Born in Guadalajara in 1869, his parents were poor farmers and Cristobal was a shepherd until his late teens. 

He made the decision to become a priest and was ordained just before the turn of the century at the age of 30. 

It was not a good time to be a Catholic in Mexico and dangerous to be a priest. 

In an attempt to eliminate the Catholic faith, the Mexican government spent much of the early 20th century attacking parishes and, often, killing priests. 

The seminary Cristobal attended was closed in 1915 after the government banned the faith, so Cristobal opened his own seminary taking in dozens of students. 

Although he constantly preached about peace, the government accused Cristobal of inciting rebellion, and, one Sunday as he was on his way to say mass, he was arrested. 

Giving his possessions away to those who had arrested him, he told them they were forgiven. 

On this day in 1927, Cristobal was murdered, for teaching and spreading The Word of Christ as a Catholic priest. 

In all, 24 Catholic Catholics, most of them priests, were murdered over a twenty-two-year span in eight Mexican states. They were Canonized in 2000. 

St. Cristobal and Companions, please pray for us.