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{{more citations needed|date=January 2017}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2016}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2016}}

{{Infobox saint
{{Infobox saint
|name=Pedro de Jesús Maldonado Lucero
|name=Pedro de Jesús Maldonado Lucero
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|birth_date={{Birth date|1892|06|15}}
|birth_date={{Birth date|1892|06|15}}
|birth_place=[[Chihuahua City]], Mexico
|birth_place=[[Chihuahua City]], Mexico
|death_date={{dda|1937|02|11|1892|06|15}}
|death_place=Chihuahua City, Mexico
|death_place=Chihuahua City, Mexico
|beatified_date=November 22, 1992
|beatified_date=November 22, 1992
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Pedro de Jesús Maldonado was born in a neighborhood of Chihuahua City known as San Nicolás and was one of seven children of Apolinar Maldonado and Micaela Lucero.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://es.catholic.net/op/articulos/36374/pedro-de-jess-maldonado-lucero-santo.html|title=Pedro de Jesús Maldonado Lucero, Santo|work=Catholic.net|access-date=2017-07-18|language=es}}</ref> When he was 17 years old, he entered the diocesan [[seminary]], where he was known for his piety; once, after completing the [[Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola]], he told the [[Rector (ecclesiastical)|rector]] of the seminary "I have thought of always having my heart in heaven and in the Tabernacle."<ref>Martinez, Felix. Astoria Del Seminarian DE Chihuahua, Ed. Casino, Chihuahua, 1986, p. 50.</ref>
Pedro de Jesús Maldonado was born in a neighborhood of Chihuahua City known as San Nicolás and was one of seven children of Apolinar Maldonado and Micaela Lucero.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://es.catholic.net/op/articulos/36374/pedro-de-jess-maldonado-lucero-santo.html|title=Pedro de Jesús Maldonado Lucero, Santo|work=Catholic.net|access-date=2017-07-18|language=es}}</ref> When he was 17 years old, he entered the diocesan [[seminary]], where he was known for his piety; once, after completing the [[Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola]], he told the [[Rector (ecclesiastical)|rector]] of the seminary "I have thought of always having my heart in heaven and in the Tabernacle."<ref>Martinez, Felix. Astoria Del Seminarian DE Chihuahua, Ed. Casino, Chihuahua, 1986, p. 50.</ref>


In 1913 and 1914, many seminarians fled to [[El Paso, Texas]], because of religious persecution in Mexico,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.elpasodiocese.org/news--events/franciscans-mark-450-years-of-formation|title=Franciscans Mark 450 years of formation.|website=Diocese of El Paso|access-date=2017-07-18}}</ref> but Maldonado remained in Chihuahua and studied music. Later, he continued his religious studies and was ordained as a priest on January 25, 1918. His ordination took place in the [[Cathedral Parish of Saint Patrick (El Paso, Texas)|Cathedral of St. Patrick]], in the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of El Paso|Diocese of El Paso]], because the Bishop of Chihuahua was sick in [[Mexico City]].{{clarify|reason=Was this because the bishop was unable to ordain him?|date=July 2017}}
In 1914 the seminary was shut down due to the revolution and many seminarians fled to [[El Paso, Texas]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.elpasodiocese.org/news--events/franciscans-mark-450-years-of-formation|title=Franciscans Mark 450 years of formation.|website=Diocese of El Paso|access-date=2017-07-18}}</ref> but Maldonado remained in Chihuahua and studied music. Later, he continued his religious studies in El Paso. He was ordained a priest on January 25, 1918 in the [[Cathedral Parish of Saint Patrick (El Paso, Texas)|Cathedral of St. Patrick]] for the Archdiocese of Chihuahua, Mexico by Bishop Anthony Joseph Schuler, S.J, [[Roman Catholic Diocese of El Paso|Bishop of El Paso]].<ref name=kofc>[http://www.kofc.org/en/mexican-martyrs/st-pedro.html "St. Pedro de Jesús Maldonado Lucero", The Knight of Columbus Martyrs]</ref>


== Priesthood ==
== Priesthood ==
[[File:St Peter of Jesus Maldonado.gif|thumb|The young Father Maldonado|left|203x203px]]
[[File:St Peter of Jesus Maldonado.gif|thumb|The young Father Maldonado|left|203x203px]]
Although Maldonado celebrated his first [[Mass (liturgy)|masses]] in El Paso, his first [[Solemn Mass]] was in the Church of the Holy Family in Chihuahua on February 11, 1918 (the feast day of [[Santa Isabel, Chihuahua|Santa Isabel]], Maldonado worked with the [[Rarámuri people|Tarahumara Natives]] and sought to reduce the amount of alcohol they consumed. He helped the poor with money and clothing, and raised and educated a poor orphan. Maldonado took a special interest in the religious education of both children and adults, explaining [[Catholic theology|Catholic doctrine]] by using photographs. At harvest time, farmers would ask him to bless fields invaded by [[locust]]s, and there are accounts that claim his prayers expelled the locusts more than once.{{Citation needed|date=July 2017}}
Although Maldonado celebrated his first [[Mass (liturgy)|Masses]] in El Paso, his first [[Solemn Mass]] was in the Church of the Holy Family in Chihuahua on February 11, 1918. Maldonado was assigned to [[San Nicolás de Carretas]]<ref name=kofc/> where he worked with the [[Rarámuri people|Tarahumara Natives]]. He helped the poor with money and clothing, and raised and educated a poor orphan. Maldonado took a special interest in religious education, explaining [[Catholic theology|Catholic doctrine]] through the use of photographs. Farmers would ask him to bless the fields.


During the [[Cristero War]] (1926–29), Maldonado and other priests in Chihuahua were the targets of [[Anti-Catholicism|anti-Catholic violence]]. Revolutionaries changed Santa Isabel's name to General Trias as part of an effort to erase references to Catholicism from the geography of the state. Maldonado was beaten several times—even inside his church—by [[Freemasonry|Freemasons]], but he continued to carry out his ministry in Santa Isabel until his death.
In January 1924, Maldonado became parish priest of [[Santa Isabel, Chihuahua|Santa Isabel]], where he had charge of the Sunday School.<ref name=kofc/> During the [[Cristero War]] (1926–29), Maldonado and other priests in Chihuahua were the targets of [[Anti-Catholicism|anti-Catholic violence]], which continued for many years after. Revolutionaries changed the name of the town from Santa Isabel to "General Trias" as part of an effort to erase references to Catholicism from the state. At one point Maldonado had to flee to El Paso<ref name=doep>[https://www.elpasodiocese.org/san-pedro-de-jesus-maldonado.html "San Pedro de Jesús Maldonado", Roman Catholic Diocese of El Paso]</ref> but was eventually returned to Boquilla del Río, not far from Santa Isabel. He continued to carry out his ministry in Santa Isabel until his death.


== Death ==
== Death ==
[[File:Cadaver del Padre Maldonado.jpg|thumb|Corpse of Father Maldonado]]
[[File:Cadaver del Padre Maldonado.jpg|thumb|Corpse of Father Maldonado]]
On February 10, 1937 ([[Ash Wednesday]]), a group of drunken armed men discovered his location at a nearby ranch. Maldonado was brought barefoot to the town hall, where he was [[Pistol-whipping|pistol-whipped]], fracturing his skull and dislodging his left eye from its socket.<ref name=doep/>
On February 10, 1937 ([[Ash Wednesday]]), Maldonado was arrested. Government officials brought him barefoot to the town hall, where they beat him, fracturing his skull and causing his left eye to pop out.<ref>http://www.kofcmuseum.org/en/permanent/mexican/maldonado.html</ref> He had brought with him a [[pyx]] containing the [[Eucharist]], and his attackers took the [[Sacramental bread|hosts]], put them in his mouth and ordered him to eat them, not realizing they were fulfilling the priest's last wish.{{Citation needed|date=July 2017}}


When the men saw the seriousness of Maldonado's condition, they allowed him to be taken to Chihuahua City, where he died on February 11, 1937 (the 19th anniversary of his first Solemn Mass), from severe [[Traumatic brain injury|brain trauma]] and injuries throughout his body caused by the beating. According to his death certificate, Maldonado died at 5:15&nbsp;pm, at the age of 44. In official documents, his death was deemed a murder.{{Citation needed|date=July 2017}} To many parishioners in Chihuahua, as well as to his fellow priests and his diocesan bishop, {{ill|Antonio Guízar y Valencia|es}}, he was a martyr because he had been killed because of his faithfulness in carrying out his ministry and because of hatred toward his faith. His tombstone reads, "You are a priest."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.kofcmuseum.org/en/permanent/mexican/maldonado.html|title=The Mexican Martyrs|website=www.kofcmuseum.org|access-date=2017-07-19}}</ref> After his death, Maldonado's tomb became a place of prayer, surrounded by candles, flowers, and [[votive offering]]s.
Seeing the seriousness of Maldonado's injuries, some local women asked that he be allowed to be taken to a hospital in Chihuahua City, where he died on February 11, 1937 (the 19th anniversary of his first Solemn Mass), from severe [[Traumatic brain injury|brain trauma]] and injuries throughout his body caused by the beating. According to his death certificate, Maldonado died at 5:15&nbsp;pm, at the age of 44.<ref name=doep/>
==Veneration==
To many parishioners in Chihuahua, as well as to his fellow priests and his diocesan bishop, {{ill|Antonio Guízar y Valencia|es}}, he was a martyr because he had been killed because of his faithfulness in carrying out his ministry and because of hatred toward his faith. After his death, Maldonado's tomb became a place of prayer, surrounded by candles, flowers, and [[votive offering]]s.


[[File:Sepulcro del Padre Maldonado.jpg|thumb|Tomb of Father Maldonado in the Cemetery of Dolores in Chihuahua]]
[[File:Sepulcro del Padre Maldonado.jpg|thumb|Tomb of Father Maldonado in the Cemetery of Dolores in Chihuahua]]


In 1975, [[Adalberto Almeida y Merino]], the Archbishop of Chihuahua, officially named Msgr. Martin L. Quiñones the promoter of the cause of canonization for Maldonado. For several years, Quiñones worked with the Episcopal Commission for the Introduction of the Beatification Processes of the Mexican Martyrs. On November 22, 1992, Fr. Maldonado was [[Beatification|beatified]] by [[Pope John Paul II]] with [[Cristóbal Magallanes Jara]] and companions.
Maldonado's death had effects both in and beyond Chihuahua. It occurred during the last part of President [[Lázaro Cárdenas]]'s term, and provoked skepticism of Cárdenas's efforts to bring peace to Mexico.{{Citation needed|date=July 2017}}
<ref>[https://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/saints/ELENCO_BEATI_GPII.htm "Beatificazioni del Santo Padre Giovanni Paolo II", Vatican News Service]</ref> He was canonized by Pope John Paul II on May 25, 2000.<ref>[https://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/saints/index_canoniz-beat_en.html "Table of Canonizations during the Pontificate of His Holiness John Paul II", Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff]</ref>

⚫
===Relics===
⚫
The relics of Pedro de Jesús Maldonado are found in a wooden urn in the Chapel of the Lord of Mapimí in the [[Cathedral of Chihuahua]]. There is a traveling urn that contains some of his bodily remains, and this reliquary visits the parishes throughout the diocese. In the parish of Santa Isabel is kept the confessional used by the saint. In 2018 on the 100th anniversary of his ordination a relic was presented to the El Paso Diocese from the Diocese of Chihuahua. The wooden urn holding the relic was placed at Saint Patrick Cathedral in El Paso, Texas. A memorial in the nave of St. Patrick's commemorates his ordination there.


== Canonization ==
===Patronage===
Saint Peter of Jesus Maldonado is a patron of the Archdiocese of Chihuahua and of the Diocese of El Paso. As part of the twenty-five martyrs designated "Cristóbal Magallanes Jara and companions", he is commemorated on May 21. He is among the six priests of that group who were also members of the [[Knights of Columbus]], and is considered a patron of that organization. His individual feast day is February 11, the day of his death.<ref name=sun>[https://www.catholicsun.org/2019/02/11/feast-of-st-pedro-maldonado/ "Feast of St. Pedro Maldonado", ''The Catholic Sun'', Diocese of Phoenix, February 11, 2019]</ref>
Some years later, Guízar, convinced that Maldonado would eventually be canonized, asked Monsignor Martín L. Quiñones to gather all the material he could about Maldonado's life and martyrdom. In 1975, [[Adalberto Almeida y Merino]], the Archbishop of Chihuahua, officially named Msgr. Quiñones the promoter of the cause of canonization for Maldonado. For several years, Quiñones worked with the Episcopal Commission for the Introduction of the Beatification Processes of the Mexican Martyrs, since Maldonado's cause had been joined to those of the other priests and laypeople martyred during the same period of persecution.Since these causes had been delayed because some of the processes were slower than others, on October 12, 1984, the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints exhorted the Archdiocese of Chihuahua to speed up Fr. (Father) Maldonado's process, formally initiating the cause of canonization.
On November 22, 1992, Fr. Maldonado was [[Beatification|beatified]] by [[Pope John Paul II]]. On May 25, 2000, John Paul canonized him.


⚫
== Relics ==
⚫
The relics of Pedro de Jesús Maldonado are found in a wooden urn in the Chapel of the Lord of Mapimí in the [[Cathedral of Chihuahua]]. There is a traveling urn that contains some of his bodily remains, and this reliquary visits the parishes throughout the diocese. In the parish of Santa Isabel is kept the confessional used by the saint. The Fraternity of St. Pius X venerates in the Chapel of San José in Chihuahua the cloth with blood that covered Maldonado's body in the hospital. During the beatification ceremony, John Paul II kissed the relic of the Chihuahuan martyr.
In 2018 on the 100th anniversary of his ordination a relic was presented to the El Paso Diocese from the Diocese of Chihuahua. The wooden urn holding the relic was placed at Saint Patrick Cathedral in El Paso, Texas.
<gallery>
<gallery>
image:Reliquias de San Pedro de Jesús Maldonado.jpg|Relics of Peter of Jesus Maldonado in the Cathedral of Chihuahua.
image:Reliquias de San Pedro de Jesús Maldonado.jpg|Relics of Peter of Jesus Maldonado in the Cathedral of Chihuahua.
image:Sangre de San Pedro de Jesús Maldonado.jpg|Cloth with Maldonado's blood kept by the Fraternity of St. Pius X in Chihuahua.
image:Sangre de San Pedro de Jesús Maldonado.jpg|Cloth with Maldonado's blood kept at the Chapel of San José in Chihuahua.
File:Catedral_Metropolitana_de_Chihuahua.jpg|Cathedral of chihuahua.
</gallery>
</gallery>

⚫
==References==
⚫
{{Reflist}}


== Bibliography ==
== Bibliography ==
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* El Martirio del P. Maldonado. Gerald O'Rourke. Librería Parroquial de Clavería. 2000.
* El Martirio del P. Maldonado. Gerald O'Rourke. Librería Parroquial de Clavería. 2000.
* El Padre Maldonado, Apóstol y Mártir de la Eucaristía. J. Alfonso Ramos. Ed. Último Sello. 2011.
* El Padre Maldonado, Apóstol y Mártir de la Eucaristía. J. Alfonso Ramos. Ed. Último Sello. 2011.
* http://padremaldonado.blogspot.mx/
* [http://padremaldonado.blogspot.mx/ San Pedro de Jesús Maldonado Lucero]
* http://www.preguntasantoral.es/2012/12/san-pedro-de-jesus-maldonado
* [http://www.preguntasantoral.es/2012/12/san-pedro-de-jesus-maldonado San Pedro de Jesús Maldonado Lucero, sacerdote mexicano mártir | Pregunta Santoral]

⚫
==References==
⚫
{{Reflist}}


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[[Category:Mexican Roman Catholic saints]]
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Revision as of 01:43, 14 November 2021

Pedro de Jesús Maldonado Lucero
Priest and Martyr of the Eucharist
Born(1892-06-15)June 15, 1892
Chihuahua City, Mexico
DiedFebruary 11, 1937(1937-02-11) (aged 44)
Chihuahua City, Mexico
BeatifiedNovember 22, 1992 by John Paul II
CanonizedMay 21, 2000 by John Paul II
Attributespriestly vestments, stole, palm, monstrance, Eucharist, Nocturnal Adoration pendant, Knight of Columbus pendant
PatronageClergy of the Archdiocese of Chihuahua, Clergy of the Diocese of El Paso, Knights of Columbus, Mexican Nocturnal Adoration

Pedro de Jesús Maldonado Lucero (June 15, 1892 – February 11, 1937) was a Mexican diocesan priest who became the first canonized saint and martyr from Chihuahua City, Mexico.

Early life

Pedro de Jesús Maldonado was born in a neighborhood of Chihuahua City known as San Nicolás and was one of seven children of Apolinar Maldonado and Micaela Lucero.[1] When he was 17 years old, he entered the diocesan seminary, where he was known for his piety; once, after completing the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola, he told the rector of the seminary "I have thought of always having my heart in heaven and in the Tabernacle."[2]

In 1914 the seminary was shut down due to the revolution and many seminarians fled to El Paso, Texas,[3] but Maldonado remained in Chihuahua and studied music. Later, he continued his religious studies in El Paso. He was ordained a priest on January 25, 1918 in the Cathedral of St. Patrick for the Archdiocese of Chihuahua, Mexico by Bishop Anthony Joseph Schuler, S.J, Bishop of El Paso.[4]

Priesthood

The young Father Maldonado

Although Maldonado celebrated his first Masses in El Paso, his first Solemn Mass was in the Church of the Holy Family in Chihuahua on February 11, 1918. Maldonado was assigned to San Nicolás de Carretas[4] where he worked with the Tarahumara Natives. He helped the poor with money and clothing, and raised and educated a poor orphan. Maldonado took a special interest in religious education, explaining Catholic doctrine through the use of photographs. Farmers would ask him to bless the fields.

In January 1924, Maldonado became parish priest of Santa Isabel, where he had charge of the Sunday School.[4] During the Cristero War (1926–29), Maldonado and other priests in Chihuahua were the targets of anti-Catholic violence, which continued for many years after. Revolutionaries changed the name of the town from Santa Isabel to "General Trias" as part of an effort to erase references to Catholicism from the state. At one point Maldonado had to flee to El Paso[5] but was eventually returned to Boquilla del Río, not far from Santa Isabel. He continued to carry out his ministry in Santa Isabel until his death.

Death

Corpse of Father Maldonado

On February 10, 1937 (Ash Wednesday), a group of drunken armed men discovered his location at a nearby ranch. Maldonado was brought barefoot to the town hall, where he was pistol-whipped, fracturing his skull and dislodging his left eye from its socket.[5]

Seeing the seriousness of Maldonado's injuries, some local women asked that he be allowed to be taken to a hospital in Chihuahua City, where he died on February 11, 1937 (the 19th anniversary of his first Solemn Mass), from severe brain trauma and injuries throughout his body caused by the beating. According to his death certificate, Maldonado died at 5:15 pm, at the age of 44.[5]

Veneration

To many parishioners in Chihuahua, as well as to his fellow priests and his diocesan bishop, Antonio Guízar y Valencia [es], he was a martyr because he had been killed because of his faithfulness in carrying out his ministry and because of hatred toward his faith. After his death, Maldonado's tomb became a place of prayer, surrounded by candles, flowers, and votive offerings.

Tomb of Father Maldonado in the Cemetery of Dolores in Chihuahua

In 1975, Adalberto Almeida y Merino, the Archbishop of Chihuahua, officially named Msgr. Martin L. Quiñones the promoter of the cause of canonization for Maldonado. For several years, Quiñones worked with the Episcopal Commission for the Introduction of the Beatification Processes of the Mexican Martyrs. On November 22, 1992, Fr. Maldonado was beatified by Pope John Paul II with Cristóbal Magallanes Jara and companions. [6] He was canonized by Pope John Paul II on May 25, 2000.[7]

Relics

The relics of Pedro de Jesús Maldonado are found in a wooden urn in the Chapel of the Lord of Mapimí in the Cathedral of Chihuahua. There is a traveling urn that contains some of his bodily remains, and this reliquary visits the parishes throughout the diocese. In the parish of Santa Isabel is kept the confessional used by the saint. In 2018 on the 100th anniversary of his ordination a relic was presented to the El Paso Diocese from the Diocese of Chihuahua. The wooden urn holding the relic was placed at Saint Patrick Cathedral in El Paso, Texas. A memorial in the nave of St. Patrick's commemorates his ordination there.

Patronage

Saint Peter of Jesus Maldonado is a patron of the Archdiocese of Chihuahua and of the Diocese of El Paso. As part of the twenty-five martyrs designated "Cristóbal Magallanes Jara and companions", he is commemorated on May 21. He is among the six priests of that group who were also members of the Knights of Columbus, and is considered a patron of that organization. His individual feast day is February 11, the day of his death.[8]

  • Relics of Peter of Jesus Maldonado in the Cathedral of Chihuahua.
    Relics of Peter of Jesus Maldonado in the Cathedral of Chihuahua.
  • Cloth with Maldonado's blood kept at the Chapel of San José in Chihuahua.
    Cloth with Maldonado's blood kept at the Chapel of San José in Chihuahua.
  • Cathedral of chihuahua.
    Cathedral of chihuahua.

References

  1. ^ "Pedro de Jesús Maldonado Lucero, Santo". Catholic.net (in Spanish). Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  2. ^ Martinez, Felix. Astoria Del Seminarian DE Chihuahua, Ed. Casino, Chihuahua, 1986, p. 50.
  3. ^ "Franciscans Mark 450 years of formation". Diocese of El Paso. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  4. ^ a b c "St. Pedro de Jesús Maldonado Lucero", The Knight of Columbus Martyrs
  5. ^ a b c "San Pedro de Jesús Maldonado", Roman Catholic Diocese of El Paso
  6. ^ "Beatificazioni del Santo Padre Giovanni Paolo II", Vatican News Service
  7. ^ "Table of Canonizations during the Pontificate of His Holiness John Paul II", Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff
  8. ^ "Feast of St. Pedro Maldonado", The Catholic Sun, Diocese of Phoenix, February 11, 2019

Bibliography

  • La Persecución Religiosa en Chihuahua. Gerald O'Rourke. Ed. Camino. 1991.
  • El P. Maldonado, vivió y murió por Cristo. Mons. Martín Quiñones. Ed. Camino. 1989.
  • El Mártir de Chihuahua. Javier H. Contreras Orozco. 1992.
  • San Pedro de Jesús Maldonado: Con el Corazón en el cielo y el Sagrario. Gerald O'Rourke. Ed. Impresos Meoqui. 2002.
  • El Martirio del P. Maldonado. Gerald O'Rourke. Librería Parroquial de Clavería. 2000.
  • El Padre Maldonado, Apóstol y Mártir de la Eucaristía. J. Alfonso Ramos. Ed. Último Sello. 2011.
  • San Pedro de Jesús Maldonado Lucero
  • San Pedro de Jesús Maldonado Lucero, sacerdote mexicano mártir | Pregunta Santoral
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