{"id":66977,"date":"2019-12-05T10:50:02","date_gmt":"2019-12-05T10:50:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lasalle.org\/?p=66977"},"modified":"2020-02-07T11:28:48","modified_gmt":"2020-02-07T11:28:48","slug":"a-lasallian-martyr-of-the-20th-century","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lasalle.org\/en\/a-lasallian-martyr-of-the-20th-century\/","title":{"rendered":"A Lasallian Martyr of the 20th. Century"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"image_pdf\"PDF<\/span><\/a>\"image_print\"PRINT<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Br. James Miller, FSC
Ellis (Wisconsin, USA), September 21, 1944
Huehuetenango (Guatemala), February 13, 1982 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Br. Rodolfo Cosimo Meoli, FSC
Postulator General of the Brothers of the Christian Schools
Generalate, Rome<\/h6>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

On December 7 in Huehuetenango (Guatemala) the beatification of Brother James Miller will be celebrated.  Earlier, the diocesan investigation was opened in September 2009 and approved in 2018 by the Congress of Theologians, Cardinals and Bishops. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

En la tarde del 13 de febrero de 1982, mientras los muchachos de la Casa Ind\u00edgena La Salle de Huehuetenango (Guatemala) se preparaban para la celebraci\u00f3n del carnaval, el Hermano intent\u00f3 fijar una l\u00e1mpara en la pared exterior de la casa. Subi\u00f3 a una escalera y empez\u00f3 a trabajar. Apenas hab\u00eda comenzado, cuando tres personas llegaron desde una esquina de la calle. Uno de ellos le dispar\u00f3 en la garganta, el pecho y el lado derecho de su cuerpo. La muerte fue inmediata. La intervenci\u00f3n de los j\u00f3venes que hab\u00edan o\u00eddo los disparos fue infructuosa. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the\nafternoon of February 13, 1982, while the boys of the La Salle Casa Ind\u00edgena <\/em>in\nHuehuetenango (Guatemala) were preparing for the celebration (Carnival) the\nfollowing day, Brother James was fixing a lamp on the outside wall of the\nhouse. Climbing on a ladder, he started working. He had just begun, when three\npeople arrived from a street corner. One of them shot him in the throat, chest\nand right side. He died instantly. The intervention of the boys who had heard\nthe shots was desperate and useless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We never\nknew who the murderers were, partly because the testimonies of those who had\nwitnessed the scene were confusing and contradictory. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

James\nMiller or “Hermano Santiago”, as he was known to Lasallians in\nCentral America, was born on September 21, 1944 in Ellis, a small town in\nWisconsin, in the Midwestern part of the United States. He grew up in a good\nfamily, had a joyful and fulfilled character; he was simple and enthusiastic,\nfull of energy, tireless in his work. He attended primary school in his home\ntown, then Pacelli High School<\/em> in\nStevens Point, run by the Brothers of the Christian Schools. That’s where he discovered\nhis vocation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He joined\nthe Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools in 1959. Intellectual\nand religious formation took place first in Glencoe, Missouri where the\nBrothers’ house of formation was located, and then at Saint Mary’s University<\/em> in Winona. After his perpetual religious\nprofession in 1969, he decided to leave the United States and go on to the\nmissions. His missionary commitment began in Nicaragua. He remained there until\n1980. He was particularly active, especially when he was the director in charge\nof the Crist\u00f3bal Col\u00f3n school, owned by the government but run by the Brothers.\nHis remarkable abilities have given him prestige in the eyes of local leaders,\nto such an extent that they have entrusted him with the task of building ten\nrural schools. He dealt not only with local politicians, but also with members\nof the government and with President Somoza himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Things\nchanged when Somoza was ejected from power and had to give up the country’s\nleadership. The superiors at that time called Brother Santiago back to the\nUnited States. He stayed there for only one year, but always with his heart and\nmind in this missionary land. In fact, he asked to return to Central America.\nIn early 1981, his superiors accepted his request, but they assigned him to\nGuatemala, in the city of Huehuetenango, to the La Salle Indigenous Center, a\nschool composed solely of children from the countryside. It had been just over\na year since he arrived when, on February 10, 1982, the father of one of the indigenous\nGuatemalan Brothers went to the Center to warn the community that he had heard\nthat someone was planning the murder of the Deputy Director. Brother James,\nhaving already experienced difficult situations in Nicaragua and thinking that\nhe could not be the target, continued his work until February 13, 1982. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The liturgical feast will take place on February 13, the day of his martyrdom.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In June 2019, his body was exhumed and placed in the small church of Saint Martin in Ellis, not far from his birthplace. It will be the sanctuary dedicated to him. <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

05\/09\/2009<\/strong>: Opening of the diocesan investigation in Huehuetenango – Servant of God

15\/12\/2009<\/strong>: Nihil Obstat of the Holy See

09\/07\/2010<\/strong>: Decree on the validity of the diocesan survey

Speaker<\/strong>: P. Zdzislaw Kijas, OFM Conv.

16\/12\/2016<\/strong> : The “Positio super martyrio” is submitted to the opinion of the 9 Theological Consultants.

20\/03\/2018<\/strong>: Congress of Theologians – All give a positive vote

02\/10\/2018<\/strong>: Opinion of the cardinals and bishops – All give a positive vote

08\/11\/2018<\/strong>: Decree “Super Martyrio”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
(Original text freely modified by Ilaria Iadeluca, Director of Communication, Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, Rome)<\/h6>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
Homil\u00eda del Cardenal Jos\u00e9 Luis Lacunza Maestroju\u00e1n<\/a> Descarga <\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Beatification Homily of the Cardinal Jos\u00e9 Luis Lacunza Maestroju\u00e1n <\/a> Download <\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Hom\u00e9lie de b\u00e9atification du Cardinal Jos\u00e9 Luis Lacunza Maestroju\u00e1n <\/a> T\u00e9l\u00e9charger <\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Omelia del Cardinale Jos\u00e9 Luis Lacunza Maestroju\u00e1n <\/a> Download <\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Casa Ind\u00edgena La Salle en Huehuetenango<\/a> (Guatemala) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Distrito Centroam\u00e9rica-Panam\u00e1<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

RELAN – Lasallian Region of North America<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Brief biography of Brother James Miller <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Lasallian holiness<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Br. James Miller, FSCEllis (Wisconsin, USA), September 21, 1944 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":66942,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3347,3277,3367,3513],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-66977","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-brothers","category-general-services","category-news","category-relan-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasalle.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66977","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasalle.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasalle.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasalle.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasalle.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66977"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasalle.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66977\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":68587,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasalle.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66977\/revisions\/68587"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasalle.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/66942"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasalle.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66977"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasalle.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66977"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasalle.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66977"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}