Well, that was an unexpected Artic blast! 3-5 inches of snow fell at St. James and around Savannah. And it stayed! I cannot recall a time when that much snow fell and stayed on the ground and roofs for so long! Everything shut down and Savannah was quiet and still. I hope that you and your family took advantage of those days and played in the snow and spent some good family time together. By the end of the week, however, I am sure that many parents were willing to brave the icy streets to get their children back into school!
Due to those snow days and the icy roads, we had to postpone First Reconciliation for our 2nd graders. So, I ask for your prayers for these young men and women on the evening of Wednesday, February 5th. The Lord’s Mercy and Grace will be flowing into them through the Sacrament!
GEORGIA MARTYRS!
Bishop Parkes, on Monday, January 27, 2025, received word from Rome that Friar Pedro de Corpa and his 4 Companions were declared martyrs who died from hatred of the faith (odium fidei) in September of 1597 at 3 different Guale missions in Coastal Georgia here in what is now the Diocese of Savannah. They died because they upheld the Churches teaching on marriage. Very simply, the heir to the chiefdom wanted to marry a second wife and the friars stood firm on the truth that marriage is between one man and one woman. They upheld the dignity of marriage (like St. John the Baptist, the patron of the Diocese of Savannah). These friars are now to be called “Venerable” and the Rite of Beatification will be sometime next year. They are 1 step closer to being declared canonized SAINTS!
The cause (case) for these men to be canonized began over 40 years here in the Diocese when a mission was found on what is now St. Catherine’s Island. Archeologists had been looking for the Mission of Santa Catalina de Guale and they discovered the foundations of the mission church in the early 1980’s.
For their whole story, please see www.thegeorgiamartyrs.org. Before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, two centuries before Blessed Junipero Serra founded the missions in modern day California, and before Catholics were not allowed in the colony of Georgia by Oglethorpe, the Guale Indians lived and practiced Catholicism here on the Coast of Georgia. This is the rich history of our faith in our Diocese of Savannah! The witness of these friars is our heritage!
Stay tuned for how you can celebrate them in your family and how we can celebrate them in the life of our Church!
Venerable Pedro de Corpa and Companions, pray for us!
St. James the Less, pray for us!
~ Fr. Daniel Firmin