Denver, Colo., May 4, 2006 / 22:00 pm
A silver cross containing the relics of six Mexican priests martyred in the 1920s will be on display at Denver’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception for public veneration from May 5-7. Colorado is one of just eight states to which the relics of these six Mexican priests are traveling.
The reliquary will be exposed starting with 5:30 p.m. Mass on May 5 until Sunday.
All six of the martyrs were declared saints by Pope John Paul II in 2000. In addition, all of them were members of the Knights of Columbus.
The tour aims to build awareness of all those who sacrificed their lives for the Catholic faith during the Mexican persecution of the 1920s. During that time of oppression, the Church was forbidden to own property, Catholic seminaries and schools were closed, and priests and laity were told to publicly denounce their faith or risk death.
Not coincidentally, the start of the visit coincides with the Mexican celebration of Cinco de Mayo.
The stories of these saints are available at www.kofc.org/relics.