PHOTOS: Savannah gives thanks for newly beatified Georgia Martyrs

A standing-room-only congregation filled the Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist on All Saints’ Day as Bishop Stephen D. Parkes proposed ways to carry the friars’ witness.

SAVANNAH, Georgia — Light drizzle fell outside the Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist as a standing-room-only congregation gathered Nov. 1 to give thanks for the beatification of the five Georgia Martyrs, Franciscan missionaries killed in 1597.

By the conclusion of Mass, blue skies and large white clouds had replaced the rain. Inside the cathedral, a spirit of joy and thanksgiving marked the celebration, held on the solemnity of All Saints, one day after the friars were declared blessed at the Savannah Convention Center.

Archbishop Gregory J. Hartmayer of Atlanta presided, and Savannah Bishop Stephen D. Parkes delivered the homily. Cardinal Frank Leo of Toronto, who had presided over Saturday’s beatification as Pope Leo XIV’s representative, was among the concelebrants. Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia, the apostolic nuncio to the United States, also attended.

Parkes urged those celebrating to consider how they would carry the gift of the martyrs’ witness beyond the weekend’s events.

“We have received a gift,” he said.

The bishop suggested introducing couples preparing for sacramental marriage to the newly beatified friars. He spoke of engaged couples learning their story, receiving an image of them and praying for their intercession for faithfulness in marriage. He also proposed prayers at weddings for the newly married couple.

“There are many other ways we can continue to honor these holy men,” he said.

The newly beatified friars are Pedro de Corpa, Blas Rodríguez de Cuacos, Miguel de Añón, Antonio de Badajoz, and Francisco de Veráscola. Four were priests; de Badajoz was a lay brother. All came from Spain and served in missions among the Indigenous Guale people in what is now coastal Georgia.

According to the Diocese of Savannah’s account, the violence began in 1597 after de Corpa opposed a baptized Guale leader’s decision to take a second wife. The account identifies Juanillo, who was in line for leadership, as the man who killed Pedro. Juanillo then led a war party against other missions. Five friars died during the uprising.

Pope Francis authorized recognition of their martyrdom on Jan. 27, 2025. The decree identified their deaths as having occurred in hatred of the faith, clearing the way for their beatification. The diocesan investigation had opened in 1984 and concluded in 2007.

Beatification confers the title “blessed” on a person and permits public veneration within the places or religious communities authorized by the Church. It is distinct from canonization, which extends that recognition to the universal Church.

The Georgia Martyrs’ liturgical memorial is Sept. 22.

The celebration also received attention in Rome. After the Nov. 1 Angelus in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Leo recalled the friars’ missionary service and their deaths.

“Let us invoke the intercession of these martyrs for all missionaries of the Gospel,” he said.

In Savannah, Parkes described the response to the beatification in terms of stewardship.

“We should always accept it with gratitude, with thanksgiving in our hearts,” he said.

“When we receive a gift, we should tend it responsibly,” he continued, “and also return it with increase.”