Ambrósio Francisco Ferro (? - October 3, 1645) was a Brazilian

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

and is a

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Biography

Francisco Ferro, a native of

Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...

, came to Brazil with relatives. He was ordained priest and from 1636 he was a parish priest in

Natal NATAL or Natal may refer to: Places * Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil * Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa ** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843) ** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ...

. On October 3, 1645, Ambrosio Francisco Ferro, was

martyred A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...

at the hands of the

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

military unit, along with 28 faithful, among whom were his relatives, on the Uruaçu River. His beatification was performed by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

on March 5, 2000, along with the beatification of

André de Soveral André de Soveral, SJ (1572 - July 16, 1645) was a Portuguese-Brazilian Catholic priest saint and martyr, killed during the Restoration War at the Martyrdom of Cunhau, a massacre promoted by Dutch troops and their Calvinists Protestant elders, ...

and his companions. On March 23, 2017,

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

signed a decree recognizing the miracle through the intercession of Blessed Ambrósio Francisco Ferro, and on April 20, 2017 during the

consistory Consistory is the anglicized form of the consistorium, a council of the closest advisors of the Roman emperors. It can also refer to: *A papal consistory, a formal meeting of the Sacred College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church *Consistory ...

, he set the date of his canonization. The writing of his name as saints along with 34 new saints took place on October 15, 2017 at

St. Peter's Square Saint Peter's Square ( la, Forum Sancti Petri, it, Piazza San Pietro ,) is a large plaza located directly in front of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, the pope, papal enclave and exclave, enclave inside Rome, directly west of the neighbor ...

by Pope Francis.

References

External links

Catholic Saints Page

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferro, Ambrosio Francisco Date of birth unknown 1645 deaths 17th-century Brazilian Roman Catholic priests Brazilian Roman Catholic saints Beatifications by Pope John Paul II Canonizations by Pope Francis People from the Azores