Margarito Flores García (February 22, 1899 — November 12, 1927) was a

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 deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

and was canonized in 2000. During his ministry in Chilpancingo-Chilapa, he was persecuted in the

Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution () was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from 20 November 1910 to 1 December 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It saw the destruction of the Federal Army, its ...

and died as a

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' Word stem, 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 external party. In ...

Biography

Margarito Flores García was born on February 22, 1899, to Germán Flores and García Merced at Taxco de Alarcón in the Mexican state of

Guerrero Guerrero, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guerrero, is one of the 32 states that compose the administrative divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Guerrero, 85 municipalities. The stat ...

. From a young age, he was forced to labor in the fields to help support his poverty-stricken family. At 15 he began studying in the

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...

at Chilopie. Garcia received

Holy Orders In certain Christian denominations, holy orders are the ordination, ordained ministries of bishop, priest (presbyter), and deacon, and the sacrament or rite by which candidates are ordained to those orders. Churches recognizing these orders inclu ...

from Bishop José Guadalupe Ortiz on April 5, 1924. He celebrated his first mass at his hometown church of Santa Prisca y San Sebastian on April 20, 1924. Initially, he ministered in the Chilopie seminary as a

vicar A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English p ...

while effectively preventing the expansion of breakaway

sect A sect is a subgroup of a religion, religious, politics, political, or philosophy, philosophical belief system, typically emerging as an offshoot of a larger organization. Originally, the term referred specifically to religious groups that had s ...

s. Soon, the persecution of

Catholics 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 ...

intensified. In 1926, president Plutoco Elías Calles published a government decree requiring priests to leave

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

ministry and live in the cities in order to be monitored by the federal government. Garcia was inspired to stay in the region after the martyrdom of David Uribe Velasco. Velasco chose to minister clandestinely where the church was undergoing intensive attacks and where its people were in the greatest danger. In the same year – under the influence of increasing repression – the

clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

were moved from Chilpancingo to Tecapulco. García continued his studies at the

Academia de San Carlos An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

. He was arrested in June of the following year (1927) and imprisoned along with members of the "League for the Defense of Religious Liberty". After intervention by the family of General Roberto Cruz, Flores García was released. In November, according to a complex request, he was sent to minister as

pastor A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...

of the parish in the village of Atenango del Río. Prior to Garcia's arrival in the village, local government authorities had already killed every other priest located in the town. Shortly after his arrival in the village, García was arrested and dragged on a rope in front of the general in Tulimán. He was shot to death on November 12, 1927, by government forces. Police commissioner Crus Pineda had tried to help the priest, but he was shot and killed by federal authorities at a later date. In 1925, the

relics In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...

of García were moved to a chapel in his home parish of Taxco. Investigation into the heroic sanctity of Garcia's life began in his local diocese in 1933 and was completed in 1988. García was

beatified Beatification (from Latin , "blessed" and , "to make") is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name. ''Beati'' is the ...

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

on 22 November 1992 in

St. Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican (), or simply St. Peter's Basilica (; ), is a church of the Italian High Renaissance located in Vatican City, an independent microstate enclaved within the city of Rome, Italy. It was initiall ...

. John Paul II also

canonized Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of sa ...

him, along with St.

Cristóbal Magallanes Jara Cristóbal Magallanes Jara (Anglicized names, anglicized as Christopher Magallanes; July 30, 1869 – May 25, 1927) was a Mexican Catholic priest and martyr who was killed without trial on the way to say Mass during the Cristero War. He had fac ...

and companions, on May 21, 2000, on St. Peter's Square. His feast is celebrated as a commemoration on 12 November.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flores García, Margarito 1899 births 1927 deaths People from Taxco Deaths by firearm in Mexico Catholic martyrs