is venerated among the Saints of the Cristero War, priests and laypeople martyred in the 1920s for refusing to abandon the practice and ministry of the faith. He was beatified in 1992 and canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2000.

Quick Facts

• Died: April 12, 1927 (near Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico, aged 37)
• Venerated as: Priest and martyr of the Cristero War
• Beatified: 1992 · Canonized: 2000

Who Was Saint David Uribe Velasco?

Saint David Uribe Velasco was a Mexican diocesan priest who served the Diocese of Chilapa for over a decade before being killed during the religious persecution of the 1920s. He continued his pastoral ministry even after the government’s suppression of public Catholic worship made it dangerous to do so.

Historical Setting

His death occurred in April 1927, in the early, most violent phase of the Cristero War, when priests who continued to celebrate the sacraments in defiance of government restrictions faced summary arrest and execution, often without trial.

Why the Church Remembers Saint David Uribe Velasco

He is remembered among the Saints of the Cristero War as one of the priests who refused to abandon his parishioners, choosing to remain and minister even after the risk to his own life had become plain.

Canonization and Feast Day

Saint David Uribe Velasco was beatified in 1992 and canonized in 2000 by Pope John Paul II together with the other Mexican martyrs of the anti-clerical persecution.

What Catholics Can Learn Today

His example speaks to the cost that faithful pastoral ministry can carry, and to the trust a priest can place in his people and his God even when the institutional Church itself is under open attack.

A Prayer to Saint David Uribe Velasco

Saint David Uribe Velasco, faithful priest who stayed with your flock in danger, pray for pastors today, that they may serve with the same steadfast courage in every trial. Amen.

Sources

• Vatican.va biography from the 2000 canonization of the Mexican Martyrs
• Roman Martyrology