Saint of the Day: St. David Galván-Beremúdez

(1881-1915)

His life

+ David was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, and entered seminary in that city at the age of 14.

+ He left the seminary for a period of three years and spent that time working and dating, living, it would seem, a fairly dissolute life. At one point, he was arrested for hitting his girlfriend while drunk.

+ Realizing that the priesthood was, in fact, his true vocation, he entered a period of probation and was allowed to return to seminary. He was ordained on May 20, 1909. He later served as a teacher and superior of the seminary in Amatitán.

+ During a period of anti-Catholic and anti-clerical sentiment, he was arrested for the “crime” of being a priest. After his release, he provided pastoral care for those who were injured in the violence, hearing confessions and binding the wounds of the injured.

+ As he was making his way to Guadalajara to help victims of street fighting there, he was arrested with another priest (who was later ransomed). Father David was shot by a firing squad on January 30, 1915.

+ Saint David Galván-Beremúdez was among a group of Mexican martyrs canonized in 2000.

For prayer and reflection

“The Church in Mexico rejoices at relying on these intercessors in heaven, models of supreme charity who followed in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. They all dedicated their lives to God and their brethren through martyrdom or by generously serving the needy. The firmness of their faith and hope sustained them in the various trials they had to endure.”—Pope Saint John Paul II at the canonization of Saint David and the Martyrs of the Mexican Revolution

Spiritual bonus

On this day the Benedictines and Cistercians remember Blessed Alan of Lille. A professor of theology and philosophy in the universities of Montpellier and Paris, he joined the Cistercians at the Abbey of Citeaux and he is remembered for his poems, as well as a number of theological and philosophical works. Blessed Alan died on July 6, 1202.

Prayer

Almighty and merciful God, who brought your Martyr blessed David to overcome the torments of his passion, grant that we, who celebrate the day of his triumph, may remain invincible under your protection against the snares of the enemy. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

(from The Roman Missal: Common of Martyrs—For One Martyr)

Saint profiles prepared by Brother Silas Henderson, S.D.S.