Venerable Antonio Margil
Franciscan missionary from Central America to Texas, declared Venerable
- Rank
- Venerable
- Kind
- Priest, Missionary, Religious
- Life
- 1657 – 1726
- Era
- 18th century
- Countries
- Spain, Mexico
Life story
Antonio Margil was born on 18 August 1657 in Valencia, Spain. From his early teens he wanted to become a Franciscan and received the habit on 22 April 1673 at the convent of La Corona de Cristo in Valencia.
He left Spain on 4 March 1683, reached Veracruz on 6 June of that year and was assigned to the College of Santa Cruz at Querétaro. From there he served in Yucatán, Costa Rica and Guatemala. In the early 1700s he helped found and lead the College of Our Lady of Guadalupe at Zacatecas.
In July 1716, after illness delayed him, he reached East Texas. In 1717 he supervised the founding of the missions Nuestra Señora de los Dolores and San Miguel de los Adaes, and in February 1720 he founded San José y San Miguel de Aguayo at San Antonio. In 1722 he was recalled to Mexico as guardian of his college, then resumed missionary work when his term ended in 1725.
He died on 6 August 1726 in Mexico City at the church of San Francisco, aged 68. In 1836 Pope Gregory XVI recognised his heroic virtue, giving him the title Venerable.
Works and witness
- Received the Franciscan habit at Valencia on 22 April 1673
- Reached Veracruz in 1683; served in Yucatán, Costa Rica and Guatemala
- Helped found the Guadalupe college at Zacatecas in the early 1700s
- Founded missions in East Texas in 1717 and San José at San Antonio in 1720
- Declared Venerable in 1836
Saints from the same country
References
- Handbook of Texas Online: 'Margil de Jesús, Antonio' (tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/margil-de-jesus-antonio)
- Wikipedia, 'Antonio Margil' (Venerable in 1836: cross-check)
Written by Anawim from documented history. Some details about ancient saints rest on tradition and are marked as such.