Georgia Martyrs beatified more than 400 years after their deaths

A crowd of approximately 9,000 people gathered in Savannah, Georgia, on Saturday for the beatification of five men known as the Georgia Martyrs.

Friars Pedro de Corpa, Blas Rodríguez, Miguel de Añón, Antonio de Badajóz and Francisco de Veráscola were beatified during a Mass at the Savannah Convention Center, more than 400 years after their martyrdom.

“The 16th-century Franciscan friars from Spain, courageous missionaries ministering to the Guale people in La Florida, are bright lights for our journey of faith, as they reflect the light of Christ into the challenges and complexities of a wounded world,” said Cardinal Frank Leo of Toronto in his homily. Cardinal Leo was the principal celebrant of the Mass.