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“We Are Only Beginning to Discover It”: Vice-Postulator Announces Gathering on 17 Causes for Canonization in Mexico
In an exclusive interview with Press Crux, Father Rubén Rodríguez Balderas revealed details of an event organized by the Archdiocese of Mexico City to introduce the lives of 17 Catholic figures from the 16th through the 20th centuries. Under the theme “Intrepid in Faith,” the gathering will take place November 7–8 as Mexico marks the centennial of the Cristero War.
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW | CHURCH IN MEXICO
Ana Paula Morales (Poli)
11/3/20266 min read
Photo caption: Official poster for the 2026 Gathering on the Causes of Saints, “Intrepid in Faith: 100 Years After the Cristero War,” organized by the Commission for the Causes of Saints of the Archdiocese of Mexico City. The event will take place online November 7 and in person November 8 in Coyoacán, Mexico City. Image courtesy of the organizers.
MEXICO CITY — “Mexico is a truly extraordinary country. We are only beginning to discover it.”
With these words, Father Rubén Rodríguez Balderas, an Opus Dei priest, a doctor of Church History from the University of Navarra and vice-postulator of the cause for canonization of the Child Martyrs of Tlaxcala, summarized one of the great challenges facing the Catholic Church in Mexico: recovering and sharing the stories of men and women whose lives of faith, dedication and service have remained largely unknown for centuries.
In an exclusive interview with Press Crux, the priest announced the 2026 Gathering on the Causes of Saints, organized by the Commission for the Causes of Saints of the Archdiocese of Mexico City. The event will take place November 7–8 under the theme “Intrepid in Faith: 100 Years After the Cristero War,” with the title “Witnesses of Christ the King.”
The gathering will introduce the stories of 17 Catholic figures connected to Mexico whose lives span the 16th through the 20th centuries and whose causes for canonization are being promoted by the Church.
The event will be held in two formats. On Saturday, November 7, at 5 p.m. Mexico City time, the program will be broadcast online through the commission's official Facebook and YouTube channels. On Sunday, November 8, an in-person gathering will take place at the Church of St. John the Baptist in the historic center of Coyoacán, Mexico City.
“We Are Only Beginning to Discover It”: Recovering Mexico's History of Holiness
For Father Rodríguez, who has devoted years to studying historical figures associated with beatification and canonization causes, Mexico possesses a spiritual heritage that has yet to be sufficiently researched or shared with the public. In his view, many individuals who played important roles in evangelization, education, assistance to the poor and the defense of the faith remain virtually unknown, even among Catholics themselves.
“Mexico is a truly extraordinary country. We are only beginning to discover it,” the priest said, explaining that historical research makes it possible to reconstruct lives that, in some cases, date back to the earliest years of Christianity in what is now Mexico.
The historian emphasized that the Church has already recognized the holiness of numerous Mexicans, but other causes still require years of investigation and study. Initiatives such as the gathering organized by the archdiocese help bring these stories closer to the faithful and demonstrate that holiness does not belong exclusively to any particular era, social condition or vocation.
Father Rodríguez also emphasized the importance of recovering women's testimonies of holiness, which have often received less attention than those of priests, missionaries and religious brothers. Among the figures who helped shape the history of the Church in Mexico are women who devoted their lives to education, caring for the sick, catechesis and accompanying local communities.
From the 16th to the 20th Century: Stories of Faith Waiting to Be Discovered
One of the individuals whose story will be presented during the gathering, Father Rodríguez revealed, is Juan González y García, a 16th-century priest identified by historical tradition as St. Juan Diego's interpreter before Franciscan Bishop Juan de Zumárraga during the events surrounding the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe in 1531.
According to the Commission for the Causes of Saints of the Archdiocese of Mexico City, González was born in Extremadura, Spain, in 1510 and arrived in New Spain during the early years of evangelization. He learned Nahuatl, was ordained a priest by Zumárraga and later held ecclesiastical and university positions, including serving as rector of the Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico.
Father Rodríguez stressed, however, that one of the most significant aspects of González's life was his decision to relinquish prestigious positions in order to devote himself to evangelizing Indigenous communities.
“At the height of his career, he gives all of that up to go evangelize Indigenous peoples,” the historian explained. Father Rodríguez has participated in documentary research associated with the cause.
The story of Juan González illustrates one of the gathering's central objectives: bringing little-known individuals out of obscurity so that their lives may offer examples of faith and service to new generations.
One Hundred Years After the Cristero War: “Intrepid in Faith”
The gathering also forms part of commemorations marking the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the Cristero War, a conflict that took place from 1926 to 1929 and profoundly shaped Mexico's religious and social history. Religious persecution, restrictions on public worship and resistance among different sectors of the Catholic population characterized a period whose consequences remain the subject of historical research.
Under the theme “Intrepid in Faith” and the title “Witnesses of Christ the King,” the initiative seeks to remember people who lived out their Christian commitments under widely differing circumstances, from the earliest centuries of evangelization to modern Mexico.
Although the centennial of the Cristero War provides the commemorative framework, the individuals whose causes will be presented belong to different historical periods spanning the 16th through the 20th centuries. Their biographies offer insight into the many expressions of Catholic life in Mexico, extending beyond events directly associated with the Cristero conflict.
Among the stories of holiness already recognized by the Church are those of Sts. Cristóbal, Antonio and Juan, known as the Child Martyrs of Tlaxcala. The three Indigenous boys died for their faith between 1527 and 1529 and were canonized by Pope Francis on October 15, 2017.
Father Rodríguez served as vice-postulator in their cause and believes their witness remains particularly meaningful for Catholics today.
“I should have the courage of Cristóbal, Antonio and Juan, the faith of Cristóbal, Antonio and Juan, and the love for Mexico of Cristóbal, Antonio and Juan,” he said during his conversation with Press Crux.
How Does the Church Investigate a Person's Holiness?
Official recognition of holiness in the Catholic Church requires a process that can extend over many years. Causes for beatification and canonization involve collecting testimonies, examining historical documents and studying the virtues or martyrdom of those proposed for such recognition.
Father Rodríguez explained that a fundamental part of his work consists of locating documents, organizing archives and responding to requests from the ecclesiastical authorities responsible for examining each cause.
According to the priest, some investigations have required the collection of thousands of documents and the participation of specialists in history, theology and canon law.
For the historian, this work makes it possible to distinguish between historically verified facts, traditions passed down through generations and accounts that require further examination.
The November gathering will give the public an opportunity to learn more about that work, discover the lives of the individuals being investigated and understand why the Church considers it important to preserve their testimonies.
When and Where Will the Gathering Take Place?
The 2026 Gathering on the Causes of Saints, titled “Witnesses of Christ the King,” will take place November 7–8.
Saturday, November 7: An online broadcast beginning at 5 p.m. Mexico City time through the official Facebook and YouTube pages of the Commission for the Causes of Saints of the Archdiocese of Mexico City.
Sunday, November 8: An in-person gathering at the Church of St. John the Baptist in Coyoacán, Mexico City. The starting time for the in-person program has not yet been confirmed.
Those interested in watching the broadcasts can search for the official accounts “Causas de los Santos ArqMex” on Facebook and “Causas de los Santos Arquidiócesis de México” on YouTube.
As Mexico commemorates the centennial of the beginning of the Cristero War, the initiative offers an opportunity to recover the memory of men and women who lived their faith under different historical circumstances and whose lives continue to be studied by the Church.
As Father Rubén Rodríguez Balderas recalled, Mexico is a country of extraordinary richness whose spiritual history has yet to be discovered in all its depth.
Editor's note: This article is part of a series of exclusive Press Crux interviews with Father Rubén Rodríguez Balderas concerning causes for canonization, the Child Martyrs of Tlaxcala and little-known figures in the history of the Catholic Church in Mexico.
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