A persecution that could not silence the Church
In 1926, the government of Mexican President Plutarco Elías Calles intensified its campaign to drive the Catholic faith from public life. Priests were expelled, churches were seized, and Catholics faced imprisonment, torture and even death.
Some fled the country, while others resisted peacefully. Many took up arms under the rallying cry, “¡Viva Cristo Rey y Santa María de Guadalupe!” — “Long live Christ the King and Holy Mary of Guadalupe!”
What followed became known as La Cristiada, or the Cristero War.
The Knights who refused to remain silent
By 1924, more than 50 Knights of Columbus councils were active throughout Mexico. As the persecution intensified, the Order helped establish the National League for the Defense of Religious Liberty, distributed five million pamphlets across the United States exposing the brutality of the Mexican government, and sent a delegation to President Calvin Coolidge urging him to intervene.
Pope Pius XI recognized the Knights by name for their courageous response in his 1926 encyclical Iniquis Afflictisque. Nine of the men martyred during the persecution were members of the Knights of Columbus.
Six were canonized in 2000 and are commemorated on May 21. Three were beatified and are commemorated on Nov. 20
