Anniversary

This month, on the 27th, will mark the 50th anniversary of the passing of my great uncle, His Excellency Don Jose Maria Gonzalez y Valencia, former Archbishop of Durango, Durango, Mexico. As a young seminarian, he had studied in Rome and was ordained to the holy priesthood by Pope St. Pius X in the chapel of the Collegium Germanicum. Priestly ordinations were indeed a rare event for the saintly pontiff. My uncle would eventually earn triple doctorates in philosophy, theology, and canon law. He had the honor of being consecrated as the 4th archbishop of Durango. During the time of the persecution of the Church in Mexico (1925-1929), he was an ardent defender of the rights of the Church. He was the first bishop in Mexico to write a pastoral letter to his diocese regarding the new anti-Catholic laws, encouraging the faithful not to give up the Faith, and to defend their families, their parishes, and especially their priests.

Requiem Aeternam, Dona Ei, Domine.