Miguel Agustín Pro, a Jesuit martyr of the Cristero War

The history of the Society of Jesus and Mexico is closely intertwined, mainly in its modern part, when the religious order successfully spread after its founding in 1540 at the hands of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. In our country there have been mainly two periods in which this Catholic community was persecuted: the first with its expulsion from the Spanish territories in 1767 and during the Cristero War, once the Jesuits had been reestablished in America. However, one of the events that marked both the war and the history of the Jesuits in Mexico was the martyrdom of Father Miguel Agustín Pro.

According to the page JesuitsMiguel Agustín Pro was born in Zacatecas in 1891. The son of a miner, he received his informal education through tutors, so when he entered the Society of Jesus he was academically out of step. However, his piety and prayer made up for his lag.

He made his vows as a Jesuit in 1913, a time of growing conflict between the revolutionaries and the Catholic clergy, who, along with losing some privileges, began to be intransigently violated by the State.

The exile of Miguel Agustín Pro and the Jesuit community

One of the first violent actions against the Jesuits was the burning of the library of the novitiate, perpetrated by soldiers of the Carranza government on August 5, 1914. To protect the members of the community, the rector gave people freedom to exiled in California, United States.

Miguel Agustín Pro arrived in California in October of that same year and a year later he left for Spain for his training in philosophy. He subsequently served in Nicaragua for a year and then returned to Spain. In 1924 he traveled to Enghien, in Belgium, to study theology and sociology, focusing his studies on labor movements. Finally, Miguel Agustín was ordained in 1925.

Meanwhile, in Mexico the conflict between the ecclesial and political elites intensified under the governments of Presidents Álvaro Obregón and Plutarco Elías Calles. The episode, known as the Cristero War, turned the faithful and the military into cannon fodder. Aware of this situation, Pro took advantage of his stay in Europe to prepare as well as possible to return to Mexico.

The return to Mexico

Without difficulties, Miguel Agustín Pro returned to Mexico in June 1926, however, just a month later the Calles Law would prohibit all religious worship and the temples were forced to close their doors.

From then on, all religious and priests began to be indiscriminately harassed and persecuted. However, a large number of believers resisted the State and sought spirituality in hiding. As a consequence, a large number of priests, camouflaged as civilians, continued to administer the sacraments in houses and behind closed doors.

Father Pro was no exception, who returned to live with his family in Mexico City. However, he continued to exercise his ministry and was constantly moving to other points. Likewise, with the help of his blood brothers Humberto and Roberto, they printed and distributed literature of the Catholic Defense League.

Martyrdom of Father Miguel Agustín Pro

However, the life of the young father Pro would be cut short in 1927. According to the Jesuit priest Tom Rochford, “On Sunday, November 13, someone tried to assassinate General Álvaro Obregón with a bomb that exploded harmlessly. The Pro brothers were not involved in the plot, but one of them had sold, a few days before, a car that someone had used in the attack.

Due to this situation, the Pro tried to go into exile in the United States, but were arrested before they managed to mobilize. Luis Segura, the real author of the attack, confessed and turned himself in with the intention of freeing the Pros. However, Plutarco Elías Calles issued direct instructions to give a lesson to Miguel Agustín Pro.

Without the right to trial, on November 23, 1927, “Father Pro” was executed in the presence of important military leaders. The Jesuit’s last acts were to pray and refuse to die blindfolded. Finally, in front of the wall, he extended his arms in the shape of a cross with a rosary in hand.

When the order to fire was given, he shouted in a loud voice, “Long live Christ the King!” His brother Humberto was executed that same morning, but Roberto escaped at the last moment. That morning Luis Segura was also shot.”

The bodies of the Pro were claimed by their father and were veiled in the family home. The funeral services were attended by soldiers and workers, who were moved by the religious. Pro was beatified on September 25, 1988. His body remains in the Sagrada Familia Parish in Colonia Roma. There is also a nearby museum that exhibits his belongings and tells his story.

Font: Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro de Tom Rochford, SJ; translation of Luis Lopez-Yarto, SJ.