Today the Catholic Church celebrates the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe - more commonly known as the Feast of Christ the King. Although the recognition of Christ as King goes back to the Gospels themselves, this feast is a relatively recent addition to the Church's liturgical calendar. Pope Pius XI instituted the feast in response to growing secularism - such as the anti-clerical laws that led to the Cristero War in Mexico. The rallying cry of the Cristeros was "Viva Christo Rey!" (Long live Christ the King!).
With that in mind, today I want to share a little about the Cristero War Martyrs. On May 21, 2000, Pope St. John Paul II canonized a group of 25 saints and martyrs who had died in this conflict. The majority are Priests who were executed for carrying out their ministry despite the suppression under the anti-clerical laws. They share the feast day of May 21.
One of these priests was named Mateo Correa Magallanes. St. Mateo was a member of the Knights of Columbus and was ordained to the priesthood in 1893. As a young priest, he gave First Communion to Miguel Pro, who also became a priest and was later martyred himself.
Fr. Mateo was arrested in 1927 while taking the Blessed Sacrament to a dying woman. Accused of being part of the armed Cristero rebellion, he was imprisoned. On February 5, 1927, Fr. Mateo was asked by General Ortiz to hear the confessions of some of the imprisoned Cristeros. After Fr. Mateo administered the sacrament, General Ortiz demanded to know what the prisoners had confessed. Fr. Mateo refused to violate the seal of the confessional. A gun was put to his head and he was threatened with immediate death if he did not comply. He continued to refuse. The next morning, he was taken to the cemetery and shot through the head.
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