Who Was Saint Miguel de la Mora y de la Mora?

Saints

A diocesan priest of Colima, Mexico, shot in 1927 for continuing his ministry during the anti-Catholic persecution of the Cristero War.

Saint Miguel de la Mora y de la Mora was a diocesan priest of Colima, Mexico, arrested and shot in 1927 during the fierce anti-Catholic persecution carried out by the Mexican government amid the Cristero War. As the government of President Plutarco Elías Calles enforced severe anti-clerical laws, closing churches and expelling clergy, Miguel refused to abandon his parish community. Beatified in 1992, he was canonized in 2000 by Pope John Paul II as one of the twenty-five Martyrs of the Cristero War.

No known portrait of Saint Miguel De La Mora Y De La Mora
No portrait or image of Saint Miguel De La Mora Y De La Mora is known to survive; this icon marks pages without an identifiable image.

Quick Facts

  • Died: August 7, 1927, at Colima City, Mexico, aged about 49
  • Priest of the Diocese of Colima, Mexico, 1906–1927
  • Beatified: 1992
  • Canonized: 2000, by Pope John Paul II
  • Venerated as: Priest and martyr of the Cristero War

Who Was Saint Miguel de la Mora y de la Mora?

Miguel de la Mora y de la Mora was a diocesan priest of Colima, Mexico, who was arrested and shot in 1927 during the fierce anti-Catholic persecution carried out by the Mexican government amid the Cristero War, a conflict sparked by the state’s severe restrictions on public religious practice and the clergy.

Historical Setting

Following the Mexican Revolution, the government of President Plutarco Elías Calles enforced anti-clerical laws with unprecedented severity in the 1920s, closing churches, expelling foreign priests, and driving much of the Church’s public life underground, provoking the armed Cristero uprising and a wave of executions of priests who continued their ministry regardless.

Why the Church Remembers Saint Miguel de la Mora y de la Mora

The Church remembers Miguel de la Mora as one of the diocesan priests who refused to abandon his parish community despite the government’s crackdown, joining the twenty-five Martyrs of the Cristero War later canonized together as a group.

Canonization and Feast Day

Miguel de la Mora was beatified in 1992 and canonized in 2000 by Pope John Paul II as part of the group of Mexican Martyrs of the Cristero War, whose shared feast is kept on May 21.

What Catholics Can Learn Today

Miguel’s martyrdom during a state campaign against the Church is a sober reminder that religious liberty cannot be taken for granted even in nations with a long Catholic history, and that pastors who remain with their people through such campaigns often pay the highest price for their fidelity.

A Prayer to Saint Miguel de la Mora y de la Mora

Saint Miguel de la Mora, priest who remained with your people through persecution in Colima, intercede for priests today who serve under governments hostile to the Church. Grant them your courage to stay at their post. Amen.

Sources

  • Vatican.va, canonization records for the Martyrs of the Cristero War (John Paul II, 2000)
  • Butler’s Lives of the Saints
  • EWTN, entry on the Mexican Martyrs