The Servants of God Antonio Inija and his 56 martyred Companion

On 12 October 2015, the Bishop Emeritus of Pensacola Tallahassee, Bishop Gregory L. Parke, formally launched the cause of beatification of been extensively investigating and researching very large numbers of 'alleged' martyrs from the period between the 16th and 18th centuries who had died for the faith in the land that was once known as La Florida. These investigations took the commission members to archives in Florida, Georgia, Missouri and Louisiana, as well as Cuba, Mexico, Spain and Rome. The commission members rigorously examined each martyrdom report to assess its accuracy and credibility. Of the many martyrdom reports studied, many were deemed reliable enough to be submitted to the Church's scrutiny, while others that were not so well-attested demanded further study and verification. On 14 February 2022, the new bishop, Bishop William A. Wack, submitted to Rome the list of martyrs for whom credible evidence of martyrdom existed. The Dicastery for the Causes of Saints has now allowed the Cause of the unified group of alleged martyrs killed in the evangelisation of Florida to begin. Among the martyrs proposed for beatification is one of our Brothers: Brother Felipe Orbalaes Y Abreo, medical surgeon, Prior of the St John of God Hospital of the Presidio of Santa Maria De Galve in Pensacola. The Brother was martyred on 1 September 1712 while assisting the sick at Fort St Charles of Austria. On 12 October 2023 at a Solemn Mass in Tallahasse, Bishop William A. Wack closed the Diocesan Investigation. This is another significant step towards the beatification of this group of martyrs who had shed their blood for the proclamation of the Gospel. The Cause will continue its journey in Rome in the Dicastery of the Causes of Saints, where further verifications and investigations will be carried out to gather the evidence of martyrdom.

For further information please consult the Cause's web page.

www.martyrsoflafloridamissions.org