March 23 – St. Turibius de Mogrovejo
Born: 1538
Died: 1606
Nationality: Spanish
Vocation: archbishop
Attributes: episcopal vestments
Patronage: native people’s rights, Latin American bishops, Peru
Canonization: 1726 by Pope Benedict XIII
Born in Spain to a noble family, Turibius studied law at the University of Salamanca and served as a judge in Granada. His talent drew the attention of King Philip II, who wanted Turibius to be consecrated as a missionary archbishop for the Spanish colony of Peru.
Turibius resisted the king’s wishes, insisting that he was not capable of serving as an archbishop and that canon law did not permit a layman to become an archbishop.
Despite his opposition, Turibius was consecrated a bishop in 1581 at the age of 43. He left immediately for Lima and embarked on a visitation of his entire diocese.
Seeing the unfortunate state of the oppressed natives and corruption of the wealth-seeking colonists, Turibius took action by praying, performing acts of penance, administering the sacraments, teaching the faith, and establishing schools, seminaries, and hospitals.
He sometimes spent days traveling to a single individual to share the Gospel message with them. Thus, the native Peruvians knew how deeply their archbishop valued them while the colonists tended to oppose his mission and calls for their repentance.
It is also likely that he confirmed St. Rose of Lima and St. Martin de Porres.
In 1606, he became seriously ill and distributed his possessions to the poor before dying on March 23. His body was discovered to be incorrupt only one year later, and in 1726, he became one of the first canonized saints in the Americas.
St. Turibius de Mogrovejo, pray for us.