Cathedral College of the Immaculate Conception - Annual Yearbook (Brooklyn, NY)

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A N N U A L l 9 3 6 0 ' blood money. A faithful servant brought him mail from the city and a few vegetables for his meals. A hut in the wilderness, the Breviary, the folk of the mountainside-these formed the environment of a priest and scholar who had made his mark at Rome, who had been vice-rector of the College of San loaquin in Mexico City, and notary of the first Plenary Council of Latin Amer- ica. One ambition he achievedg he died in Mexico, the fatherland he loved and he labored for the souls of his flock to the end. Archbishop Orozco lived as a martyr, died as a saint. As we study the lives of these two men in particular we cannot help but be impressed by the great misery and suffering which is being inflicted upon the Catholics of Mexico. lt seems strange indeed that a majority of ninety per cent of the people should come under the power of a minority whose principles are so diametrically opposed fo theirs. We must remember, how- ever, that this minority is very well organized and controls not only the Legis- lature but, what is more important, the army. The Catholics have not been slow to sense their disadvantage and, under the leadership of their bishops, have attempted to present a unified front to their persecutors. The outlook at the present time is fairly promising. Calles, the most virulent enemy of the Church, by a stroke of poetic justice, has been exiled from his country by the ruling president, Cardenas. ln a pastoral letter published on lanuary 20, l936, the bishops of Mexico firmly and openly took their stand against the Socialism which has already done untold injuries to the spiritual state of many souls. The letter instructed parents, teachers and priests to provide religious educa- tion for children. All Socialistic teachings were condemned and Catholics were forbidden to attend any classes of instruction in such theories and principles. We can close in no more fitting words than those of the pastoral letter, We pray most sincerely to the Sacred Heart of lesus and to our most excellent Lady of Guadalupe to illuminate those who have the grave responsibility of watching over the welfare of the nation so that, leaving the path of error which leads only to degradation and misery, they may give the true guarantees and liberties which we need to achieve the peace, tranquility, culture and pros- perity of our beloved country. FRANCIS I. MURPHY, '37. f 53

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OOCATHEDRAL COLLEGE lt goes on to tell of the hundreds of members of the clergy and laity that were put to death, the thousands thrown into prison and the hundreds of thousands who were forced to seek refuge in foreign lands to escape the fury of the persecution. Such a thing, says the petition, has not been seen in the normal life of any civilized nation during the nineteen centuries of Christianity. A total of 3,500 priests, all Mexicans, the petition notes, cannot today per- form their spiritual duties, and in fourteen of the thirty Mexican States not one priest is authorized to perform his duties or exercise his ministry. Even the sanctity of the home, it states, has been invaded. Briefly, the petition states, Mexican Catholics and in general every inhabitant of Mexico who professes any religion whatever has been despoiled of those rights which man possesses by his very nature-the right to practise religion publicly and privately, the right to educate his children in accordance with his convictions, and those liberties which, rightly exercised, are the very essence of civilization andof domestic life-freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly and the most sacred of all, the liberty to elect their own Government. Fifteen million Mexicans, in their own country, are made outcasts by their own country. What need have we of making any further statements concerning the persecution when we have this first-hand information clearly indicating its intensity? Why go into the lives and deaths of the individual 'heroes and martyrs whose sufferings have done so much to awaken the poor Peons to their danger and incite them to fight for their rights? The stories of Father Pro and the Lion of lalisco, Archbishop Francisco Orozco y limenez, could fill many pages and would make any Catholic proud of his heritage, but they are too lengthy to relate in full here. The execution of Father Pro without even the semblance of a trial raised such a storm of protest that even Obregon voiced his disapproval. Unfortunately, however, the deed had already been accomplished under the orders of the Strong Man, Plutarco Calles. The life of Archbishop Orozco presents another View into life in Mexico for the past few years. His Excellency Don Francisco Orozco y limenez, Archbishop of Guadala- jara, was known throughout the length and breadth of Mexico as the Lion of laliscof' He gained his reputation by his fearless stand against the Com- munists and Atheists who are in power. Refusing to submit to their harsh and oppressive and godless legislation, he was forced to spend bitter years in exile. For months he had to hide in mountain fastnessesg a price had been set upon his head. Yet he never ceased his ministrations of the Sacraments of Penance, of the Holy Eucharist, of Confirmation, of Holy Orders. He even taught in the wretched cellar which once housed his seminarians, The lawful property of the Archdiocese had been confiscated by the revolutionary Government and utilized as barracks, garages, cantinas, Socialist schools. His library was scat- tered to the four winds, while his art treasures reposed in public galleries, More than once his own life was forfeit, but, in spite of huge rewards offered for his betrayal, the thousands of lndians who recognized him on the streets of Guadalajara or in the ravines of lalisco never dreamed of touching the 52

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FOURTH YEAR - SECTION ONE