Mexico City (AP) — Mexico’s Catholic Church is getting a new addition to its ranks of “blessed,” with the beatification of the Rev. Moisés Lira.
Beatification ceremony took place at Our Lady of Guadalupe’s Basilica, led by Cardinal Marcello Semeraro appointed by Pope Francis.
Before Lira, the latest Mexican to be beatified was María Concepción Cabrera in 2019.
Lira was born in September 1893 in Puebla, one of Mexico’s most conservative states.
His mother died when he was 5 and he suffered the absence of his father, who had to relocate for work.
Lira dreamt of becoming a priest from a young age; he wrote the motto, “It is necessary to be very small to be a great saint.”
Lira devoted his life to teaching catechists, caring for the ill, and offering spiritual guidance to vulnerable communities.
He founded a congregation in 1934, the Missionaries of Charity of Mary Immaculate, as well as schools and psychiatric institutions.
He died in Mexico City in 1950.
The miracle attributed to Lira took place between May and June 2004.
A pregnant woman from Guanajuato faced a diagnosis that could be fatal for her unborn daughter.
The woman refused abortion and prayed to Father Lira for help.
Nine days later, the doctor found the daughter to be healthy.
The beatification request was made in 2015 and Pope Francis issued a decree for the miracle in 2023.
The miracle attributed to Lira makes him a protector of life from conception and a source of faith for mothers with pregnancy problems.
Parishioners can entrust Lira with health and education causes.
Local parishes will celebrate Lira each June 15 and hope for his canonization in the future.
Lira’s relic is a metacarpal bone from his right hand, symbolizing his sharing of the Gospel.
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