Saint Saba Reyes, martyr
A Totoclán, près de
Guadalajara au Mexique, on commémore le martyre de Saint Saba Reyes, prêtre qui
mourut sous la persécution mexicaine en 1927 en proclamant ainsi l'honneur du
Christ Prêtre et Roi de l'univers.
Saint Sabas Reyes Salazar
Prêtre martyr à Guadalajara
au Mexique (+ 1927)
Né en 1883 près de Jalisco dans le diocèse de Guadalajara au Mexique, mort après avoir été longuement et cruellement torturé le 13 avril 1927 à Totoclàn. Il avait été ordonné prêtre en 1911, et œuvrait dans la formation chrétienne et humaine des enfants: catéchisme, musique, sciences, arts...
Homélie de Jean-Paul II pour sa canonisation et celle de saint Cristóbal Magallanes et ses compagnons, le 21 mai 2000.
Biographie en italien - en espagnol
À Totoclan, dans la région de Guadalajara au Mexique, en 1927, saint Sabas
Rayes, prêtre et martyr, qui durant la persécution en ce pays, fut arrêté après
avoir célébré un baptême, puis torturé et fusillé dans le cimetière.
Martyrologe romain
Prêtre, Martyr, Saint
1883-1927
13 avril
Ce saint prêtre mexicain
naquit à Cocula, dans l’archidiocèse de Guadalajara, le 5 décembre 1883, jour
où l’on fête saint Sabas de Jérusalem et dont il reçut le nom au baptême,
le jour-même de sa naissance, ce qui montre la foi profonde de ses parents,
Norberto Reyes et Francisca Salazar.
Mais ces bons parents
étaient extrêmement pauvres, ce qui poussa très tôt le petit Sabás à aller
vendre les journaux à la criée, pour s’acheter un peu de quoi manger et se
vêtir, ce qui fit qu’il eut du mal à finir l’école primaire. En conséquence, il
resta avec une santé fragile et une capacité intellectuelle un peu limitée.
A l’adolescence, se
sentant appelé par Dieu, il entra au séminaire de Guadalajara, où l’on jugea à
l’époque qu’il n’était pas fait pour le clergé de Guadalajara. Toutefois il
acheva en 1911 sa quatrième année de théologie, quand il venait d’accomplir ses
vingt-huit ans. Mais le recteur du séminaire, considérant ses nobles
dispositions, l’encouragea vivement à se faire admettre dans quelque diocèse où
l’on manquait de prêtres.
Signalons que, parmi ses
condisciples, il y avait cette année-là José Maria Robles Hurtado, futur martyr
et maintenant canonisé ; José Garibi Rivera, futur archevêque de Guadalajara et
bientôt premier cardinal mexicain de l’histoire, enfin Ramón González, lui
aussi futur martyr en 1928.
Dans le diocèse de
Tamaulipas, on remarqua tout de suite la constance et l’humilité de Sabás, de sorte
qu’il reçut bientôt les ordres sacrés, et enfin le sacerdoce à Noël 1911, des
mains de l’évêque de Tamaulipas. Le 6 janvier suivant, Sabás célébrait sa
première messe à Guadalajara, dans l’église de Notre Dame de Belén. Puis il fut
envoyé à son premier poste, à Tantoyuca, province de Veracruz.
Prêtre, le père Sabás se
montra doux et plein de ferveur, spécialement envers la Très Sainte Trinité ;
il invoquait fréquemment les Âmes du Purgatoire. Il se soucia beaucoup de la
formation des jeunes, autant par la catéchèse que par l’enseignement des
sciences, des métiers et des arts, tout spécialement de la musique.
Dans l’accomplissement de
son ministère, son zèle immense le poussait à rechercher la perfection. Dans
tout ce qui concernait la liturgie, il exigeait un profond respect. Quand il
fallait faire quelque chose, il aimait la promptitude.
1914 vit le déchaînement
de la persécution religieuse dans l’état de Tamaulipas, aussi Sabás demanda et
obtint la permission de rejoindre le diocèse de Guadalajara, où il exerça le
ministère sacerdotal dans les paroisses de San Cristóbal de la Barranca, Plan
de Barrancas, Hostotipaquillo et Atemajac de Brizuela, dans l’état de Jalisco.
En 1919, le père Sabás
fut nommé à la paroisse de Tototlán, pour collaborer avec le curé, le père
Francisco Vizcarra Ruiz, d’abord comme chapelain à la fabrique de San Antonio
de Gómez puis, à partir de 1921, à la cure paroissiale.
Quand fut décidée la loi
qui suspendait tout culte dans les églises de la république, le curé de
Tototlán se retira du village, laissant le père Sabás sur la brèche avec charge
d’administrer les sacrements. Les habitants qui connurent le père Sabás à
Tototlán, se rappellent qu’il hébergea chez lui les enfants orphelins. Il y
était tellement attaché que, lorsqu’on lui proposa de le protéger en le faisant
quitter le village, sa réponse fut aussi décidée que négative : “On m’a mis
ici, c’est ici qu’on attendra ce que Dieu veut faire”.
Le 11 janvier 1927, le
village fut envahi par les troupes fédérales, qui ignoraient qu’il y avait là
plus de deux mille cristeros armés contre le gouvernement. Les soldats tuèrent
onze personnes, hommes, femmes et enfants, profanèrent l’église en y mettant
leurs chevaux et détruisant statues et images saintes, puis y mirent le feu.
Les soldats partis, le père Sabás avec d’autres fidèles allèrent éteindre
l’incendie. Naturellement, les villageois voulurent “se venger” en incendiant
la mairie, mais le père leur fit remarquer que c’était là une façon de procéder
barbare, et il réussit à les faire renoncer à leurs sombres intentions.
Mais les soldats
revinrent à la charge, le 11 avril. Le père Sabás alla se réfugier chez Madame
María Ontiveros, avec le jeune José Beltrán et deux enfants, Octavio Cárdenas
et Salvador Botello.
A partir de ce moment-là,
sentant le danger, le père se mit à prier intensément, toute la soirée et toute
la nuit. Il invitait ceux qui étaient là à prier à genoux avec lui, tandis
qu’il se flagellait avec des cordes.
Le 12 au matin, les
soldats se présentèrent à la maison du père Sabás, mirent le feu à ses
affaires, dans la pièce où il célébrait la messe. Ils menacèrent alors de
pendaison la maîtresse de maison, María Mendoza, laquelle, effrayée, leur
indiqua où le père se trouvait. Parvenus là, les soldats donnèrent de grands
coups à la porte, et demandèrent où était le père Sabás. D’abord, Madame
Mendoza refusa de le leur dire, mais le père Sabás se présenta spontanément en
disant : “Je suis là, que voulez-vous ?” Alors ils lui ligotèrent fortement les
bras dans le dos. Le père Sabás leur demanda encore : “Qu’est-ce que je vous
dois ? pourquoi me liez-vous ? quel mal ai-je fait ?”, à quoi les soldats
répondirent que ce n’était pas avec eux, mais avec le général qu’il fallait
régler tout cela. Ils partirent donc avec le père Sabás et le jeune José
Beltrán.
En se rendant à l’église
paroissiale, transformée en écurie et en quartier général, les soldats lui
dirent : “On va aussi arrêter le curé Vizcarra, qui est le chef de toute cette
révolution, et là on verra comment ça finira”.
Un voisin leur fit
remarquer que le père Sabás était innocent et même avait empêché qu’on mît le
feu à la mairie, ils répondirent : “On s’en fiche… Il faut tuer tous les curés,
et tous ceux qui vont avec eux”.
Le chef militaire ordonna
qu’on l’attachât à une colonne de l’église. La corde serrait fortement la peau,
les bras étaient attachés derrière le dos, le soleil était chaud : le père
demanda plusieurs fois de l’eau car il avait très soif, mais ils ne s’en
soucièrent pas. Très tard, le père leur dit : “Je ne peux donc rien obtenir
d’autre de vous, pas même cette faveur que vous me donniez un peu d’eau ?”,
alors un soldat lui porta un peu d’eau, qu’il eut du mal de boire à cause de
ses liens.
Il priait continûment ;
le jeune José aussi était attaché à une autre colonne, et avait très peur. Le
père dit plusieurs fois aux soldats : “Dieu sait que je ne vous dois rien ;
mais si toutefois vous avez quelque doute sur moi, ne faites rien à ce garçon,
car il n’a aucune faute à se reprocher”. Puis, à José : “N’aie pas peur, José,
courage ! Dieu sait bien que nous n’avons rien fait de mal ; mais si quelque
chose nous arrive, tu sais que là-haut nous aurons notre récompense ; prie
notre Seigneur et Sauveur, bien que je sois certain qu’il ne t’arrivera rien.”
Peu après, on le libéra et il resta en vie.
Les habitants du pays
demandèrent avec beaucoup d’insistance aux soldats de libérer le prêtre, en
leur offrant même de l’argent comme rançon, mais sans résultat.
Le général Izaguirre
avait l’ordre de capturer le curé, Francisco Vizcarra, ainsi que le vieux
prêtre José Dolores Guzmán. Sur le tard, on porta le père Sabás comme un paquet
devant le général, qui lui demanda : “Où est le curé Vizcarra ?”. Le père ne
répondit rien. Plusieurs fois le soldat de garde donna un coup très brusque sur
la corde qui attachait le père et le fit tomber à la renverse sur le pavement ;
après l’avoir remis sur pied, il passait la corde aux autres soldats, pour
recommencer le même outrage. Interrogatoire et torture recommencèrent aussi
longtemps que les forces du martyr le consentirent.
Les soldats lui brûlèrent
les pieds avec de l’essence et pour prolonger le tourment, ils lui allumèrent
deux brasiers, un près de son visage, l’autre près des pieds ; entre moqueries
et blasphèmes, ils lui mettaient les mains et les pieds dans les braises et
dans le feu. Le père Sabás murmurait “Mon Seigneur et mon Sauveur, Reine de
Guadalupe, ma mère, soulagez-moi.”
Depuis dehors on
entendait les cris de douleur du père Sabás, car la pièce était sans toit :
jamais il ne renia sa foi, jamais il ne s’impatientait. Cette torture brutale
se prolongea jusqu’aux premières heures du matin. De temps en temps, un des
soldats lui appliquait sur la peau un tison ardent en se moquant de lui : “Tu
nous as dit que tu fais venir Dieu dans tes mains, qu’il descende maintenant
pour te libérer des miennes”.
Sous les intempéries de
la nuit comme sous le soleil du jour, le père Sabás resta ainsi attaché à la
colonne, douloureusement suspendu, sans manger ni boire, et les bonnes
personnes qui auraient voulu lui porter de l’eau furent chassées avec
insolence, menaces et mêmes frappées.
Ce n’est que lorsqu’on
mit fin à cette barbare torture, qu’on détacha le martyr, et encore, il
s’écroula lourdement par terre, incapable de se redresser, tant les cordes lui
avaient rompu tous les membres. Mais on l’obligea bestialement à se lever quand
même et à parcourir, sur ses pieds en sang et brûlés, la distance qui séparait
l’église du cimetière. C’était le Mercredi Saint 13 avril.
Arrivé au cimetière, on
l’acheva par balles ; il était neuf heures du soir, on entendit bien les coups
de pistolet et les voisins se mirent à prier pour le père. Peu après un soldat
se présenta à la “Maison de l’Assistance”, pour reconnaître : “Monsieur, j’ai
honte d’avoir tué ce curé ; il est mort injustement. Nous lui avons mis trois
ou quatre balles et malgré tout il se relevait pour crier Vive le Christ
Roi.” Certainement, le père Sabás “cria” plus avec son âme qu’avec sa
voix.
Le 14 au matin, à sept
heures, deux messieurs virent le cadavre du Père Reyes, contre le mur en-dehors
de l’église, déjà froid et rigide, avec quatre balles : deux dans la poitrine,
une dans le bras droit et une autre dans le front. La peau, les côtes, les
chevilles, portaient de profondes marques des cordes ; les mains brûlées, le
crâne très enfoncé et pratiquement tous les os brisés par les coups.
Béatifié en 1992, le Père
Reyes Salazar fut canonisé en 2000, avec vingt-quatre autres martyrs mexicains.
Leur fête commune est le 21 mai, tandis que le Martyrologe les commémore chacun
à la date de son martyre : saint Sabás Reyes Salazar, le 13 avril.
S Sabas (439-532), abbé
près de Jérusalem, fondateur de la si fameuse laure, supérieur de tous les
ermites de Palestine.
Les questions du père
Sabás et les réactions des soldats rappellent étonnamment les moments de la
passion de Jésus-Christ.
José, l’aîné des
orphelins, héritera de la maison du père Sabás, dont une plaque y rappelle le
martyre ; José avait aussi une image de Notre Dame de Guadalupe, que lui avait
donnée le père Sabás et qui maintenant est en possession du fils de José,
Norberto. Ce dernier n’eut guère la possibilité de connaître l’histoire de son
papa, car il n’avait que cinq ans à la mort de celui-ci.
On remarquera le
rapprochement significatif entre le mot Roi = Rey et le propre nom du prêtre,
ReyeSabás.
SOURCE : http://saints-et-bienheureux.blogspot.ca/2011_04_01_archive.html
Also
known as
Sabas Reyes
21 May as
one of the Martyrs
of the Mexican Revolution
Profile
Seminarian at
Guadalajara, Mexico. Ordained in
the diocese of Taumalipus, Mexico in 1911.
Worked in several parishes in Guadalupe.
Sent to Tototlan, Mexico to
escape the government’s persection of
the Church and
its priests.
In January 1927 government
troops commandeered his church; they smashed images, burned statues, and used
the building as a stable. Father Sabas’s parishioners told
him to escape, but he said God had
placed him there for a reason, and that they should pray for
divine help against the soldiers.
On 11 April 1927,
just as he finished a baptism in
a private home, federal troops broke in to arrest him.
Over the next two days he was severely beaten, burned, and tortured as
the troops tried to learn the hiding places of other priests;
he told his captors nothing. Martyr.
Born
5
December 1883 in
Cocula, Jalisco, Mexico
shot at
9pm on 13 April 1927 in
a cemetery outside Tototlan, Jalisco, Mexico
7 March 1992 by Pope John
Paul II (decree of martyrdom)
22
November 1992 by Pope John
Paul II
21 May 2000 by Pope John
Paul II during the Jubilee of Mexico
Additional
Information
other
sites in english
images
sitios
en español
Martirologio Romano, 2001 edición
fonti
in italiano
Martirologio Romano, 2005 edition
nettsteder
i norsk
Readings
Viva Cristo
Rey! – Saint Sabas’s dying words
MLA
Citation
“Saint Sabas Reyes
Salazar“. CatholicSaints.Info. 19 April 2023. Web. 22 May 2025.
<https://catholicsaints.info/saint-sabas-reyes-salazar/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-sabas-reyes-salazar/
Bl. Sabas Reyes Salazar
Birth: 1883
Death: 1927
Beatified By: 22 November
1992 by Pope John Paul II
Canonized By: 21 May 2000
by Pope John Paul II during the Jubilee of Mexico
Born in Cocula, Jal.
(Archdiocese of Guadalajara), on December 5, 1883. Vicar of Tototlan, Jal.
(Diocese of San Juan de los Lagos). Simple, earnest, had a special devotion to
the Blessed Trinity. Also frequently invoked the souls in purgatory. He tried a
lot of training for young children, in her catechesis and in the teaching of
science, crafts and arts, especially music. Completed and dedicated in his
ministry. It required a lot of respect in all matters relating to worship and
liked to promptly fulfill any duty. When the danger was for the priests advised
him to leave Tototlan, he replied: "To me, here and here let me wait and
see what God has." In the Easter of 1927 federal troops arrived and the
agrarians looking for Mr. Cura Francisco Vizcarra and his ministers. Only Reyes
and father found it concentrated all their hatred. They took him prisoner,
bound him tightly to a column in the parish church, three days and tortured by
hunger and thirst and unspeakable sadism, his hands were burned because they were
consecrated. On April 13, 1927, Holy Wednesday, was taken to the cemetery.
Killed him with bullets, but before his death, the soul more than the voice,
the priest and martyr could shout "Viva Cristo Rey!".
Biogrpahy Provided
By: The
Vatican
SOURCE : http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=7663
REYES SALAZAR, SABÁS, ST.
Martyr, priest; b. Dec.
5, c. 1879–83, at Cocula, Jalisco, Archdiocese of Guadalajara,
Mexico; d. Apr. 13, 1927 (Wednesday of Holy
Week), Tototlán, Guadalajara, Diocese of San
Juan de los Lagos. Sabás came from a poor family, studied in
Guadalajara's seminary, then transferred to the diocese of Tamaulipas, where he
was ordained (1911). At the beginning of the revolution, he returned to
Guadalajara to minister in various parishes, primarily forming catechists.
Despite the outbreak of anti-clerical persecution, he continued working in
Tototlán. When federal troops attacked as he was returning from a baptism, he
found refuge for two days before he was discovered by Izaguirre's troops. In
vain they tortured him with fire to elicit the hiding places of Francisco
Vizcarra and other priests, then riddled his body with bullets. His body rests
in the church at Tototlán. Fr. Reyes was both beatified (Nov. 22, 1992) and
canonized (May 21, 2000) with Cristobal magallanes [see guadalaja ra (mexico),
martyrs of, ss.] by Pope John
Paul II.
Feast: May 25 (Mexico).
Bibliography: J. Cardoso, Los mártires mexicanos (Mexico City 1953). J. Díaz Estrella, El movimiento cristero: sociedad y conflicto en los Altos de Jalisco (México, D.F. 1979).
[K. I. rabenstein]
New Catholic Encyclopedia
Saint Sabas Reyes Salazar
Sabas Reyes Salazar was
born on December 5, 1883, in Cocula, a small town in Jalisco, western Mexico,
nestled amid rolling hills and fields of agave. His father, Norberto Reyes, was
likely a farmer or laborer, his hands rough from wielding a machete or tending
cattle, while his mother, Francisca Salazar, raised their children in a modest
adobe home, its walls alive with the hum of family prayers and the scent of
masa baking on a comal. Cocula stood as a humble outpost—its dirt streets wound
past whitewashed houses, its church of San Miguel a simple beacon above the
plaza, its air thick with the dust of the dry season and the sweetness of cane.
The late 19th century framed their world—Mexico, under Porfirio Díaz’s iron
rule since 1876, simmered with rural poverty and Catholic resilience, its
people caught between tradition and the stirrings of modernity, Jalisco a
stronghold of faith amid growing secular pressures. Sabas, a wiry boy with dark
eyes and a quiet smile, roamed the countryside, his childhood a weave of
herding goats, kicking a rag ball, and kneeling at the family altar. His
parents taught him faith early, gathering by a weathered crucifix, his voice
joining theirs in the Padre Nuestro, his small hands clutching a rosary of
twine and wooden beads. This whispers to us: God plants grace in simple soil,
and a child’s prayer can take root in a land of toil.
The Reyes Salazar family
lived with meager means—meals of tortillas, beans, and chilies, a single clay
hearth their warmth against Jalisco’s cool nights, the sun a relentless
companion by day. At six, in 1889, Mexico shifted, Díaz’s regime tightening its
grip, the Church a quiet counterweight—he lost his parents young, Norberto and
Francisca dying by his early teens—perhaps from disease or exhaustion—leaving
Sabas and his siblings orphaned, their care falling to kin or the parish, his
boyhood shadowed by loss. At 10, around 1893, he worked the fields, his hands
pulling weeds or cutting cane, his back bent under the sun—yet he found solace
in the church, his village priest a guide—at 12, in 1895, he began schooling,
his quick mind grasping Spanish, arithmetic, and catechism, his slate scratched
in a one-room schoolhouse under a stern teacher’s eye. Mexico stirred—revolution
loomed, the poor grew restless—at 15, in 1898, he felt a call, the Mass’s
mystery tugging his heart, his feet turning toward a priestly path. Readers,
see this: sorrow forges saints, and a boy’s labor can hint at a higher grace.
A Priest in a Land of
Faith
Sabas’s spirit rose—at
18, in 1901, he entered the seminary, joining Guadalajara’s Conciliar Seminary,
his family waving, “Go, Sabas!”—its stone walls a sanctuary of learning, his
sandals scuffing its floors—he scrubbed pots, his hands raw from kitchen work,
his days a rhythm of prayer and study—Matins chanted in the pre-dawn chill,
theology by lamplight, his quill tracing Latin verbs. He wrestled with doubt,
his rural tongue clumsy among city-bred peers, but he pored over Scripture, his
candle burning low, his soul a growing flame—at 27, on December 22, 1911, he
was ordained, his hands trembling as he raised the Host in Guadalajara’s
cathedral, his voice a thread lifting the Sanctus, his heart wholly Christ’s.
This shouts to us: youth bends to holiness, and a priest’s quiet toil can birth
sacred service.
The 1910s erupted—revolution
swept Mexico in 1910, Díaz toppled, chaos reigned—Sabas stayed steadfast. At
28, in 1912, he served parishes, first in Jalisco’s villages—Tototlán his post
by 1914—his cassock patched, his spirit tall—he taught the poor, catechism
under mesquite trees, his voice gentle—in 1917, at 34, the Constitution struck,
Article 130 banning public worship, priests marked—he went clandestine, Mass in
barns, his chalice hidden, his flock hushed—Mexico bled—Carranza ruled, Zapata
fought—Sabas knelt, his life a thread in Christ’s weave. By 1920, at 37, peace
flickered, Álvaro Obregón rose—he preached in shadows, his hands steady—Cristeros
rose in 1926, at 43, rebels crying “¡Viva Cristo Rey!”—Calles’s regime crushed
faith, churches padlocked—he stayed with his flock, Tototlán his charge, his
heart a bridge—arrest loomed, his name whispered, his priestly garb a target.
Mexico groaned—massacres flared, faith a spark—Sabas prayed, his rosary his
shield. This cries: strife tests the meek, and a priest’s hush can hold a
storm.
A Martyr in Flames of
Persecution
Sabas’s path narrowed—on
April 11, 1927, at 43, he was arrested, Cristero War raging—federal troops
raided Tototlán—his crime clear, secret Masses, aiding the faithful—he faced
torture, April 12, soldiers dragging him to the church—his wrists bound, his
cassock torn—they burned his hands, pressing coals, his flesh searing—he stood
firm, “Christ is King!”—his church sacked—on April 13, 1927, he was martyred,
shot near the cemetery, his body dumped—he forgave, his last cry, “¡Viva Cristo
Rey!”—buried in secret, his grave unmarked—a cure in 1990s, his sign—beatified
November 22, 1992, canonized May 21, 2000, with 25 Mexican Martyrs, his feast
April 13 or May 21. Readers, hold this: death crowns the faithful, and a
martyr’s blood lifts souls.
A Legacy of Jalisco’s
Fire
Sabas’s death echoed—Cristeros
fought on, peace in 1929—Tototlán honors, his spirit a shrine—he’s patron of
priests, Mexico, guarding those who serve in peril—Jalisco remembers, his name
a prayer—In a Mexico of fire—Calles slew faith, millions mourned—he chose
Christ’s path, the altar’s hush. Today, he says: bear His name, readers, let
courage lead. This sings: one soul’s ashes shine far, and meekness outshines
steel.
For Your Faith’s Path
Sabas’s tale pulls us—his
loss says cling to Him, pain’s a gate; his Mass says serve hid, He’s near. His
flames urge grit—stand when burned, faith your root. His death pushes trust—die
true, He’s your crown. He fell in dust—live so your end stands, and rest in
Him. Walk his way: pray in dark, bear a scar, let God raise you.
A Prayer to Saint Sabas
Reyes Salazar
O Saint Sabas Reyes
Salazar, flame of Christ’s flock, you bled in His fire, your life a hymn in
torment. Lead me to Your courage, that I may serve with your steady zeal. Teach
me your quiet trust, your strength in coals, your peace when shots ring. Help
me shed my fear, my ease, and stand bold with You, my hands open to His call.
Give me your heart to give, your will to break, my days a spark for His glory.
By your ashes, hear me, and through your holy plea, may I live meek, bold, and
true, shining His light to my last breath. Amen.
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SOURCE : https://saintscatholic.blogspot.com/2015/04/saint-sabas-reyes-salazar.html
Saint of the Day – 13
April – St Jose Sabás Reyes Salazar (1883-1927) Priest and Martyr
Posted on April
13, 2020
Saint of the Day – 13
April – St Jose Sabás Reyes Salazar (1883-1927) Priest and Martyr of the
Cristero War, Teacher, Catechist, Protector of children and the youth of
Mexico, he had a special devotion to the Holy Trinity and the Souls in
Purgatory – born on 5 December 1883 in Cocula, Jalisco, Mexico and died by
being shot at 9pm on 13 April 1927 in a cemetery outside Tototlan, Jalisco,
Mexico.He was 44 years old.
He was born in Cocula,
Jalisco, the son of Norberto Reyes López and Francisca Salazar Castillo.
He was Baptised on 8 December. Due to the poverty of the
time, his family was moved to Guadalajara for work prospects, where he had an
extremely poor childhood. To mitigate hunger and poverty, he was a
newspaper seller and was unable to complete primary school.
He entered the Conciliar
Seminary of Guadalajara, where according to the criteria of the time, his lack
of education disqualified him to become a clergyman for Guadalajara Diocese,
however, taking into account his noble and devout nature, the superiors
themselves, recommended that he join a diocese in need. St Sabás
was humble and constant in his vocation and was received in the Diocese of
Tamaulipas, where he was Ordained to the sacred orders, on 24 December
1911. He celebrated his first Mass in Guadalajara in 1912 in the
company of his family and friends.
For two years he
exercised the priestly ministry in Tantoyuca, Veracruz. In 1914
religious persecution was unleashed in the State of Tamaulipas, Father Sabás
asked permission to move to the diocese of Guadalajara.
In the year 1919 he went
to the parish of Tototlán, Jalisco, to collaborate with the priest Francisco
Vizcarra Ruiz, first as chaplain of the San Antonio de Gómez farm and sanctuary
and later in 1921, he was transferred to the main Parish Church.
When the worship had to
be suspended in the Churches of the Republic, the Parish Priest of Tototlán
left the town and Father Sabás was left in charge, administering the
sacraments. Father Sabás then gave the orphaned children asylum in
his own home.
When the federal troops
arrived, they murdered the innocent and desecrated the closed Church by using
it as stables and destroying all the holy images, then they set it on fire.
When the soldiers left, Father Sabás and the faithful came to extinguish the flames.
His parishioners begged him to leave the area but he said: “My
superiors sent me here and my parish priest entrusted me with the care of the
parish. If it is God’s will, I will gladly accept martyrdom”
At Easter in 1927, warned
that the federal troops would attack Tototlán, he went into hiding at the home
of Mrs María Ontiveros, along with three companions – the young José Beltrán
and the orphan children Octavio Cárdenas and Salvador Botello From
that moment until his capture, he kept praying the rosary and although, when
the soldiers reached his hiding place, the owner of the house denied that he
was there, to protect her, her family and the orphans, Father Sabás came out
from his hiding and said: “Here I am, what is do you wish with me? “
In response, they tied his arms tightly and dragged him away.
He was dragged to the
parish church, which was now a stable and headquarters for federal soldiers and
was tied to a column in the harsh rays of the sun. For several
hours he was denied drinking water and finally, a woman was allowed to provide
him with food. She asked the parishioners to pray to God for
him. For three days through hunger and thirst and with unspeakable sadism
they burned his hands because they were consecrated. On the night of 12
April, tied by the hands and tied to the neck by a rope he was taken before the
General who interrogated him, seeking the whereabouts of other priests.
To continue tormenting him, two bonfires were lit, one next to his face
and another next to hiss feet. The latter, meanwhile, muttered over
and over again: “Lord of Heaven, my Mother of Guadalupe, grant me
strength.” The brutal torment lasted until the first hours of
dawn. Occasionally, one of the soldiers would stab him with a
burning stick and scoff: “You who say God comes down into your
hands, let Him come down now to free you from mine.”
At dusk on Holy
Wednesday, he was dragged to the cemetary where he was riddled with
bullets. One of his executioners later commented: “I am
very sorry to have killed that Father, he died unfairly. We had
already given him three or four shots and he still got up and shouted “Viva
Cristo Rey!” “Long live Christ the King !”
The next day, 14 April,
at seven in the morning, two men who were going to prepare a grave for Don
Aurelio de la Torre who was murdered for hiding Father José Dolores Guzmán, saw
the body of Father Reyes which was lying outside the cemetery, already rigid,
with four bullet wounds – two in the chest, one in the right arm and one in the
forehead. The neck, ribs and ankles bore the marked signs of the
ropes, his hands were burned and virtually all his bones were broken .
They requested the necessary permission to bury him in Don Aurelio’s own grave.
They placed the body in a
box and buried it on Maundy Thursday afternoon. Later, his remains
were transferred to the parish church of San Agustín, in Tototlán.
All the people considered Father Sabás Reyes Salazar as a martyr of Jesus
Christ and as such, venerated his relics.
The process and cause for
his Canonisation along with other priests and laymen murdered during that
period began in 1954. The Decree recognising his martyrdom and that
of his fellow martyrs was promulgated on 7 March 1992. He was
Beatified on 22 November 1992 in Rome and Canonised on 21 May 2000, the Jubilee
Holy Year, by St John Paul II.
People who knew him and
dealt with him during the interrogations of the Cause of Canonisation, related
that he was simple, humble and selfless in his care of others.
Saint Sabás Reyes, you
dedicated your life to teaching and educating children, assisting your
parishioners and spilling your Blood for Christ the King, pray for us!
Author: AnaStpaul
Passionate Catholic.
Being a Catholic is a way of life - a love affair "Religion must be like
the air we breathe..."- St John Bosco Prayer is what the world needs
combined with the example of our lives which testify to the Light of Christ.
This site, which is now using the Traditional Calendar, will mainly concentrate
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Saints are sent to us by God as so many sermons. We do not use them, it is they
who move us and lead us, to where we had not expected to go.” Charles Cardinal
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Santo
Sabas Reyes, afuera de la Parroquia de San Miguel Arcangel de Cocula Jalisco.
Statua
del santo nella Parrocchia di San Miguel Arcangel a Cocula
San Sabas Reyes Salazar Martire
Messicano
>>>
Visualizza la Scheda del Gruppo cui appartiene
Cocula, Jalisco
(Guadalajara), 5 dicembre 1883 - Tototlán, (Messico), 13 aprile 1927
Padre Sabás Reyes Salazar
nacque a Cocula, in Messico, il 5 dicembre 1883. Ordinato sacerdote nel
dicembre 1911, divenne viceparroco a Tototlán. Si occupò della formazione dei
giovani, sia nell'insegnamento della catechesi sia nelle scienze, arti e
mestieri e soprattutto nella musica. Durante la guerra civile messicana, quando
nel 1927 ci fu il periodo più pericoloso per i sacerdoti, gli venne consigliato
di lasciare Tatotlán, ma lui rispose: «Mi hanno lasciato qui e qui attendo.
Vediamo che cosa determina Iddio». Nella Settimana Santa dell'aprile 1927,
giunsero nel paese le truppe federali, con i proprietari di terre, cercando il
parroco ed i suoi assistenti. Trovarono solo padre Sabás e su di lui
riversarono tutto l'odio generato dalla guerra; lo presero e lo legarono ad una
colonna della parrocchia e lo torturarono per tre giorni; poi gli bruciarono le
mani. Il 13 aprile, mercoledì santo, lo portarono nel cimitero, dove, padre
Sabás gridò «Viva Cristo Re». E lì venne fucilato a 44 anni. (Avvenire)
Emblema: Palma
Martirologio Romano: Nel
villaggio di Totoclán nella regione di Guadalajara in Messico, san Saba Reyes,
sacerdote e martire, che morì durante la persecuzione messicana per Cristo
Sacerdote e Re dell’universo.
Dopo le grandi persecuzioni contro la Chiesa nel periodo della Rivoluzione Francese, delle leggi anticlericali dei governi italiani e francesi della seconda metà dell’Ottocento, delle sanguinose persecuzioni contro i missionari e fedeli cattolici in Cina, negli anni a cavallo fra il XIX e XX secolo; della Rivoluzione Bolscevica in Russia del 1918 e prima di arrivare negli anni 1934-1939 alla grande carneficina della Guerra Civile Spagnola, si ebbe la persecuzione in Messico dal 1915 al 1929.
Dopo la dittatura di Porfirio Diaz (1876-1911) si ebbe un periodo di rivoluzioni e di guerre civili; in quest’arco di anni, le condizioni della Chiesa nel Messico furono estremamente difficili, specialmente dopo l’entrata in vigore, il 5 febbraio 1917, della nuova Costituzione anticlericale e antireligiosa.
Il clero cattolico fu oggetto di minacce, soprusi e vessazioni da parte dei governi massonici, che si spinsero fino alla più bruta violenza e all’assassinio; in fondo si perseguitarono i preti solo perché sacerdoti.
In un continuo succedersi di presidenti chiamati a guidare il Paese, alcuni uccisi, in preda a costanti conflitti interni, si giunse alla nomina di Plutarco Elias Calles nel 1924, questi lavorò per il risanamento economico, il rafforzamento del movimento operaio, favorì la distribuzione della terra ai contadini, ma inasprì anche la lotta contro la Chiesa, che in varie occasioni e situazioni si tramutò in una vera e propria persecuzione; i sacerdoti ed i laici cattolici vennero a scontrarsi con il più acerrimo ateismo.
Papa Giovanni Paolo II il 22 novembre 1992, beatificò nella Basilica di S. Pietro, 25 di questi perseguitati, che da sacerdoti, parroci o laici, donarono con il martirio la loro vita per la difesa della Fede e per l’affermazione della presenza della Chiesa Cattolica in Messico.
Il 21 maggio del 2000 lo stesso pontefice li ha canonizzati tutti i 25 in Piazza S. Pietro, indicando alla Chiesa Universale l’esempio della loro santità, operata in vita e coronata dal martirio finale.
Si riportano i 25 nomi, per ognuno esiste una scheda biografica:
Parroco Cristóbal Magallanes Jara - parroco Román Adame Rosales - parroco
Rodrigo Aguilar Alemán - parroco Julio Alvarez Mendoza - parroco Luis Batis
Sainz - sacerdote Agustín Caloca Cortés - parroco Mateo Correa Magallanes -
sacerdote Atilano Cruz Alvarado - sacerdote Miguel de la Mora de la Mora -
sacerdote Pedro Esqueda Ramírez - sacerdote Margarito Flores García - sacerdote
José Isabel Flores Varela - sacerdote Pedro de Jesús Maldonado Lucero -
sacerdote David Galván Bermudez - ragazzo Salvador Lara Puente - sacerdote
Jesús Méndez Montoya - laico Manuel Morales - parroco Justino Orona Madrigal -
sacerdote Sabás Reyes Salazar - parroco José María Robles Hurtado - ragazzo
David Roldan Lara - sacerdote Toribio Romo Gonzáles - sacerdote Jenaro Sánchez
Delgadillo - parroco David Uribe Velasco - viceparroco Tranquilino Ubiarco
Robles. (La loro celebrazione collettiva è al 21 maggio).
Padre Sabás Reyes Salazar nacque a Cocula, Jalisco (diocesi di Guadalajara) il
5 dicembre 1883. Ordinato sacerdote nel dicembre 1911, divenne viceparroco a
Tototlán, Jalisco (diocesi di San Juan de los Lagos) aveva una speciale
devozione per la SS. Trinità; anima semplice e fervente invocava spesso le
anime del Purgatorio.
Diede particolare cura alla formazione dei bambini e dei giovani, sia nell’insegnamento della catechesi, sia nelle scienze, arti e mestieri, soprattutto nella musica. Di carattere affabile, si dedicava al suo ministero, esigendo molto rispetto e sollecitudine, per tutto ciò che si riferiva al culto.
Quando nel 1927 si fu nel periodo più pericoloso per i sacerdoti, gli veniva consigliato di lasciare Tatotlán, ma lui replicava: “Mi hanno lasciato qui e qui attendo. Vediamo che cosa determina Iddio”. Nella Settimana Santa dell’aprile 1927, giunsero nel paese le truppe federali, con i proprietari di terre, cercando il parroco don Francisco Vizcarra ed i suoi assistenti.
Trovarono solo padre Sabás Royes Salazar e su di lui riversarono tutto l’odio generato in quella guerra civile; lo presero e lo legarono con forza ad una colonna del tempio parrocchiale e lo torturarono per tre giorni negandogli cibo ed acqua; poi con incredibile sadismo gli bruciarono le mani.
Il 13 aprile 1927, mercoledì santo, fu portato dentro il recinto del cimitero, dove, dopo che trovò la forza di gridare “Viva Cristo Re”, l’eroico vicario che non aveva voluto lasciare i suoi parrocchiani, venne fucilato; aveva 44 anni.
Autore: Antonio Borrelli
SOURCE : http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/90129
Nacque
a Cocula, Jalisco (Arcidiocesi di Guadalajara) il 5 dicembre 1883. Vicario a
Tototlán, Jalisco (Diocesi di San Juan de los Lagos). Semplice e fervente aveva
una speciale devozione per la Santissima Trinità. Invocava frequentemente anche
le anime del purgatorio. Si interessò molto della formazione dei bambini e dei
giovani, tanto nella catechesi come nell'insegnamento delle scienze, arti e
mestieri, soprattutto nella musica. Affabile e dedito al suo ministero. Esigeva
molto rispetto per tutto ciò che si riferiva al culto e desiderava che si
eseguissero prontamente tutti gli incarichi. Durante il periodo più pericoloso
per i sacerdoti, quando gli si consigliava di lasciare Tototlán, lui replicava:
«Mi hanno lasciato qui e qui attendo. Vediamo che cosa dispone Iddio». Nella
Settimana Santa del 1927 giunsero le truppe federali e i proprietari di terre
cercando il signor Parroco Francisco Vizcarra ed i suoi ministri. Trovarono
solo Padre Reyes e su lui riversarono tutto il loro odio. Lo presero, lo
legarono con forza ad una colonna del tempio parrocchiale, lo torturarono per
tre giorni con la fame e la sete e, con inqualificabile sadismo, gli bruciarono
le mani. Il 13 aprile 1927, Mercoledí Santo, venne condotto al cimitero.
Finirono di ucciderlo, ma, prima di morire, più con l'anima che con la voce, il
sacerdote martire riuscì a gridare: «Viva Cristo Re!».
SOURCE : https://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/saints/ns_lit_doc_20000521_reyes-salazar_it.html
SABAS REYES SALAZAR
Nació en Cocula, Jal.
(Arquidiócesis de Guadalajara), el 5 de diciembre de 1883. Vicario de Tototlán,
Jal. (Diócesis de San Juan de los Lagos). Sencillo y fervoroso, tenía especial
devoción a la Santísima Trinidad. También invocaba frecuentemente a las ánimas
del purgatorio. Procuró mucho la formación de los niños jóvenes, tanto en la
catequesis como en la enseñanza de ciencias, oficios y artes, especialmente en
la música. Cumplido y abnegado en su ministerio. Exigía mucho respeto en todo
lo referente al culto y le gustaba que con prontitud se cumpliera cualquier
deber. Cuando, por el peligro que había para los sacerdotes, le aconsejaban que
saliera de Tototlán, él replicaba: «A mí aquí me dejaron y aquí espero, a ver
qué dispone Dios». En la Semana Santa de 1927 llegaron las tropas federales y
los agraristas buscando al Sr. Cura Francisco Vizcarra y a sus ministros. Sólo
encontraron al padre Reyes y en él concentraron todo su odio. Lo tomaron preso,
lo ataron fuertemente a una columna del templo parroquial, lo torturaron tres
días por medio del hambre y la sed y con sadismo incalificable, le quemaron las
manos porque estaban consagradas. El 13 de abril de 1927, Miércoles Santo, fue
conducido al cementerio. Lo remataron a balazos, pero antes de morir, más con
el alma que con la voz, pudo gritar el sacerdote mártir: «¡Viva Cristo Rey!».
SOURCE : https://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/saints/ns_lit_doc_20000521_reyes-salazar_sp.html
Den hellige Sabas Reyes
Salazar (1883-1927)
Minnedag:
21. mai
En av De 25 hellige
Mexico-martyrene
Den hellige Sabas Reyes
Salazar (sp: Sabás) ble født den 5. desember 1883 i Cocula i erkebispedømmet
Guadalajara i delstaten Jalisco i Mexico. Han fikk sin tidlige utdannelse og
gikk på seminaret i Guadalajara. Han ble presteviet i desember 1911 i
bispedømmet Taumalipus. Han gjorde tjeneste som prest i flere sogn i
Guadalajara. Da forfølgelsene begynte, ble han sendt som prest til landsbyen
Tototlán i bispedømmet San Juan de los Lagos i Jalisco.
De torturerte ham på det
frykteligste i et forsøk på å få ham til å avsløre gjemmestedet til to andre
prester. Hans hender og føtter ble brent, han ble sultet, plassert ute i solen
uten noe å drikke. Han ble slått til flere bein var brukket og han hadde brudd
på hodeskallen. Han gjennomled torturen i tre dager med heroisk tålmodighet.
Klokken ni om kvelden den 13. april 1927 ble han tatt med til kirkegården i
Tototlán og skutt. Tre eller fire ganger ble det skutt, og hver gang reiste p.
Reyes seg og ropte ut: «Vivo Cristo Rey!» (Lenge leve Kristus Kongen). En av
soldatene sa: «Det skulle mye til for å drepe denne presten, og han ble drept
med urette».
Sabas ble saligkåret den
22. november 1992 og helligkåret den 21. mai 2000 av pave Johannes Paul II på
Petersplassen i Roma som en i gruppen «Den hellige Kristoffer Magallánes og
hans 24 ledsagere». Dette var meksikanske martyrer som ble drept av hat mot
troen i de turbulente årene mellom 1915 og 1937. Av dem var 22 sekularprester
og 3 legmenn. Deres minnedag er 21. mai, og den ble i det nye Missale Romanum
(2002) satt inn i Kirkens universalkalender.
Kilder: Butler
(XII), Ball (3), Holböck (4), Index99, AAS 1992, Patron Saints SQPN,
vatican.va - Kompilasjon og oversettelse: p. Per Einar Odden -
Sist oppdatert: 2003-06-23 17:42
Linken er kopiert til
utklippstavlen!
SOURCE : https://www.katolsk.no/biografier/historisk/sreyes
~ Martyrs of the
Religious Persecution during the Mexican Revolution [I] ~ († 1915-37) : http://newsaints.faithweb.com/martyrs/Mexico1.htm
