Toribio Romo González

Saint
Toribio Romo González
Priest, Martyr
Born (1900-04-16)April 16, 1900
municipality of Jalostotitlán, Jalisco, Mexico
Died February 25, 1928(1928-02-25) (aged 27)
Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico
Venerated in Roman Catholic Church
Beatified November 22, 1992 by Pope John Paul II
Canonized May 21, 2000 by Pope John Paul II
Major shrine Santa Ana de Guadalupe, Jalisco, Mexico
Feast May 21
Patronage Mexican migrants, border crossers, people from Tepatitlan De Morelos Jalisco

Saint Toribio (in Latin Thuribius) Romo González (April 16, 1900 – February 25, 1928) was a Roman Catholic priest and Mexican martyr who died in the Cristero War.

Life

He was born on April 16, 1900, in Santa Ana de Guadalajara, Jalostotitlán, Mexico, the son of Patricio Romo Perez and Juana González Romo.[1] In 1912 he entered the Auxiliary Seminary in San Juan de los Lagos. In 1922 he was ordained as a priest and offered his first Mass on January 5, 1923. He primarily emphasized catechesis. When the religious persecutions began in 1927 he was ordered by the government to confine himself to his residence and was not allowed to pray the Rosary in public or to celebrate Mass.

He served in parishes in Sayula, Tuxpan, Yahualica and Cuquío. When the anti-clerical persecutions began he took up residence in an old factory near AguasCalientes, and used it as a refuge where he continued to celebrate Mass.[1]

Death

On Friday, February 24, 1928, he spent his day organizing the parish registry. Two days before he had sent his brother away for safety. Fr. Toribio finished his work at 4:00am on February 25 and decided to sleep a little. An hour later the government troops arrived and broke into the bedroom where Fr. Toribio was sleeping. One soldier shouted: "Here is the priest, kill him!" He said, "Here I am, but do not kill me."[1]

One soldier fired, and Fr. Toribio rose from his bed and took a few steps until a second bullet caused him to fall into the arms of his sister, who cried in a loud voice: "Courage, Father Toribio...merciful Christ, receive him! Long live Christ the King!"[2]

Chapel dedicated to Fr. Toribio in the main church of Tequila, Jalisco

Veneration

Father Toribio Romo was beatified by Pope John Paul II on November 22, 1992 and canonized on May 21, 2000.[3] His feast day is May 21.

Despite the fact that in 1920, fearing immigrants would lose their values, Father Toribio wrote a play titled "Let's go north!" that warned migrants against traveling to the States,[4] there is a belief among some Mexicans that Toribio Romo has appeared to some who cross the border illegally to assist them in distress.[5] In the late 1970s migrants began telling stories about St. Toribio coming to their rescue.[3]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Orozco, Luis Alfonso. "Toribio Romo González, Santo", www.santotoribioromo.com
  2. ↑ "Santo Toribio Romo Gonzalez", Archdiocese of Puebla
  3. 1 2 Corchado, Alfredo. "The Migrant's Saint: Toribio Romo is a Favorite of Mexicans Crossing the Border", Dallas Morning News, July 2006
  4. ↑ Bermudez, Esmeralda. "Faithful flock to see statue of Santo Toribio, the immigrants' saint", Los Angeles Times, July 12, 2014
  5. ↑ Romo, David. "My Tío, the Saint", Texas Monthly, November 2010

Additional sources

  • Gutierrez, Marco A. Garcia. "Toribio Romo: protector de los mojados: es un espejismo del desierto que hace milagros de carne y hueso." Contenido, June, 2002 (in Spanish)
  • Murphy, James. The Martyrdom of Saint Toribio Romo. Liguori Publications (November 1, 2007)
  • Thompson, Ginger. "Santa Ana de Guadalupe Journal; A Saint Who Guides Migrants to a Promised Land." The New York Times, August 14, 2002.
  • Sheehan, Thomas. Dictionary of Patron Saints' Names. Our Sunday Visitor (September 2001)
  • Chapman, Erica. Trad. oral. 2016
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