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Martyrs of the Gospel: Pedro de Corpa and Companions

Martyrs of the Gospel: Pedro de Corpa and Companions

Last updated on: June 18, 2026 at 3:57 pm by Father Pablo Migone

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Martyrs of the Gospel: Pedro de Corpa and Companions 2026-06-18T15:57:43-05:00 Father Pablo Migone

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As I stepped out of the chapel at Franciscan University of Steubenville sometime in 2002, a light-brown brochure lying on a large table among countless prayer cards and pamphlets caught my eye—The Georgia Martyrs. I had never heard of these martyrs. Having been raised in Augusta, Georgia, I assumed they must be from the distant country of Georgia in the Caucasus. I was stunned to quickly realize the pamphlet told the story of five Franciscan friars who had been martyred for the sake of the Gospel on the shores of “my” Georgia. How did it happen that I was from Georgia, and had even attended Catholic school, but had never heard about Friar Pedro de Corpa and Companions? Little did I know that what began as a passing glance over a table of pamphlets as I exited noon Mass, would unfold over time and become deeply woven into my own priesthood.

Evangelization of the New World

The late fifteenth century marked a turning point in Spanish history, giving rise to a period of extraordinary religious zeal within the Catholic Church. The Kingdom of Spain was unified in 1492 under the Catholic monarchs Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castille after the completion of the Reconquista, the 800-year-old period of conflict which led to the expulsion of the Moors from the Iberian Peninsula after the conquest of the Emirate of Granada. That same year, the voyage of Christopher Columbus opened a vast new world not only for conquest but also for evangelization. The military and religious fervor which led the various kingdoms of Spain to reclaim their land from the Moors continued onto foreign territories across the Atlantic Ocean.

By the mid sixteenth century, the Spanish successfully established colonies and missions along the eastern coast of present-day Florida and Georgia. Though this territory collectively called “La Florida” was not rich in silver and gold, it was a strategic location since Spanish galleons full of riches sailed back to Europe along the coast. Fearful of British attacks and unfriendly natives along the coast, the Spanish had an interest in colonizing the region for defensive purposes. After the successful founding of Saint Augustine in present-day Florida in 1565, the first permanent European settlement in what is now the United States, the Spanish founded a string of missions along the coast, both on the mainland and barrier islands.

Religious fervor prompted countless men and women to willingly leave everything behind to spread the Gospel in distant lands. This missionary movement in Spain lasted until the late twentieth century. Among the fifteenth-century missionaries was the Franciscan Friar Pedro de Corpa, ordained in 1584 in Castille, Spain. He volunteered in 1587 along with eleven friars to evangelize the New World in the Province of La Florida. The friars first traveled to La Havana, Cuba, and then continued on a six-day journey to Saint Augustine. Friar Pedro worked at a mission near Saint Augustine until twelve more friars arrived, freeing him and others to evangelize farther north. It is unknown when exactly he arrived to the Mission of Tolomato (located near present-day Darien, Georgia), but his assignment there was significant since it was the main city of the Guale people, and its chief was considered the principal leader of the Guale.

Historians and archeologists recount that the Franciscan friars sent to the approximately 3,000 Guale arrived in peace, willing to make cultural accommodations and respecting traditional power hierarchies. These barefoot missionaries, sent without soldiers, were welcomed by the natives as witnesses rather than conquerors. They learned the Guale language, respected local customs, and lived simply among the people. By 1597, several missions had been established along the present-day Georgia coast where the friars preached the Gospel and lived harmoniously with the native population. Most Guale not only embraced Christianity but also welcomed European goods such as glass beads, metal tools, and cloth, reflecting the good relations fostered between the missionaries and the community.

A poem written by Friar Alonso Escobedo in the early 1600s described Friar Pedro emphasizing his life of poverty, chastity and obedience. Escobedo wrote: “I and the people who accompanied him to the land where we lived together are witnesses of his sanctity. Poverty was his favorite virtue. He admired the chaste and holy angelic choir and he was submissive to his bishop or superior, always demonstrating his obedience by quickly obeying all orders. Being a wise and holy man, the love of God burned in his heart, and by means of prayer, abstinence and self-discipline he gave good example to the Indians of the West (New World) whom he strove to convert.”

Witnesses to the Sacrament of Marriage

Friar Luis Geronimo de Oré (a Peruvian Franciscan friar) recorded in 1618 after visiting La Florida, that on September 1597, the friar assigned to the mission of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Tolomato did not allow a baptized, Guale man to take a second wife. Juanillo, who was the heir to a Guale chiefdom, refused Friar Pedro de Corpa’s correction and faithfulness to Christian teaching that marriage is a permanent and binding union between one man and one woman. What followed was not simply a personal dispute, but a violent rejection of the Gospel’s demands. Enraged, Juanillo gathered a group of men and murdered Friar Pedro. The war party continued to the Mission in Tupiquí where Friar Blass was also killed.

Before arriving to Saint Catherines Island, Juanillo sent an order to the chief of the island to execute the two friars stationed there, Father Miguel de Añon and Brother Antonio de Badajoz. Unwilling to carry out the order, the chief begged the friars to flee south to the mission on San Pedro Island (present day Cumberland Island). The friars refused to believe the rumors of coming murder since their relationship with the Guale was profoundly positive. Once Juanillo and his men reached Saint Catherines, the two friars were brutally murdered after they prayed fervently at the Mission of Santa Catalina de Guale. Friar Francisco was martyred last as he returned by canoe with supplies from Saint Augustine to build the new mission of Asao. The exact location is disputed, though the current Park Manager at Fort King George in Darien, Georgia, argues it was within the limits of the present-day park. A sixth friar, Francisco de Avila, was held captive for several months and eventually released. He refused to testify for fear of what the government officials in Saint Augustine would do to the natives.

These five Franciscans died during their ministry to the Guale of Coastal Georgia as martyrs for defending the Church’s teaching on marriage. Though the Franciscans had made numerous accommodations to the traditional customs of the Guale, Friar Pedro knew he could not go against Church teaching when it came to the Sacrament of Marriage. The ultimate sacrifice made by these friars was recorded immediately by Spanish authorities in Saint Augustine, even informally referring to them as “blessed.” The friars first demonstrated tremendous detachment by leaving behind everything that was familiar in the Old World, knowing well they may never return to their hometowns. They further gave an example of detachment by losing their own lives as witnesses to Christian marriage, in the rich line of Christian martyrs who have shed blood in imitation of Jesus on the cross.

At a time when society’s understanding of marriage and family has rapidly broken down, the example of the steadfastness of these friars is needed now more than ever. Saint John Paul II pointed out that “[Some families] have become uncertain and bewildered over their role or even doubtful and almost unaware of the ultimate meaning and truth of conjugal and family life.” Though these friars died centuries ago, their example is a source of strength today for the faithful to persevere in the commitment of Christian Marriage.

Despite their premature death, the evangelization efforts of these first Franciscan missionaries took hold. Other friars returned to coastal Georgia at the request of the Guale, missions were rebuilt and expanded, while a thriving indigenous Catholic society emerged. The year 1661 was particularly devastating when English forces from Charleston along with enemy mainland tribes attacked the Mission of Santo Domingo de Talaje on June 20th. Westos medicine men poisoned twelve Timucuan Catholic men, women and children at this mission located on the present-day site of Fort King George in Darien, Georgia. As they were attacked, the faithful implored that they be spared in the name of God and the Most Holy Virgin. The medicine men taunted them, stating they would soon “experience the pain of hell” before dying. The account of their deaths illustrates that the Catholic faith took root over the decades, and was extinguished only as the English acquired the territory of La Florida.

In Search of Saint Catherines

The Spanish missions along the coast of Georgia and Florida have intrigued historians and archaeologists over time. Predating the more widely known California missions, these settlements marked the northernmost reach of the Spanish Empire along the Atlantic. Today, however, little physical evidence remains—especially in Georgia, where time, conflict, and coastal erosion have nearly erased their presence.

One exception is Saint Catherines Island, a remote barrier island accessible only by boat. In the late 20th century, archaeologist Dr. David Hurst Thomas of the American Museum of Natural History led extensive excavations there, uncovering the remains of the Mission of Santa Catalina de Guale—the oldest known church site in Georgia. Buried beneath layers of hurricane debris, the site revealed a carefully planned Spanish mission complex, including a church, friary, kitchen, and well arranged around a central plaza in accordance with Spanish colonial design. Far from being a minor outpost, it functioned as a fully developed community.

Founded in the 1590s by Spanish Franciscan friars, the mission became a center of both evangelization and daily life for the Guale people. In 1597, during the uprising led by Juanillo, the mission was burnt to the ground. Despite this violence, the Guale quickly rebuilt the mission and requested authorities in Saint Augustine to send Franciscan friars again, demonstrating a lasting commitment to the faith they had embraced.

The mission endured for nearly a century before its final destruction in 1687 during an English-led slave raid from Charleston. Survivors were either captured and enslaved by the English, or fled south toward Spanish Florida where their freedom was guaranteed. By 1706, increasing English pressure forced the remaining missionaries and converts to cross the Saint Marys River, effectively ending the missions in present-day Georgia. When the Spanish abandoned Saint Augustine in 1763, the remaining Guale descendants who had preferred to remain allied with the Spanish, migrated to Cuba.

In 1984, Bishop Raymond W. Lessard of the Diocese of Savannah reconsecrated the rediscovered church site and oversaw the reburial of 432 individuals found beneath its floor—Guale Christians whose lives were once centered around the mission. When Dr. David Hurst Thomas discovered the mission in the late 1970s, he called Bishop Lessard on the phone and said, “Bishop, I have something that belongs to you!” Since that time, both the archologists and the Saint Catherines Foundation which owns the island have considered the cemetery and remains of the mission sacred ground which now stands as a living church. Today, twelve palm trees encircle the site, marking the footprint of the original church and creating a place of quiet pilgrimage and remembrance.

Archaeological findings and ongoing research suggest that the Franciscans may have played a broader role than previously understood, possibly serving as mediators among local groups. Importantly, little evidence has been found of sustained hostility between the Guale and the missionaries themselves, contradicting older narratives that portray the missions solely in terms of conflict or oppression. One or two missionaries lived in villages with hundreds of Guale warriors. Had they been unwanted throughout the century of evangelization, they would have been easily expelled.

This historic site now faces the threat of rising sea levels and shoreline erosion, placing the archeological site at risk of disappearing within a few decades. Without significant preservation efforts, the physical traces of this early chapter of American and Catholic history may be lost. Even so, the story of Santa Catalina de Guale endures beyond its fragile remains. It reflects a moment when coastal Georgia was connected to a vast global empire, when faith took root among the Guale people, and when individuals—both missionary and native—shaped a shared history that still challenges modern assumptions. The twelve palm trees on Saint Catherines Island stand not only as markers of what once was, but as a reminder that this legacy lives on—in memory, in witness, and in the continuing life of the Church. Dr. David Hurst Thomas has recorded his extensive work on the island in a highly recommended book titled “Saint Catherines: An Island in Time.”

My Involvement

In the early months of 2015, I traveled to Rome as the diocesan Vocation Director along with Bishop Hartmayer for the official annual visit of the now Father Andrew Larkin who at that time was studying at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. While in the city, Bishop Hartmayer requested an appointment at the Congregation for the Causes of Saints (now called Dicastery for the Causes of Saints) in order to inquire about the status of the Cause for the Beatification of Friar Pedro de Corpa and Companions. The Franciscan Province of the Most Holy Name from New York had finalized the documentation and presented it to the Dicastery almost eight years prior, but this was followed by a long, silent pause.

We were warmly welcomed by a Bishop who worked at the Dicastery, and he quickly stated that the Cause should have already concluded because most of the work was done. We were quite surprised and pleased with this news. The Bishop put us in contact with Father Giovanni Giuseppe Califano, OFM, the priest in Rome who was the Postulator, the person who advances beatification and canonization causes and serves as an advocate before the Dicastery. Father Califano was pleased to welcome us the next morning. Ever since that initial visit, and through several more in years after, Father Califano became the indispensable link to move the Cause forward.

Among the many instructions from Father Califano, were included the commissioning of a monument and the production of a documentary. Much effort by many was channeled to build a beautiful monument in Darien, Georgia by the Canadian Catholic sculptor Timothy Schmaltz. The stunning work of art by this internationally-acclaimed artist was dedicated in 2021. Thanks to a grant from the Communications Committee of the U.S. Bishops, Guerilla Productions from Savannah was engaged to produce For the Sake of the Gospel, a thirty-minute documentary that tells the heroic story of Friar Pedro de Corpa and Companions within its historical context. This documentary, as well as other video productions by the Diocese of Savannah, has become effective tools to raise awareness of the story of the friars.

In response to the increased interest in the Cause, and the unwavering commitment from both the Diocese of Savannah and the Franciscan Order, Father Califano moved on to write the final document to present to the Dicastery, called a Positio in 2020. The same historian who wrote the Positio for the Canonization of Saint Junipero Serra got to work, and the document was submitted to the Dicastery in 2022. In early 2023, we welcomed the good news that the Historical Commission of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints gave the document a unanimous favorable vote. In February 2024, Father Califano indicated the Cause had moved forward through the theological committee, and finally, in January 27th, 2025, the wonderful news reached Savannah, that the Cause had been approved by the final committee of Cardinals who assess the pastoral application of the Cause in today’s society. This immediately led Pope Francis to issue a decree declaring that the friars died as martyrs, and that they should be beatified.

What to Expect

By recognizing that Friar Pedro de Corpa and Companions died as martyrs, the Church declares explicitly that they died as a direct consequence of the defense of one of the tenants of the Christian faith. To be considered a martyr, an argument must be presented that someone died out of hatred of the faith, or odium fidei. The historical documentation of this particular Cause clearly points to the fact that the friars were killed directly in response to their defense of Christian Marriage. In addition, their witness bears witness to Christian Marriage in today’s society where confusion hovers over the definition of marriage.

During this 800th anniversary of the birth of Saint Francis of Assisi, five of his spiritual sons will be recognized by the Universal Church as blessed among the saints. The Beatification Ceremony will take place in Savannah on October 31st, 2026 at the Savannah Convention Center on Hutchinson Island. Cardinal Frank Leo of Toronto will be the principal celebrant. A delegation from Rome will be in attendance, led by Father Giovanni Giuseppe Califano, OFM, as well as prominent representatives of the Franciscan Order, especially from the Our Lady of Guadalupe Province headquartered in Atlanta. The date chosen not only hopes to steer the celebration away from weather related complications, but it embodies a desire to recapture the original Christian understanding of the date. On the eve of the Feast of All Saints, the Universal Church will recognize the presence of five faithful Franciscan missionaries among the saints in heaven. What a beautiful date to unite the Church on earth and the Church in heaven through such a significant liturgical celebration.

Many who advanced this Cause throughout the years will not be present at the ceremony, but will certainly rejoice in the presence of the friars among the Church in heaven. In particular the three Vice-Postulators for the Cause: Father Marion Habig, OFM, Father Alexander Wyse, OFM, and Father Conrad Harkins, OFM; Bishop Raymond Lessard who formally opened the Diocesan Phase of the investigation and finally, Father Jeremiah McCarthy who led the investigation and prepared the documentation to present it to Rome.

What began for me as a passing glance at a pamphlet became a profound encounter with a forgotten chapter of the Church’s life in my own home state. The story of Friar Pedro de Corpa and Companions reveals both the missionary heart of the Church and the Franciscan witness of lives lived in closeness to those they served. Their witness is not confined to the past—it speaks directly to our own time, calling the Church to renewed courage, fidelity, and trust in the Gospel when it is most costly. In their beatification, the Church proclaims that they died in defense of Christian marriage and now places them before the faithful as intercessors and models of steadfast faith. Their lives call us not simply to admire their sacrifice, but to imitate their fidelity in the concrete demands of our own vocation. Their legacy endures wherever the Gospel is lived without compromise, a living testimony that fidelity to Christ is never in vain.

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