Latino Catholic Biography

Historians have produced various biographies of nineteenth- and twentieth-century Latinos who were lay Catholics, but examinations of the influence Catholicism had in their lives is often relatively brief or entirely absent. Like many studies of Catholic lives, on the whole extant biographical monographs on leaders recognized as Latino Catholics have examined clergy acclaimed for their faith and apostolic work. Several book-length biographies have explored the struggles and travails of nineteenth-century clergy who lived through the tumultuous period when what is now the Southwest passed from Mexican to U.S. sovereignty. Numerous writings have treated the most widely-known U.S. Latino leader, César Chávez. The selection and treatment of these latter two biographical subjects reflect not only the attraction of the historical figures examined, but also particular emphases among Latino historians on the U.S. conquest of Mexico and on the Chicano movement.

Biographies of Latinas and Latinos have lauded heroic figures such as Mother Teresa (Rosa) Solis, I.W.B.S. (1840-1920), the first Incarnate Word sister from the Americas; early California bishops like Mexican-born Francisco García Diego y Moreno, O.F.M. (1785-1846); Catalan-born California bishops Joseph Sadoc Alemany, O.P. (1814-1888), Thaddeus Amat, C.M. (1811-1878), and Francisco Mora y Borrell (1827-1905); and Patricio Flores, the first Mexican American bishop. Several other book-length biographies have examined the lives of non-Latinos who are recognized for their leadership in Hispanic communities and evangelization, such as Italian-born Father Eusebio Kino, S.J. (1645-1711), whose missionary labors in New Spain included the establishment of the first missions in Arizona, and Archbishop Robert E. Lucey of San Antonio (1891-1977), widely known as a tireless advocate for social justice, the catechetical movement, and church outreach to poor and working-class ethnic Mexicans. ¹

Not surprisingly, there are also various biographical studies of Hispanics in the canonization process. Venerable Antonio Margil de Jesús, O.F.M. (1657-1726) is renowned as a Spanish missioner whose numerous accomplishments included the establishment of the most successful of the Spanish missions in Texas, San Antonio's Mission San José y San Miguel de Aguayo. Blessed Junípero Serra, O.F.M. (1713-1784), is acclaimed as the founder of the California missions. Servant of God Father Félix Varela y Morales (1788-1853) fled to New York in 1823 after the Spanish regime he opposed as a Cuban delegate to the Spanish Cortes (parliament) condemned him to death. In exile, Varela worked as a parish priest and eventually rose to the position of diocesan vicar general. He is recognized both for his dedicated pastoral service in New York and as a forerunner of Cuban pro-independence thought. Blessed Carlos Manuel Rodríguez Santiago (1918-1963) is known in his native Puerto Rico for his love of the liturgy, his translations of Catholic rites into Spanish, and his commitment to teach others about the sacraments, especially the Eucharist. Witnesses who knew him personally extol his virtue and his exemplary efforts to proclaim the ways of Jesus Christ in everyday life. He is the first layperson born in the territories of the United States to be beatified. Servant of God Bishop Alphonse Gallegos, O.A.R. (1931-1991), was born in Albuquerque, joined the Augustinian Recollects, was ordained a priest in 1958, and served as auxiliary bishop in the diocese of Sacramento for the last decade of his life. His cause for sainthood was opened fourteen years after his tragic death from a car that struck him as he tried to push his stalled vehicle to the roadside. ²

Father Félix Varela y Morales (1788-1853). Courtesy St. Augustine Historical Society.

Biographies of nineteenth-century Hispanic clergy in the Southwest have sought to correct historical accounts about leaders like Padre Antonio José Martínez (1793-1867) of Taos, the priest most frequently associated with New Mexico's transition from Mexican to U.S. rule. In collaboration with Moises Sandoval, in 1976 Father Juan Romero published the first of such efforts to...