The Jesuit parish church of the Sagrada Familia in Colonia Roma is where Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro is buried. He was shot by firing squad in Mexico City on 23 November 1927 and beatified as a martyr in 1988. A small museum beside the church holds the relics of his martyrdom.
MEXICO · MEXICO CITY19.4213° N · 99.1610° W
Location
Mexico City, Mexico 19.4213° N · 99.1610° W
Type
Church Early twentieth-century, begun in 1910 to designs by Manuel Gorozpe, with a tall painted nave and stained glass
Dedication
The Holy Family
Time Needed
30 minutes to half a day
Why Go
The Burial Church of Blessed Miguel Pro
This is the one place in Mexico City where the persecution of the Church in the twentieth century is held in a single room. Miguel Pro was a Jesuit priest who worked in the city while public worship was suppressed, was arrested on charges the evidence did not support, and was shot without trial in 1927. He is buried in this parish, and the museum next door keeps the clothes he was wearing when he died. It is a short visit and a heavy one.
Shot Without Trial in 1927
Miguel Agustín Pro was born in Guadalupe, Zacatecas, in 1891 and entered the Society of Jesus as a young man. He was ordained abroad during the years the Mexican Church was under pressure at home, and returned in 1926 into a country where public worship had been suppressed under President Plutarco Elías Calles. He carried out his ministry in secret in Mexico City, moving between houses, hearing confessions and distributing the sacraments and relief. In November 1927 he and his brothers were arrested after a bombing attempt on a former president, on evidence that did not support the charge. He was shot by firing squad on 23 November 1927 without trial. The government photographed the execution and published the images, intending them as a deterrent; instead they circulated as a record of how he died, refusing the blindfold and facing the guns. Pope John Paul II beatified him as a martyr on 25 September 1988. He is Blessed, not canonized, and his memorial is kept on 23 November.
InteriorThe NaveThe nave looking back towards the organ loft. This is a parish church of the 1910s, not a colonial one.
Do Not Miss · 3 stops
What to notice.
The burial place of Blessed Miguel Pro
His remains rest in this church. He was shot by firing squad on 23 November 1927, without trial, on charges the evidence did not support, and was beatified as a martyr by Pope John Paul II on 25 September 1988.
The Padre Pro museum
A small museum beside the church holding the principal relics of his martyrdom, including the clothing he wore on the day he was shot. Admission is free and the hours are short.
The church itself
Begun in 1910 for the Jesuits by the architect Manuel Gorozpe, the first parish built in Colonia Roma. The interior is a tall painted nave with stained glass and cut-glass chandeliers, quite unlike the colonial churches of the centre.
What to notice
Miguel Pro is Blessed, not a canonized saint. The Church has recognised his martyrdom; his cause has not proceeded to canonization.
He was killed during the persecution of the Church under President Plutarco Elías Calles, in the years of the Cristero conflict, when public worship was suppressed and priests were hunted.
The photographs of his execution were taken and published by the government of the day, which expected them to serve as a warning. They had the opposite effect and were circulated widely as evidence of his witness.
This is a working parish, not a shrine complex, and it can be quiet enough that you have the church to yourself.
Visit Plans · 1 plans · add to a journey
How much time, and what to do with it.
Duration45 minBest forPilgrims to Blessed Miguel Pro
The martyr's church
3 ordered stops
A short, self-contained pilgrimage: the church, the burial place, and the museum beside it if the hours allow.
The nave of the Sagrada Familia
The burial place of Blessed Miguel Pro
The Padre Pro museum, weekday mornings
Relics, Tombs, Sacred Objects
What pilgrims come to venerate here.
The remains of Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro
Tomb of a beatified martyr
Yes, in the church
Padre Pro museum and parish; Holy See record of the 1988 beatification
Documented
Miguel Agustín Pro was executed on 23 November 1927 and his burial in this Jesuit parish is documented and continuous. He was beatified as a martyr by Pope John Paul II on 25 September 1988. He has not been canonized.
The clothing worn at his execution
Relics of the martyrdom
Displayed in the Padre Pro museum
Padre Pro museum
Documented
The museum beside the church holds the garments Miguel Pro was wearing when he was shot, kept by the Jesuits since 1927 and presented as the principal relics of his martyrdom.
Source noteTraditional attributions are presented as tradition, with documentation named where it exists.
Connected Saints
How this place gathers the saints.
One modern martyr holds this church.
BBlessed Miguel Agustín ProBuried in this churchJesuit priest, shot without trial in Mexico City on 23 November 1927 during the suppression of public worship, and beatified as a martyr by Pope John Paul II in 1988.
Continue Your Pilgrimage · Nearby sacred places
Across the city, and back to the centre
Church
Templo de San Hipólito
A short ride north towards the Alameda, the city's great popular devotional church.
Cathedral
Metropolitan Cathedral
Twenty minutes north-east by metro or taxi, at the centre of the historic city.
Map · Mexico City, Mexico
Plan around this place.
Editorial sources
Edited from the Padre Pro museum and parish materials, the Holy See record of the 1988 beatification, and Eternal Roam destination records. Miguel Pro is Blessed, not canonized, and is described that way throughout. Confirm museum and Mass hours before visiting.
