Five 16th-century Spanish Franciscan friars, known as the Georgia Martyrs, to be beatified in Savannah this October after centuries of veneration.
Newsroom (20/02/2026 Gaudium Press ) In a historic announcement from the Vatican, the five Spanish Franciscan friars known collectively as the “Georgia Martyrs” will be beatified in Savannah, Georgia, on October 31. The ceremony will be celebrated by Cardinal Francis Leo of the Archdiocese of Toronto, Canada, as confirmed by the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.
The recognition comes more than four centuries after the missionaries gave their lives in defense of Christian teaching on marriage. In January 2025, Pope Francis officially recognized Father Pedro de Corpa, Father Blas Rodríguez, Father Miguel de Añon, Brother Antonio de Badajóz, and Father Francisco de Veráscola as martyrs for the faith, paving the way for their forthcoming beatification.
Missionary Martyrdom Before Plymouth Rock
Nearly a generation before the Pilgrims set foot on the shores of Massachusetts, these Spanish Franciscans left their homeland to evangelize the Indigenous Guale people who inhabited the coastal plains of what is now Georgia. According to the Georgia Martyrs website, each missionary often served alone in a village of around 1,000 inhabitants, teaching the faith, administering the sacraments, and fostering community among new converts.
Their mission was one of cultural encounter and deep conviction. But it was also fraught with tension, as the newly baptized Indigenous neophytes navigated the intersection of traditional customs and Christian moral teachings.
A Conflict of Faith and Custom
The tragedy of September 1597 began when Juanillo, heir to a Guale chiefdom, sought to take a second wife—a practice common in his culture but forbidden by Church doctrine. Father Pedro de Corpa, serving as Juanillo’s spiritual mentor, refused to condone the act, warning that a baptized Christian could not take multiple wives. He also declared that he could not support Juanillo’s succession if he persisted.
That confrontation sealed the friar’s fate. On September 14, 1597, Juanillo struck Father de Corpa with a stone hatchet, killing him instantly. Enraged followers then led coordinated attacks on the nearby missions, killing the other friars and laying waste to the fragile outposts of faith. Only one friar, Francisco de Avila, survived—though he was captured and tortured for ten months before being ransomed by the governor of St. Augustine.
Legacy Preserved Through Testimony
Remarkably, De Avila refused to testify against his captors, knowing it would mean their execution. His account of the ordeal, later recorded and preserved through secondary sources, provided the most comprehensive narrative of the martyrs’ lives and deaths. Notably, his story was used by Franciscan chronicler Luís Gerónimo de Oré in his 1619 work The Martyrs of Florida. Though the original manuscript has been lost, the testimony endures as a spiritual and historical cornerstone for the Catholic Church in the Americas.
The Long Road to Recognition
The cause for canonization of the Georgia Martyrs began formally in 1950, supported by scholars, clergy, and faithful across the southeastern United States. Their steadfast faith and ultimate sacrifice have since been honored in parishes, schools, and diocesan pilgrimages throughout the region.
As the Church prepares to beatify these early apostles of the New World, their story stands as a potent reminder of both the perils and the promise of evangelization. The beatification not only commemorates their fidelity but also reconnects modern believers with the earliest roots of Christianity on American soil.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from CNA
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