Mexico commemorates 500th anniversary of Child Martyrs

The Diocese of Tlaxcala in Mexico began celebrations marking the 500th anniversary of the martyrdom of Sts. Cristóbal, Antonio, and Juan, known as the Child Martyrs of Tlaxcala , considered the protomartyrs of the Americas, with a reminder that their blood “opened the way for the faith on the continent.”

On Sept. 23, the date of their liturgical memorial, the Diocese of Tlaxcala inaugurated the Jubilee of Holiness and Mission with a Mass. The jubilee will conclude on Sept. 23, 2027.

Cristóbal died a martyr in 1527, at around the age of 12, after his own father punished him for destroying idols. Antonio and Juan gave their lives two years later in 1529 while participating in an evangelization mission.

They were beatified on May 6, 1990, at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City and canonized by Pope Francis on Oct. 15, 2017, in St. Peterʼs Square at the Vatican.

‘They didn’t wait until they were adults’ to evangelize In his homily for the Mass on Sept. 23, Bishop Julio César Salcedo Aquino of Tlaxcala highlighted that the celebration seeks to highlight the testimony of the three young martyrs as an example of holiness and renew “missionary zeal.”

The prelate…