In January, Pope Francis formally recognized the martyrdom of five Spanish Franciscans, known as the Georgia Martyrs, who were killed while serving in the Guale Missions in 1597. The date for the beatification ceremony has not been announced.
“We’re super happy for the Georgia Martyrs cause. So many years of work went into it,” said Lynn Mangan. “We’re now encouraged that Rome approved the historical context for the Georgia Martyrs, which is very similar to ours.” Mangan is a vice postulator for the Florida Martyrs. The cause is officially called Servants of God Antonio Inija and 57 Companions. A Guale leader stirred up a rebellion and killed the Georgia Martyrs after he was told, as a Christian, he couldn’t take a second wife. The 58 Florida Martyrs died in 14 events between 1549 and 1715. Many of them died at the hands of the British and their allies, the Creeks. They include:
• Missionaries from the Dominican, Jesuit, Franciscan and St. John of God orders • Indigenous people from the Apalachee, Aypaja, Guale and Timucua tribes • Individuals from Spain and of Spanish descent from Cuba and Florida • Laymen, women and children (including one unborn)
The martyrdoms occurred in what was then the historic lands of La Florida, which today encompasses six of the seven dioceses of Florida, the Dioceses of Richmond, Va., Mobile, Ala., and Savannah, Ga. The cause was opened on Oct. 12, 2015, and the Historical Commission began its formal research. Members delved into archives in Cuba, Mexico, Spain, London and Rome, Florida and Georgia. “At one point, there were over 200 martyrs under investigation, but not all of these proposed martyrs had the documentation that Rome requires,” Mangan said. On Feb. 14, 2022, Bishop William A. Wack of the Diocese of Pensacola- Tallahassee submitted to Rome the names of martyrs whose deaths could be properly documented. The lead martyr is Antonio Inija, an Apalachee leader who lived at the mission of San Luis, in what is now Tallahassee. Col. James Moore, governor of the Carolinas, and his Creek allies captured them as they tried to protect a neighboring mission. On Jan. 26, 1704, they were tied to stakes and set on fire. While Antonio was being tortured, he had a vision of the Blessed Mother and encouraged his companions as they suffered. The Diocese of St. Augustine has three martyrs:
Father Pedro Martínez arrived in La Florida in 1566 with a group of Jesuits to evangelize the indigenous. Natives allied with the French Huguenots killed him as he waited in a boat for his companions who had gone ashore. He was the first Jesuit martyr in the New World. *Fr. Pedro Martinez
Father Agustín Ponce de León, OFM, born and baptized in St. Augustine, became the first Florida-born priest martyr. A descendent of the explorer Ponce de Leon, he grew up in St. Augustine in a prominent family but chose a life of poverty with the Franciscans. He joined a rescue attempt and was killed while administering the sacraments to the wounded natives of his mission. *Fr. Augustin Ponce de Leon
A great Indian Chief and prominent layman, Don Patricio de Hinachuba was a well-educated native of Ivitachuco, a town in Apalachee Province. A prominent layman, Don Patricio corresponded with the King of Spain. To escape the invading English, he and a number of Apalachees relocated to an area south of St. Augustine. He was killed by the Creeks in 1706. *Don Patricio de Hinachuba
The documentation was sent to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints at the Vatican, which oversees the lengthy process that begins at the diocesan level and works its way to the pope. Because they died for their faith, martyrs only need one miracle to be canonized instead of two. “It’s an amazing process. You can understand why an individual or group is declared a saint, and you can see God’s hand in all the extraordinary work. It’s a good process to learn patience,” said Mangan.
This article was originally published in the St. Augustine Catholic, Summer 2025 edition