A Brazilian layman of Natal martyred in 1645 during the Dutch colonial conflict in northeastern Brazil, canonized in 2017.

Saint Simão Correia was a Catholic layman of Natal, in present-day Brazil, martyred on October 3, 1645, at Uruaçu in Rio Grande do Norte state. His death came during the violent conflict between Dutch colonial forces and the Portuguese Catholic population in northeastern Brazil, and he was canonized in 2017 among a group of martyrs of that struggle.

Quick Facts

• Died: October 3, 1645, at Uruaçu, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
• Beatified: 2000
• Canonized: 2017
• Venerated as: Layman of Natal; martyr

Who Was Saint Simão Correia?

Simão Correia was a Catholic layman living in the region of Natal in northeastern colonial Brazil. He was put to death on October 3, 1645, at Uruaçu, during a period when Dutch colonial forces occupying the region clashed violently with the Portuguese Catholic settlers and their indigenous and African Catholic converts.

Historical Setting

The Dutch occupation of northeastern Brazil in the mid-seventeenth century brought religious as well as political conflict, as the Calvinist Dutch West India Company confronted a largely Catholic Portuguese and mixed population. Several Catholic communities, including at Uruaçu, suffered violent reprisals during this struggle.

Why the Church Remembers Saint Simão Correia

Simão is remembered as one of the lay Catholics of Natal who died for their faith amid the religious and colonial conflict of the era, his witness part of the founding story of the Catholic Church’s endurance in Brazil’s northeast.

Canonization and Feast Day

Simão Correia was beatified in 2000 and canonized in 2017, when the Church formally recognized him and his companions as martyrs of Brazil, confirming a devotion rooted in events nearly four centuries earlier.

What Catholics Can Learn Today

Simão’s martyrdom during a period of colonial and religious conflict reflects the complex historical circumstances in which faith was sometimes tested. His witness honors the endurance of ordinary Catholics caught in forces far larger than themselves.

A Prayer to Saint Simão Correia

Saint Simão Correia, layman and martyr of Brazil, you remained faithful amid violent upheaval. Grant courage to those whose faith is tested by conflicts not of their own making. Amen.

Sources

• Vatican.va, canonization records of the Martyrs of Natal, Brazil (2017)
• Roman Martyrology