The Holy See has announced that Cardinal Frank Leo of Toronto will serve as the Papal Legate, representing Pope Leo XIV at the beatification.
Accepting this honor, Cardinal Leo said in a statement:
The beatification of Friar Pedro de Corpa and his Companions is a powerful reminder that the Gospel of Christ has taken root in every land through the faithful witness of those willing to give everything for the Lord Jesus, including their very life. In the communion of saints, their courage and charity continue to inspire the Church to proclaim the Good News with fidelity and constancy. I am humbled and honored to represent His Holiness Pope Leo XIV as his legate and to join the pastors and all faithful in this momentous celebration of faith, indeed a profound moment of prayer and thanksgiving for the life, witnessing and intercession of Venerable Pedro de Corpa and his Companions.
Cardinal Leo will join the Bishop of Savannah, Stephen G. Parkes, for the beatification. “[The Georgia Martyrs'] beatification will be a date of great significance for the faithful within the Diocese of Savannah and the Archdiocese of Atlanta,” Bishop Parkes said. “The year is also noteworthy, as these Franciscan friars will be declared ‘Blessed’ while the Catholic Church honors the 800th anniversary of the death of their order’s founder, St. Francis of Assisi, in 1226.”
Georgia Martyrs: Early Franciscan presence in North America
The Georgia Martyrs were five Franciscan friars who lived and worked as missionaries among the Guale people of the Georgia coast for two years, from 1595-1597. This was long before St. Junipero Serra established the California missions in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Friar Pedro de Corpa and his companions served in the Spanish territory known as La Florida, which encompassed parts of today's U.S. states of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina.
Relations between the Guale and the Franciscans were peaceful and positive for two years. The missionaries learned the Guale language, and the people accepted Christian baptism and welcomed European trade goods. No military presence was required to maintain the missionaries' safety in the communities.
An "enduring legacy of evangelization, courage, reconciliation and devotion to Christ"
But in 1597, a young Guale leader, Don Juanillo, was angered by Friar Pedro's refusal to allow him to take a second wife, a sign of status among the Guale but forbidden to Christian converts. Believing his leadership and inheritance to be threatened, Juanillo killed Friar Pedro on September 14.
Organizing a war party, he went to other Guale settlements and killed all the Franciscans but one, Friar Francisco de Avila, who was kidnapped and tortured for 10 months. Although he was finally freed by the colonial governor, Friar Francisco refused to testify against Juanillo and the Guale in court, because he knew they would be condemned to death.
The five murdered friars -- Pedro de Corpa, Blas Rodriguez de Cuacos, Miguel de Anon, Antonio de Badajoz, and Francisco de Verascola -- were recognized as having been killed "in hatred of the faith" and declared Venerable in 2025.
The beatification ceremony, said the statement from the Archdiocese of Toronto, will celebrate the Georgia Martyrs' "enduring legacy of evangelization, courage, reconciliation and devotion to Christ."
Prayer for the Georgia Martyrs
O Lord Jesus Christ, reward the
apostolic zeal of Friar Pedro de Corpa
and his four companion friars,
Blas, Miguel, Antonio and Francisco,
who labored for the spiritual well-being
of the native Guale people of Georgia
and gave their lives in witness
to the Christian faith.
Through their merits and intercession,
graciously grant the favor
I humbly ask of You,
so that, for the glory of Your Name,
their heroic sacrifice may be officially recognized by the Church.