From left to right: Fr. Pedro de Corpa, Fr. Blas de Rodrígue, Fr. Miguel de Año, Br. Antonio de Bádajo, and Fr. Francisco de Veráscol.
Pope Saint John Paul II once described marriage as, “the underlying, weight-bearing structure of… the sacramental order.” In short, a proper understanding of marriage gives proper context and understanding to the Christian idea of sacraments. Without a true understanding of marriage, we will struggle to understand and appreciate our relationship with God as a whole.
In September of 1597, five Franciscan friars understood the centrality of marriage to their evangelistic mission. These five men, Fr. Pedro de Corpa, Br. Antonio de Bádajoz, Fr. Blas de Rodríguez, Fr. Miguel de Añon, and Fr. Francisco de Veráscola served in the Franciscan missions in Spanish La Florida along the Georgia coast, ministering to the indigenous Guale people. The Guale people accepted polygamy in their culture and so the friars made sure to teach about the exclusivity of Christian marriage to any converts receiving baptism.
One such convert, a young candidate for chief named Juanillo, disregarded this teaching to take a second wife. The Franciscans reminded him that this second marriage broke his baptismal promise, but their admonition only angered Juanillo who left the mission. He would return with a small band of warriors to kill the friars.
These brave missionaries faced death with a dignity befitting the peace of Christ. Fray Blas, whom Juanillo’s band held in captivity for two days told them:
“My sons, for me it is not difficult to die. Even if you do not cause it, the death of this body is inevitable. We must be ready at all times, for we, all of us, have to die someday. But what does pain me is that the Evil One has persuaded you to do this offensive thing against your God and Creator. It is a further source of deep grief to me that you are unmindful of what we missionaries have done for you in teaching you the way to eternal life and happiness. (qtd. in Luis Gerónimo de Oré, The Martyrs of Florida [1513-1516] )
Even unto death, Fray Blas remained focused on the salvation of his flock. Fray Miguel and Fray Antonio at another mission a few miles away received word that Juanillo planned to come and kill them. Instead of abandoning their flock to save themselves, they willingly received the crown of martyrdom as a witness to those around them.
These men witnessed to the truth of the Theology of the Body, though they would not have called it that. They knew that God meant for marriage to be Free, Full, Faithful, and Fruitful, and that polygamous marriages contradicted God’s design for our bodies. The official Franciscan report to King Philip II of Spain reads, “[Juanillo’s band] slew them because we would not consent that any married Christian should have more than one wife” (Archivo General de Indias, qtd. in Oré, 94). The witness of the martyrs spoke directly to the truth of God’s plan for marriage.
At time of writing*, the Diocese of Savannah has taken up the cause for canonization and declared the Georgia Martyrs, “Servants of God.” We need strong witnesses to the truth of the body more than ever these days. Let us pray for the intercession of these martyrs for marriage.
*As of 1/27/2025 Pope Francis has recognized the martyrdom of the friars, clearing the way for their beatification.
This cemetery is all that remains of the Tolomato Mission where Fray Pedro was martyred.
Chris Tarantino is the Communications Director for TOBET. He studied History at The University at Texas A&M and has written for the Tennessee Register and Nashville Catholic.
This blog and all content on this website is copyrighted, all rights reserved. © 2025 Theology of the Body Evangelization Team, Inc. (TOBET)