Blessed Jacinto Vera Durán (Atlantic Ocean, 3 July 1813 – Pan de Azúcar, Uruguay, 6 May 1881) was a

Uruguayan Uruguayans () are people identified with the country of Uruguay, through citizenship or descent. Uruguay is home to people of different ethnic origins. As a result, many Uruguayans do not equate their nationality with ethnicity, but with citizen ...

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

prelate who served as the first bishop of Montevideo. He was an active minister in

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

, although his efforts to renew the priesthood and other ecclesial initiatives brought him into conflict with the Uruguayan government; this was the cause of his exile from the country, establishing himself in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

between October 1862 and August 1863, at which point a political change in Uruguay made his return possible. The popularity showcased by his reception continued throughout the rest of his life due to his intense and prolonged missionary work all over the diocese of Montevideo (at that time the only one for the whole country), of which he was made bishop upon its creation in 1878. A neighborhood of Montevideo was named after him in 1895. His fame of holiness led to the opening of his canonization process in 1935. On 5 May 2015, Pope Francis signed the decree of his heroic virtues, conferring him the title of

Venerable ''The Venerable'' often shortened to Venerable is a style, title, or epithet used in some Christianity, Christian churches. The title is often accorded to holy persons for their spiritual perfection and wisdom. Catholic In the Catholic Churc ...

upon him. On December 17, 2022, a miracle obtained through his intercession was approved and his beatification authorized; it was celebrated on 6 May 2023, in Montevideo.

Life

Jacinto Vera y Durán was born in mid-1813 on board a boat on the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

to Gerardo Vera and Josefa Durán; the boat had been taking his parents from their place of origin in the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...

. The infant was

baptized Baptism (from ) is a Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by sprinkling or pouring water on the head, or by immersing in water either partially or completely, traditionally three ...

during a boat stop at Nossa Senhora do Desterro in

Florianópolis Florianópolis () is the capital and second largest city of the state of Santa Catarina (state), Santa Catarina, in the South Region, Brazil, South region of Brazil. The city encompasses Santa Catarina Island and surrounding small islands, as we ...

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. His siblings included his sisters María Teodora and Marianna and his brothers Dionisio Antonio de los Dolores and Francisco who died while in Brazil. From 1813 Vera lived on a leased farm until his parents purchased their own farm in 1819. He made his

First Communion First Communion is a ceremony in some Christian traditions during which a person of the church first receives the Eucharist. It is most common in many parts of the Latin tradition of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Church and Anglican Communion (ot ...

in the chapel of Our Lady of Carmen called Doña Ana and received his

Confirmation In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant (religion), covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. The ceremony typically involves laying on o ...

around this stage as was the custom of the time. In 1832 he felt the call to the priesthood and from 1836 to 1841 studied under the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

(at the Colegio San Ignacio) in

where he became known for his intelligence as well as for his sharp and cheerful persona. He was elevated into the

diaconate A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Catholi ...

on 28 May 1841 and received his

ordination Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

on 5 June from the Bishop of Buenos Aires Mariano Medrano y Cabrera. Vera celebrated his first

Mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

on 6 June at the church of the Catalinas in Buenos Aires before returning to Uruguay. On 4 October 1859 Vera was appointed as the Vicar Apostolic of Montevideo and he took office on 14 December. He sought renewal among priests and in January 1860 summoned all priests for the

Spiritual Exercises The ''Spiritual Exercises'' (), composed 1522–1524, are a set of Christian meditations, contemplations, and prayers written by Ignatius of Loyola, a 16th-century Spanish Catholic priest, theologian, and founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesui ...

which he wanted to make a regular thing for their own growth as priests. He made a missionary trip from 25 April 1860 to January 1861 across the nation in order to meet with various people, preach and administer. But complications arose in Montevideo which caused him to be exiled to Buenos Aires from 8 October 1862 until 23 August 1863. But he was soon invited to return to his home nation after

Venancio Flores Venancio Flores Barrios (18 May 1808 – 19 February 1868) was a Uruguayan political leader and general who served as President of Uruguay from 1854 to 1855 (interim) and from 1865 to 1868. Background and early career In 1839, he was made polit ...

put the offer to him; he was met with a grand welcome upon his return. It was upon his return that the

Acting President An acting president is a person who temporarily fills the role of a country's president when the incumbent president is unavailable (such as by illness or visiting abroad) or when the post is vacant (such as for death Death is the en ...

Atanasio Aguirre Atanasio de la Cruz Aguirre (2 June 1801 – 28 September 1875) was acting President of Uruguay from 1864 to 1865. Background Aguirre was a member of the National Party. He served as the President of the Chamber of Deputies of Uruguay in ...

asked

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX (; born Giovanni Maria Battista Pietro Pellegrino Isidoro Mastai-Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878. His reign of nearly 32 years is the longest verified of any pope in hist ...

to name Vera as a bishop. The pope accepted this recommendation in 1864 when he named Vera as the Titular Bishop of Megara on 22 September which prompted Vera to receive his

episcopal consecration A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...

later on 16 July 1865. In 1867 Vera left for

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

to participate in the XIX centennial of the death of

Saint Peter Saint Peter (born Shimon Bar Yonah; 1 BC – AD 64/68), also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the first leaders of the Jewish Christian#Jerusalem ekklēsia, e ...

and went on a long tour of

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and

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

while also visiting neighbouring

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and

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

. It was also around this point that he made a pilgrimage to the

Holy Land The term "Holy Land" is used to collectively denote areas of the Southern Levant that hold great significance in the Abrahamic religions, primarily because of their association with people and events featured in the Bible. It is traditionall ...

. In 1869 he set off to Rome again to participate in the

First Vatican Council The First Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the First Vatican Council or Vatican I, was the 20th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church, held three centuries after the preceding Council of Trent which was adjourned in 156 ...

and was there until the council closed in 1870 with the loss of the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; ; ), officially the State of the Church, were a conglomeration of territories on the Italian peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope from 756 to 1870. They were among the major states of Italy from the 8th c ...

. From 10-17 July 1871 Vera carried out a peace mission between General Timoteo Aparicio and President

Lorenzo Batlle y Grau Lorenzo Cristóbal Manuel Batlle y Grau (10 August 1810 in Montevideo – 8 May 1887 in Montevideo) was the president of Uruguay from 1868 to 1872. Family background and early career He was the son of a wealthy merchant loyal to the Spanis ...

but this mediation failed and led to the Revolution of the Lances. Vera supported the return of the Jesuits to the nation who settled in Montevideo on 3 September 1872 while also allowing for the

Salesians of Don Bosco The Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB), formally known as the Society of Saint Francis de Sales (), is a religious congregation of men in the Catholic Church, founded in 1859 by the Italian priest John Bosco to help poor and migrant youth during the ...

to come into the country with that order arriving on 26 December 1876; Bishop Vera sometimes corresponded with Saint Giovanni Bosco. Bishop Vera's posting as the vicar apostolic and the titular bishop ended on 15 July 1878 when the new

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the Ap ...

named him as the first Bishop of Montevideo after establishing the diocese and dissolving the apostolic vicariate.

Death

The bishop died in 1881 while on a mission. His funeral attracted hundreds of individuals who had hailed him as an energetic pastor and as a saint known for his intelligence and his personal holiness.

Beatification process

The beatification process opened in the Montevideo archdiocese in an informative process that spanned from 27 July 1935 until its closure not long after in 1942; the

Congregation for Rites The Sacred Congregation of Rites was a congregation of the Roman Curia, erected on 22 January 1588 by Pope Sixtus V by ''Immensa Aeterni Dei''; it was divided into two separate congregations by Pope Paul VI on 8 May 1969. The Congregation was cha ...

were given all boxes of documentation at the end of the process but the cause remained inactive until 28 February 1992 when the

Congregation for the Causes of Saints In the Catholic Church, the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, previously named the Congregation for the Causes of Saints (), is the dicastery of the Roman Curia that oversees the complex process that leads to the canonization of saints, passi ...

validated the informative phase. The postulation later compiled and submitted the

Positio A ''positio'' (short for the Latin ''positio super virtutibus'': "position on the virtues") is a document or collection of documents used in the process by which a Catholic person is declared Venerable, the second of four steps on the path to can ...

to the C.C.S. in 2012 for further assessment with the dossier spanning well over 2000 pages. Historians approved the cause on 19 February 2013 as did theologians on 18 September 2014 and the C.C.S. members on 5 May 2015. Just moments after the C.C.S. approved the cause it was taken to

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

for approval. The pope — on 5 May 2015 - confirmed that Vera had led a model Christian life of

heroic virtue Heroic virtue is the translation of a phrase coined by Augustine of Hippo to describe the virtue of early Christian martyrs. The phrase is used by the Roman Catholic Church. The Greek pagan term hero described a person with possibly superhuman a ...

and named him as

. On 17 December 2022, Pope Francis recognized the miracle attributed to the late bishop's intercession, enabling his for beatification to take place. He was beatified in Montevideo on 6 May 2023 by Cardinal

Paulo Cezar Costa Paulo Cezar Costa (born 20 July 1967) is a Brazilian prelate of the Catholic Church who has been Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brasilia, Metropolitan Archbishop of Brasilia since December 2020. He has been a bishop since 2010 and served as Roma ...

, who presided over the celebration on the pontiff's behalf. The current

postulator A postulator is the person who guides a cause for beatification or canonization through the judicial processes required by the Catholic Church. The qualifications, role and function of the postulator are spelled out in the ''Norms to be Observed i ...

for this cause is Carlo Calloni.

Debunked miracle

There was a supposed healing of a man dating back to 2005 in Montevideo that some believed to be a miracle from the intercession of the late bishop that could be investigated for his beatification. The Montevideo archdiocese opened a diocesan tribunal for this supposed miracle on 2 August 2015 though doubts about whether the healing was a miracle caused the investigation to cease since it was ruled that there existed evidence that could refute the supposed miraculous circumstances of the case.

References

Bibliography

* Lorenzo A. Pons, ''Biografía del Ilmo. y Revmo. señor don Jacinto Vera y Durán, primer Obispo de Montevideo'', Barreiro y Ramos, Montevideo, 1904. * Rafael Algorta Camusso, ''Monseñor Don Jacinto Vera. Notas biográficas'', Colegio Sagrado Corazón, Montevideo, 1931. * Ennrique Passadore, ''La vida de Mons. Jacinto Vera. Padre de la Iglesia Uruguaya'', Montevideo Entre Siglos, Montevideo, 1997. * Beatriz Torrendell Larravide, ''Geografía Histórica de Jacinto Vera. 150 años de la Misión'', edición de la autora, Montevideo, 2010. * José Gabriel González Merlano, ''El conflicto eclesiástico (1861-1862). Aspectos jurídicos de la discusión acerca del Patronato Nacional'', Universidad Católica del Uruguay y Tierra Adentro, Montevideo 2010. * Laura Álvarez Goyoaga, ''Don Jacinto Vera. El misionero santo'' (Historia novelada) Doble clic, Montevideo, 2010

External links

Saints SQPN

El Siervo de Dios, Monseñor Jacinto Vera

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vera, Jacinto 1813 births 1881 deaths 19th-century venerated Christians Bishops appointed by Pope Leo XIII 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Uruguay Apostolic vicars of Uruguay Participants in the First Vatican Council Uruguayan people of Canarian descent Venerated Catholics by Pope Francis Burials at Montevideo Metropolitan Cathedral Uruguayan Roman Catholic bishops Roman Catholic bishops of Montevideo Uruguayan beatified people Beatifications by Pope Francis