Saint Who?
Saints Who Championed the Eucharist
Saint Toribio Romo
Priest and martyr († 1928) Feast: May 21
Toribio was born to poor but devout parents in rural Mexico. When priests came to his village every few weeks to celebrate Mass, they always stayed with his family. Young Toribio couldn’t take his eyes off the priests, and he wondered if God was calling him to become one.
But to become a priest, Toribio would have to leave his family and attend school in a larger city. His older sister Maria turned down a marriage proposal to accompany her thirteen-year-old brother and help support him. Toribio’s friendliness and simplicity won over the other students, while his excellent grades won over the teachers.
Political turmoil had caused anti-Catholic persecution in Mexico for most of Toribio’s life. After ordination at the age of twenty-two, he performed all the typical duties of a priest: celebrating Mass, teaching catechism to adults and children, and hearing confessions. But following the outbreak of the Cristero War, he performed all those duties in hiding, knowing that if he was caught, he would be shot. The Eucharist was the center of his life, and he had often begged God to not let a day pass “without [him] receiving [God’s] embrace in Communion.” Soldiers finally found him on February 25, 1928. They shot him multiple times, and he died in the arms of his sister.
Jesus, our Great High Priest,
we thank you for the gift of the priesthood.
