Friends of the Rosary,
Today, May 21, is the Memorial of St. Christopher (Cristobal) Magallanes (1869-1927) and martyrs — twenty-one diocesan priests and three devout laymen, all members of the Cristeros movement.
As they pledged their allegiance to Christ and to the church, the Cristeros rose up in rebellion against the anti-Catholic Mexican government during the 1920s,

The anti-Christian government closed churches, schools, and seminaries; foreign clergy were expelled, and declared it a crime to receive baptism or celebrate the Mass.

Christopher Magallanes established a seminary in Totatiche, Jalisco, and secretly spread the Gospel and ministered to the people.

Captured by government authorities, he was heard to shout from his jail cell: "I am innocent, and I die innocent. I forgive with all my heart those responsible for my death, and I ask God that the shedding of my blood serve the peace of our divided Mexico."

Like Blessed Miguel Agustin Pro, S.J. (November 23), Cristobal and his twenty-four companion martyrs lived under a very anti-Catholic government in Mexico, determined to weaken the Catholic faith of its people.

These martyrs did not die as a single group but in eight Mexican states, with Jalisco and Zacatecas having the largest number. They were beatified in 1992 and canonized eight years later.

Ave Maria!
Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

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• May 21, 2026, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET