Padre Pro: Mexican Hero

Portraits in Faith and Freedom

by Fanchon Royer, James J. Fox (Illustrator)

Miguel Pro was born in 1891. He was the third of eleven children, four of whom had died as infants or young children. He entered the Jesuit novitiate at El Llano on August 15, 1911, was ordained in 1925, and executed in 1927. In 1952 just 25 years later his cause came up for beatification and he was beatified by Pope John Paul II on September 25, 1988. At the time of Padre Pro s death, Mexico was under rule of the fiercely anti-clerical and anti-catholic President Plutarch Elias Calles who had begun what writer Graham Greene called the fiercest persecution of religion anywhere since the reign of Elizabeth. During those years of the Masonic-Communist persecution, the Mexican people rose up in a great war to defend their nation and the rights of the Church and of Christ the King. Their battle-cry was Viva Christo Rey! Blessed Padre Pro s martyrdom came at the height of the war and it typifies the period of the Cristero rebellion and its heroes. He took no part in the war, but spent his life ministering to the poor and faithful Mexicans. He was one of the earliest combatants of communism and a pioneer priest worker. While observing the Mexican miners needs as assistant to his father, a mine operator, he first recognized his vocation. After entering the Society of Jesus, and spending time in Belgium and Spain for studies, he fell into the company of priests and seminarians who were preparing the way for the apostolate to the worker. When he returned to Mexico at the height of the anti-Catholic persecution, his was a mission to the laborers and to the poorest Mexicans. Disguised in overalls or chauffeur s gear, he made his unwearied rounds bringing the sacraments and succor for body and soul to countless people. Heroic acts of charity and breathtaking escapes were his daily life. With the police ever on his trail, he daily brought solace and material aid to his persecuted compatriots. That this continued for only two years is not every day of survival during these two years was a miracle . Fanchón Royer has explored every possible source of information including official records of the Society of Jesus, documents and newspaper files, first-hand memoranda of the Pro family, and Father Pro s correspondence. Mrs. Royer draws the portrait of an unusual and winning personality whose love of fun, mimicry, music, and poetry never left him during his hazardous and soul searing adventures. Her rich background in Latin-American history and long, intimate acquaintance with the Mexican mind and temperament add greatly to the dramatic power of her narrative.

Genres: Biography, Catholic

Hardcover

Published January 1, 1963

Reviews

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was recently asked if I had ever read and reviewed any books in this series, at the time I had not. I read Joseph the Huron by Antoinette Bosco first and loved it so much I have now read this one and already have 2 others in my to be read pile. Several volumes in the series grabbed my attention. I was asked by someone who had enjoyed my reviews of the Encounter the Saints books by Pauline Books and Media, and who was following now my reviews on the Vision Books for Young Readers now from Ignatius Press to read and review come books in this series. I am very thankful they did, my plan is to read about 1 a week until I have finished the 18 currently available, I hope by then there will be more volumes in the series available. I will note these versions are not available on Amazon, but are very reasonable from the publisher in print or eBook editions. This volume was originally published in 1963 by P. J. Kenedy & Sons. This edition from Bethlehem Books is revised, it has added maps, and other additional material was released in 2016. It is part of the Portraits in Faith and Freedom series and is part of Set 3 Spanish And Mexican Heroes. Over the last few years I have read a few volumes about Catholics in Mexico specifically in and around the time of the Cristero War, and this one has fueled my desire to read even more about those times. Based on how good the two volumes I have read so far have been, I plan on reading all in the set and likely all in the whole series.

The description of this volume is:

“There are two doorways into the life of the gallant Mexican priest Padre Pro. One doorway begins at the end, during an intense period of anti-Catholicism in Mexico, in the high public drama of a daring young priest’s use of disguises and audacious risks to secretly carry communion to the faithful, with his subsequent capture and courageous death. The other doorway starts in the heart of Miguel’s closely knit, devout family. Born in 1891, by fifteen, Miguel is at once a beloved son and a mischievous rascal. Rather than attending school far away from the affectionate society of his sisters and brothers, he assists his father, an agent assigned to a remote mining camp in Zacatecas. His family begins to worry when at twenty the generous, yet often moody, young man still has no idea about the direction his future should take. Then he knows. Miguel’s journey to the priesthood is plagued by difficulties and setbacks that temper and transform the mischievous youth into Padre Pro, a man ready to lay down his life for Christ his King. Blessed Miguel Pro dies before a firing squad in Mexico City in 1927, this last unforgettable triumph-in-death photographed for posterity by his very enemies. Padre Miguel Pro was beatified in 1988 by Pope John Paul II.

Mexico, 1891-1927.”

The chapters in this volume are:

1. The Boy Who Didn’t Go to School
2. The Brewing Storm
3. Farewell to the Mines
4. The Decision
5. Troubled Novitiate
6. The Teacher
7. Perilous Mission
8. Return to Danger
9. The Bomb That Backfired
10. A Prize for Plutarco
11. “Viva Christ the King!”
12. Mexico Hails Her Martyr
About the Author
Historical Insights by Daria Sockey

At the beginning of the volume are several sections they are:

Web Resources
Maps

And at the end of the volume:

About the Author
Historical Insights by Daria Sockey
List of titles in Portraits in Faith and Freedom

Those sections at the beginning of the book are excellent for helping young readers, for use in the classroom or for home schooling. The downloadable resources are top quality. And the additional information at both the beginning and end of the story are greatly beneficial for readers of all ages. There are several subjects in this series that I am familiar with a few I have read a number of books about. This was my first encounter with Padre Pro, in fact because of my dyslexia I first read the title as Padre Pio, but reread it after reading the subtitle of Mexican Her . I devoured this volume over a few sittings. I just could not put it down. It is a story of the faith and devotion that grew from a rocky start. It is a story of great faith, devotion and sacrifice.

The writing is engaging, and the biography is wonderfully written. It was well researched,The Historical Insights section at the end of the volume is a great starting point for young readers. It is a wonderful story of faith, commitment to family, friends, and service and. In the Historical insights section, we are informed that:

“In the end, the hatred of Calles & company for the Catholic faith wasn’t due to the existence of a fat bishop or two, nor of perceived historic wrongs. It was that the Catholic Faith, even without material or political advantages, was still firmly ingrained in the culture of Mexico, and forever written in the hearts of the people. Poor Calles! He could not see what the people saw: that despite the Church’s human failings, Jesus Christ—poor, despised and suffering with them—was incarnate there. Jesus Christ, who was granting them dignity and hope in a way that no political leader ever could, because He, the God of Heaven, had once come to earth to be one of them. And continued to come to them in the Blessed Eucharist, so long as courageous priests like Miguel Pro were in their midst. It is no wonder that the people of Mexico, poor and powerless as they were, could endure all things until the powers that be became too tired to fight back any longer.”

This book, and series is attempting to bring back into print a volume that is a great read for tweens and teens today. It is also another important read for us older folks. The example of Padre Pro’s faith and growth is inspiring. This is a volume any Catholic would benefit from reading and it leaves you desperate to read others in the set and the series. Another excellent read that I can easily recommend.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2022 Catholic Reading Plan!