Saint Turibius of Mogrovejo

Life story

Toribio Alfonso de Mogrovejo was born on 16 November 1538 at Mayorga in the Valladolid region of Spain. He studied law at Valladolid and then at Salamanca, became a professor of law at Salamanca, and then a judge of the Inquisition court at Granada. In 1579 King Philip II chose him, still a layman, as archbishop of Lima in Peru. He received holy orders and episcopal consecration in Spain.

He arrived in Lima in 1581. His archdiocese was immense, stretching from the coast across valleys and the Andes, with many indigenous communities. He convened the Third Council of Lima (1582-1583), which issued regulations for the clergy and for the teaching of catechism across South America. The council's catechism was written in Spanish and translated into Quechua and Aymara.

To carry out his pastoral work he undertook many visitations of the archdiocese, mostly on foot or by mule over difficult roads, and he is reported to have learned some of the indigenous languages in order to speak with the communities he visited. He also founded a seminary in Lima, often counted among the earliest in the Americas on the Tridentine model, and tried to protect indigenous people from exploitation.

He died on 23 March 1606 at Saña in northern Peru, during a pastoral visit. He was canonised in 1726 under Pope Benedict XIII, and in 1983 Pope John Paul II declared him patron of the Latin American episcopate.

Works and witness

• Law professor at Salamanca, then judge of the Inquisition court at Granada
• Named archbishop of Lima by Philip II in 1579; arrived there in 1581
• Convened the Third Council of Lima (1582-1583)
• Made repeated visits across his vast archdiocese, largely on foot
• Founded a seminary in Lima; canonised in 1726

Patron of

Latin American bishops

Saints from the same country

Saint Dominic, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Saint Teresa of Ávila, Saint Francis Xavier

References

• Martyrologium Romanum
• Dicastery for the Causes of Saints – biographical profile
• Concilium Limense (1582-1583) acts and catechism

Written by Anawim from documented history. Some details about ancient saints rest on tradition and are marked as such.