Relics of Mexican martyrs coming to St. Joseph the Worker

Friday, Sep. 05, 2025

WEST JORDAN — Relics of several Mexican martyrs will be on display at Saint Joseph the Worker Catholic Church in West Jordan Sept. 26-28.

The relics of St. Luis Batiz Sainz, St. Rodrigo Aguilar Aleman, St. Miguel de la Mora de la Mora, St. Pedro de Jesus Maldonado Lucero, St. Jose Maria Robles Hurtado and St. Mateo Correa Magallanes will be displayed. Each priest was a member of the Knights of Columbus. All were martyred during an anti-Catholic period in the early 1900s; they were canonized by Pope John Paul II on May 21, 2000.

St. José María Robles Hurtado was a parish priest in Tecolotlán, Jalisco. He was arrested on June 25, 1927 and hanged the next day, blessing his executioners. In its furnishings, the Sanctuary of the Martyrs in Guadalajara uses wood from the tree from which he was hanged.

St. Mateo Correa Magallanes was a priest in Zacatecas. He was arrested while bringing the Eucharist to an invalid. While in jail, he heard the confessions of some of the Cristeros, who were Catholic men fighting against the government’s persecution of the Church. St. Magallanes was ordered by a Mexican general to reveal what the Cristeros had said, but he refused to break the Seal of Confession. He was shot on Feb. 6, 1927.

St. Luis Batiz Sainz also was a priest in Zacatecas. In 1926, before the government closed the church, he was accused of refusing to follow the anti-religious laws. He was captured and shot on Aug. 15 alongside layman Manuel Morales, despite pleading for Morales’ life.

St. Rodrigo Aguilar Aleman was a priest in Unión de Tula, Jalisco. He was hanged in 1927 after being captured when 600 soldiers surrounded his town. He died proclaiming his faith in Christ and Our Lady of Guadalupe.

St. Miguel de la Mora de la Mora, chaplain of Colima Cathedral, continued to celebrate the sacraments even after they were banned by the government. Betrayed and captured along with his brother, St. Miguel was shot while praying the rosary in front of his brother, who was set free.

St. Pedro de Jesús Maldonado Lucero was a priest in Chihuahua. Even after the Cristero War ended in 1929, anti-Catholic sentiment remained. On Ash Wednesday 1937, Fr. Maldonado was beaten by a group of drunken men. He died from a skull fracture. His headstone reads, “You are a priest.”

The stories of these martyrs have been depicted in movies such as the 2012 film For Greater Glory, which highlights the Cristero War and the story of 13-year-old José Luis Sánchez, who became a flag bearer for the rebels. He was captured and killed for refusing to renounce his faith.

Saint Joseph the Worker Parish previously presented the Relics of Christ’s Passion and the relics of Fr. Michael McGivney. The exhibit of the Mexican martyrs came about after the Utah Knights met to talk about how they could help Hispanics grow closer to the Church. During the discussion, “the other relics’ visits came to light and we realized that many Hispanics attended, so from there we decided to bring these relics to Utah,” said Juan C. Arriaga, Hispanic development director of the Utah Knights of Columbus, which is sponsoring the display.

“Seeing the faith in the people who have attended the other relics’ visits, we decided to look for more to offer and to express our faith in our daily lives, and what better way than through these relics?” Arriaga said. 

The relics can help people “become more excited about getting closer to our Church, to grow in faith and to grow into better Christians,” he said.

The Knights of Columbus “are actively looking for ways to help and serve the community,” Arriaga said, and “these relic visits are something big that we invite all to come and witness firsthand.”

Now more than ever people need to get closer to God, Arriaga said. “Evil is everywhere, confusing people and wanting to destroy our unity, but if we are united in our parishes it is very hard for temptations to conquer.” 

The relics can teach “how these martyrs died for the faith,” he said. “They never stopped carrying their crosses and they became saints. People should not be afraid or embarrassed to live as Christians.”

“This is a great opportunity for all the faithful in Utah to visit these relics, which have never ever been here before,” he added. 

The relics have been venerated in parishes across Mexico and the United States. They are permanently housed at the Sanctuary of the Martyrs of Christ the King in Guadalajara, Mexico.

WHAT: Mexican Martyrs’ Relics 

WHEN: Friday-Sunday, Sept. 26-28 

            3-9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday

            Sunday at 8:30 a.m., Mass at 9 and 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

WHERE: St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church, 7405 S. Redwood Road, West Jordan

Free and open to the public.