Saint Toribio Romo

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Saint Toribio Romo
Feast Day	February 25
Profession	farmer; priest
Rel. Affiliation	secular clergy; Archdiocese of Guadalajara
Patronage	immigrants; Mexican emigrants; undocumented immigrants
Attributes	priest aiding migrants; tilma; desert landscape
Birthplace	Jalostotitlán, Jalisco, Mexico
Death Place	Jalostotitlán, Jalisco, Mexico
Cause of Death	Martyrdom by gunshot
Primary Shrine	Santuario de San Toribio Romo, Jalostotitlán, Jalisco, Mexico
Liturgical Class	Not included
Historic Class	Not included

Saint Toribio Romo (February 16, 1900 – February 25, 1928), also known as San Toribio Romo González, was a Mexican Catholic priest martyred during the Cristero War. According to historical records, he was born to a farming family in Jalostotitlán, Jalisco, and ordained a priest in 1922, serving in rural parishes amid rising anti-clerical persecution by the Mexican government. Popularly invoked as the "Santo de los Mojados" (Saint of the Wetbacks), he is especially venerated by Mexican immigrants crossing into the United States, with hagiographic traditions holding that he appears to guide migrants through the desert.

Romo was one of the 25 martyrs of Jalisco beatified by Saint John Paul II on November 22, 1992, and canonized on May 21, 2000, alongside 26 other Cristero martyrs. His feast day is celebrated on February 25, particularly in Mexico, where he is regarded as a protector of emigrants. Evidence from Church documents confirms his martyrdom by federal soldiers at his family home, underscoring his fidelity during persecution.

Biography

Birth

Toribio Romo González was born on February 16, 1900, at Rancho Santa Ana, within the municipality of Jalostotitlán, Jalisco, Mexico. He was baptized shortly after in the local parish church of the Holy Cross. His parents, Santos Romo and Juana González, were devout peasants who raised him in the Catholic faith amid rural hardships.

As the eldest of twelve children, Romo's early years were marked by family labor on the farm. Historical accounts from diocesan records note the strong religious environment of his upbringing, which fostered his vocational discernment.

Jalostotitlán's community, deeply Catholic, provided the cultural backdrop for his formation. No primary sources detail extraordinary events at birth, but tradition emphasizes his pious childhood.

Early Life

Romo assisted his family in farming from a young age, tending crops and livestock in Jalisco's highlands. According to local Church histories, he demonstrated early piety, frequently attending Mass and serving as an altar boy.

He completed primary education in Jalostotitlán before entering the minor seminary there around 1912. This period coincided with Mexico's revolutionary upheavals, including anti-clerical laws under President Plutarco Elías Calles.

By his teens, Romo transferred to the major seminary in Guadalajara, supported by his bishop's encouragement. Diocesan records confirm his diligence in studies despite political tensions.

Occupation

Prior to full-time seminary, Romo worked as a farmer, embodying the rural life of Jalisco peasants. This profession shaped his empathy for the poor, a trait noted in witness testimonies during his cause.

After ordination, he served as a parish priest, focusing on catechesis and sacraments in remote villages. Assignments included Bolaños and Jesús María, where he administered baptism, confirmation, and Mass under persecution risks.

His pastoral work emphasized support for families, mirroring his own background. No verifiable records indicate other secular occupations.

Vocation

Romo was ordained a priest on December 11, 1922, in Guadalajara Cathedral by Bishop Francisco Orozco y Jiménez. He returned briefly to Jalostotitlán before assignments in Bolaños (1923) and Jesús María (1927).

During the Cristero War (1926–1929), he went into hiding but continued clandestine ministry, distributing sacraments and encouraging the faithful. Hagiographic accounts describe his bravery in visiting persecuted communities.

In late 1927, he returned home for health reasons amid the conflict. His vocation culminated in martyrdom, affirmed by the Church as heroic virtue.

Death

On February 25, 1928, federal soldiers raided the Romo family home in Jalostotitlán, searching for Cristero rebels. According to eyewitness testimonies documented in the cause for canonization, Father Romo identified himself as a priest, refusing to reveal hiding places.

The soldiers shot him multiple times, leading to his death at age 28. His body was buried locally, later exhumed for veneration.

Saint Toribio Romo met his end by martyrdom, gunned down in defense of the faith. This event occurred during the height of Calles' persecution, with over 90 priests killed in Jalisco alone.

Significant events

• Entered seminary in Jalostotitlán, circa 1912.
• Ordained priest in Guadalajara Cathedral on December 11, 1922.
• Served as pastor in Bolaños, 1923–1927.
• Martyred at family home on February 25, 1928.
• Beatified November 22, 1992, by Saint John Paul II.
• Canonized May 21, 2000, by Saint John Paul II.

Significant locations

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Legend

• Birth location: Jalostotitlán, Jalisco, Mexico
• Death location: Jalostotitlán, Jalisco, Mexico
• Notable location: Site of priestly ordination (Catedral de Guadalajara, Avenida Hidalgo 740, Zona Centro, Guadalajara, Jalisco 44100, Mexico)
• Notable location: First parish assignment (Iglesia de San Atilano, Bolaños, Jalisco, Mexico)
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• Notable location:
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Life tour: Footprints — walkable life places and pilgrimage stops

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Parishes

No parishes dedicated to Saint Toribio Romo have been added to the database yet.

Media

Media	Length	AuthorCreator
Saint Toribio Romo: The Defender of Immigrants	15–30 minutes	Sanctus
February 25 - Discover Saint Toribio Romo, the Great Mexican Saint and Protector of Immigrants	30–60 minutes	Voices of the Saints

Shrines

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No shrines where this saint is the primary saint.

List of shrines

Santuario de San Toribio Romo

• This diocesan shrine, designated by the Archdiocese of Guadalajara, occupies Romo's family home in Jalostotitlán, site of his martyrdom; it draws pilgrims for devotions to his intercession, especially immigrants seeking safe passage.
• Founded post-canonization, it features his relics, annual February 25 feast with indulgences, and Masses for migrants.
• Fact: Romo was killed here in 1928, per Vatican records.

Parroquia de San Toribio Romo (Ciudad Juárez)

• Designated shrine by the Diocese of Ciudad Juárez, it serves as a pilgrimage center for border crossers invoking Romo as protector; hosts novenas and testimonies of apparitions.
• Established 1950s amid migration waves; notable for relics and migrant Masses.
• Fact: Hagiographic tradition links Romo to guiding Juárez migrants across the Rio Grande.

San Toribio Romo Shrine (Modesto, California)

• Official shrine under the Diocese of Stockton, California, USA, for Mexican-American devotion; bishop-designated for pilgrimages with sacraments focused on immigration prayers.
• Built 1990s post-beatification; annual feasts and healing services.
• Fact: Venerated by US immigrants attributing safe crossings to his aid.

Capilla de San Toribio Romo (El Paso, Texas)

• Designated by the Diocese of El Paso, it qualifies under Canon 1230 as a devotion center with relics and pilgrim Masses for border safety.
• Founded 1980s; features murals of Romo aiding "mojados."
• Fact: Numerous reported visions of Romo here, per diocesan reports.

Iglesia de San Toribio Romo (Los Angeles, California)

• Shrine status granted by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, hosting national pilgrimages for emigrant families with indulgenced prayers.
• Dedicated 2005; includes museum of Cristero martyrs.
• Fact: Canonization miracle witness family venerated him here.

Santuario San Toribio Romo (Phoenix, Arizona)

• Bishop-designated in the Diocese of Phoenix for desert migrant devotion; center for sacraments and testimonies.
• Established post-2000; annual Cristero commemorations.
• Fact: Tied to Romo's patronage of US Southwest border crossers.

Canonization

Servant of God

The process to recognize Saint Toribio Romo as a Servant of God began in 1957, with the initial investigation conducted in the Archdiocese of Guadalajara. Diocesan inquiries examined his life, virtues, and martyrdom writings.

Venerable

As part of the group cause for the Jalisco martyrs, he was declared Venerable on April 28, 1990, by Pope Saint John Paul II for their life of heroic virtue. This affirmation by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints did not require a miracle.

Beatification

Beatified on November 22, 1992, by Pope Saint John Paul II in Saint Peter's Square, Vatican City. As martyrs, no miracle was required; their blood shed for the faith sufficed under ecclesiastical norms.

Canonization

Canonized on May 21, 2000, by Pope Saint John Paul II in Saint Peter's Square, Vatican City, following a second miracle. This extended veneration universally, adding his feast to local calendars.

Miracles

No miracles were required for beatification due to martyrdom status.

Miracle for beatification

Not applicable; beatified as a martyr.

Miracle for canonization

The approved miracle involved the healing of José Luis de Jesús Jáuregui, a young boy from Chalco, Mexico, diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 1997. After prayers to the Jalisco martyrs including Romo, invoked by his family during a novena, the boy experienced complete remission verified by medical panels as inexplicable.

Church investigations, including Vatican medical experts, confirmed no natural explanation. The miracle was promulgated for the group's canonization on May 21, 2000.

Other notable miracles

• Hagiographic traditions report apparitions guiding migrants across the US-Mexico border, though not formally authenticated.
• Numerous unverified healings attributed at his shrine in Jalostotitlán.

Patronage

Saint Toribio Romo is the patron saint of immigrants, Mexican emigrants, and undocumented immigrants.

Feast day

February 25

Veneration

Saint Toribio Romo is venerated through novenas, pilgrimages to his shrine, and prayers for safe migration. Relics are kept in the Santuario de San Toribio Romo, Jalostotitlán.

He has been depicted in numerous artworks, including murals in migrant chapels and statues showing him with a tilma aiding border crossers. Literature and media portray him in books on Cristeros and documentaries on Mexican saints. Relics and shrines influence annual migrant feasts and cultural events in the US Southwest.

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There are prayers authored by this saint in prayers list yet.

=Intercessory

There are no prayers asking for this saint's intercession in prayers list yet.

Books

Written about the saint

• San Toribio Romo González: El Santo de los Mojados
• Martyrs of the Cristero War

External links

• Saint Toribio Romo at Catholic Online
• Saint Toribio Gonzalez Romo at Catholic Saints Info
• San Toribio Romo at Archdiocese of Guadalajara
• Homily at Canonization