Saint of the Day: St. Julio Álvarez Mendoza

Priest and Martyr (1866-1927)

His life

+ Julio was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.

+ Ordained in 1894, Father Julio spent his entire ministry serving in Mechoacenejo. Known for his great devotion to the Eucharist, he would visit the ranches within his parish boundaries, going to visit those who could not—or would not—come to church.

+ When the work of the Church was suppressed during the Mexican Revolution, he said Mass in local farmhouses and conducted baptisms in the mountain streams.

+ Arrested on March 26, 1927, for the crime of being a priest, he was tied to a saddle and dragged to the city of Leon where he was sentenced to death.

+ Julio Álvarez Mendoza was martyred on March 30, 1927, at San Julian. His body was returned to Mechoacenejo and thrown on a trash heap near his parish church. He was canonized with other Martyrs of the Mexican Revolution in 2000.

For prayer and reflection

“Do not leave me to the will of my foes, O Lord,
for false witnesses rise up against me
and they breathe out violence.”—Psalm 27:12

Prayer

Almighty and merciful God, who brought your Martyr blessed Julio 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, 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.