*Antonio Inija

 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