Florida’s Forgotten Genocide.
- Roland Flores
- 5 days ago
- 20 min read
Ave Maria! May Our Lady de la Leche, the Immaculate Queen of Florida, together with the Florida Martyrs, pray for us. This article is written in honor of the Pascual Florida Pilgrimage held by the St. Thomas More Priory in Sanford, and for the pilgrims, to help them walk in the footsteps of those holy martyrs that once lived and died for the Catholic life in Florida. Spanish Missionaries worked in Florida as early as 1521, and after the establishment of Mission Nombre de Dios in 1565 in St. Augustine, there was a gradual expansion of Missions throughout Florida. By 1700, dozens of Missions dotted Florida staffed by Spanish Franciscan friars and thousands of native converts. In 1701, this all changed with the appointment of James Moore Sr as Governor of the British Carolina Colony. The same year of his appointment, Moore planned to capture Florida from Spain, and raised 600 Colonial Militiamen and 600 Creek and Yamasee braves, and 14 fully staffed warships. In September Moore would begin his assaults on the last remaining Spanish Missions in Guale (Southern Georgia) and three Franciscan Friars along with dozens of Catholic Guales would be killed by the British. Moore would continue his advanced to the Missions in what is today northern Florida. There he attacked Mission San Juan del Puerto on the mouth of the St. John’s River in Jacksonville. British Forces would capture Doña Mariana, the Mission’s chief, and order her to renounce the Catholic faith by removing her scapular and Cross. When she he refused, the British brought her 9-year-old son Jacinto before her and tied him to a stake. The British warned her that if she did not remove the cross and scapular and spit upon them, they would he would be burned to death. To this Marianna said in Spanish “I cannot. The Cross is my heart.” Mariana reached for her rosary and said to her son “you must pray the rosary.” The two would begin to pray the holy rosary and the British would light a fire under little Jacinto but the flames did not stop him from praying. This irritated a British officer, and he ordered some Creek braves to remove him from the stake and club Jacinto to death. Through all this Dona Mariana never stopped praying the Rosary. After they killed Jacinto, they tied Marianna to the same stake and offered her one more chance to live, if she would renounce the Catholic faith. She continued to pray the rosary and a fire was lit beneath her. Doña Mariana prayed the rosary until she was consumed by the flames, her final words were “Ave Maria.” Along with them, 30 more Catholic Timucuans from Mission San Juan refused to renounce the Catholic faith and were killed.
Upon hearing of the advancing British and their path of destruction, Don Joseph de Zúñiga, Governor of Spanish Florida, ordered all Spanish residents into the large stone Castillo (fortress) de San Marcos, which had been built just a few years before in 1695 as a response to earlier attacks. Most of the Mission residents fled south into the wilderness, though Over 1,500 civilians crowded into San Marcos, an area designed for less than 300 Soldiers. At the time only 204 Army and Marine regulars were stationed at St. Augustine, a force six times smaller than the British, not to mention the artillery and rifles at San Marcos were outdated. The British fleet opened fire on the San Marcos on 10 November 1702, while the British Militia stormed the abandoned town. The initial battle was relentless but the British cannons where unable to inflict significant damage to the coquina walls of San Marcos. A siege and constant fighting ensued until 28 December, when Spanish warships from Havana and a ground force from Pensacola and San Luis (Tallahassee) arrived at St. Augustine. Governor Moore was forced to retreat; and ordered the town and church to be torched. Moore was also forced to burn eight of his warships trapped in the bay, and retreated to the north, eventually returning to Charleston in disgrace. Moore was forced to resign from his post as governor and after his failure and subsequent debt caused riots in Charleston. The humiliated Governor Moore, in serious debt and disgraced, sought to repay his debt and redeem his name by leading a slaving expedition into the largely undefended mission lands of Florida. He recruited over 50 Militiamen from Carolina and Virginia, and over 1,500 British aligned Creek and Yamasee braves for his venture. On 25 January 1704, Moore’s force attacked Mission Purisima Concepcion de Maria de Ayubale in what is today Jefferson County Florida. Mission Concepcion de Ayubale was one of the larger Missions of Northwestern Florida, and during the attack the Church was set on fire. In the Church at the time was an Apalachee boy named Manuel, who began attempting to put out the fire. Brave Manuel confronted the British and said: “you can’t do this; you can’t burn this place because this is the house of God.” This irritated the British, who ordered a Creek brave to strike him in the mouth with a club to keep him from talking. Despite a broken jaw, Manuel again began attempting to put out the fire with a rug, so the English ordered for him to be dragged out, his arms cut off and forced to watch the Church burn down. Manuel would later succumb to his wounds and be thrown into a lake, unaware that he had been accepted to the Franciscan Friary in St. Augustine.
The only resistance retreated into the convent, which was surrounded by a mud wall, 26 men and 58 women and children’s successfully held the English at bay for nine hours and only surrendered after they ran out of arrows. These Apalachee natives were then tortured and killed as a reprisal for killing a British Militiaman during the battle. Along with these Catholic Apalachee, Father Angel Miranda OFM, the pastor the Mission, was beheaded and at least 40 more Apalachee were burned at the stake. While Moore attacked Mission Concepcion, he sent smaller detachments to attack neighboring villages and Missions. As hundreds of Apalachee refugees fled to the Presidio (fort) San Luis de Apalachee in present-day Tallahassee, plans were made by Spanish officials to expel the British. Hundreds of Mission residents fled in panic into the wilderness and others towards the forts at Pensacola or St. Augustine. The British sent smaller detachments to pursue these refugees. Spanish Officals concluded that their numbers could not match with that of the British but needed to respond in order to buy the refugees time to escape. Captain Juan Ruíz de Mexía took his 30 Spanish regulars stationed at San Luis and 400 Catholic Apalachee braves belonging to the archconfraternity of Our Lady of the Rosary, and advanced towards the British. Knowing of the sheer number of the British force, the Spaniards knew they had no chance of victory and planned a campaign of harassment, attacking smaller enemy detachments to rescue captured Catholics. Among those who volunteered to go was Servant of God Father Juan Parga OFM, Pastor of Mission San Pedro y San Pablo de Patale, acting as a military chaplain and his assistant Friar Marcos Delgado OFM, a Franciscan lay brother. Father Parga addressed the soldiers, both Spaniard and Apalachee, telling them: “Fight Courageously for God's law, since there is no death more glorious than to give one's life for the faith and truth.” Father Parga said his final holy Mass at San Luis, with Friar Marcos as his server, and when he was begged not to go he insisted: “to go and die with his children.” Also among the Apalachee braves was Servant of God Antonio Cuipa, second only to the chief and renowned for his faith and carpentry. Antonio, who was a member of the Third Order of St. Francis, was a husband, father, and often led missions to pagan tribes where he would preach the Gospel with great success. He was educated in his own language, Spanish, and arithmetic, and was known for his beautiful chanting abilities in the Liturgy. Lieutenant Governor Manuel de Solana wrote of Antonio in a letter, March of 1701: “All of this happiness and joy which this Don Antonio exudes in everything he does and accomplishes derives from his great faith and love for the things of the Church and the Catholic teaching.” The Spanish force attacked the British, forcing them to advance against them and twice caused their the British to retreat and regroup but the British were ultimately able to overwhelm and defeat the Spanish. As the British overwhelmed the Spaniards, Father Parga was shot with an arrow while giving the last rites, and Friar Marcos would attempt to help the priest only to be pierced to death with spears. Father Parga would be captured and brought before Governor Moore, who ordered the priest to be burned at the stake. Father Parga was burned at the stake, and later beheaded, with his head kept as a trophy to be taken back to Charleston. More than 203 of the Spanish were killed in the fighting and 62 Apalachee and 8 Spaniards were captured, with the rest escaping. Moore gave the captured three choices, renounce the Catholic faith and be taken away into slavery, renounce the Catholic faith and take up arms with his force (unaware that they would be placed into slavery later), or remain loyal to the Catholic faith and be burned at the stake. 50 Apalachee and the 8 Spaniards apostatized, leaving only 17 faithful Apalachee braves, among them was Servant of God Antonio. Two more names of the faithful Apalachee are known, Servants of God Cui Domingo and Feliciano. The British mocked the faithful Catholic Apalachees as they were tied to the stake, and lit fires beneath their feet but only small enough to roast their feet in order to entice them to blaspheme or renounce the faith. The British also impaled them with burning coals. However none of the Apalachee recanted the Catholic faith. In his own language and Spanish, Antonio, preached from the stake, asking God to forgive the men who were torturing him, begging for the salvation of their souls and also encouraged the other men with him.
This torture lasted serval hours and during Antonio’s final hours, he became radiant with energy saying: "Our Lady is near. Be strong; be strong. Our Lady is here with us.”
Some of his final words were: "She is looking into my eyes, her gaze is giving me the strength to endure this torment.” All 17 Apalachee men would be burned at the stake, and Moore would continue his assault on Missions San Francisco de Oconi, San Antonio de Bacqua, San Martín de Tomole and Santa Cruz y San Pedro de Alcántara de Ychuntafun. The only Missions to survive would be the heavily fortified Mission San Lorenzo, which paid a ransom not to be besieged, and Mission/Presidio San Luis. Moore cruelly sent the apostatized Spaniards and Apalachee first to the attack, in order to use them efficiently and spare his own men. According to reports Moore would desecrate the Mission Chapel's, steal anything of value and allowed his Indian braves to commit horrific atrocities. Moore would regroup in Creek territory in what is today Alabama, sending smaller detachments to pursue the fleeing bands of Mission refugees and counting his spoils. Moore would send back over 4,300 Apalachee men, women, and children back to Charleston as slaves. By his own accounts, Moore killed over 1,400 men, women, and children from the Missions, many were killed during the initial attack and many were also killed for refusing to renounce their Catholic faith. Among these faithful are known, Samuel and Elisio, two Apalachee men who refused to renounce the faith and encouraged their fellow Apalachees not to apostatize. Both had their tongues cut out and were burned at the stake, but both remained loyal to the faith until death. Also known is Doña Maria de Santa Cruz the acting chief of Mission Santa Cruz de Ytuchafun. Doña Maria was told that if she voluntarily left the Mission for slavery and ordered her people to follow her, she would live in comfort but if not, she would die. Doña Maria said to the British: If we go with you, we leave the Church, if you go with you, we leave the priests. I am not going.” Doña Maria was subsequently drowned with 60 more who refused to leave the Mission and the Catholic faith, including a 10-year-old altar boy named Epifanio and a man named Buenaventura. Servant of God Father Domingo Criado OFM was the pastor of Mission San Francisco de Oconi near the Ochlocknee River. When the British attacked Mission San Francisco, Father Criado fled into the woods with his mission residents and led his flock to St. Augustine but was captured by the Creeks 150 miles east of the city. The Creeks did not inform the British of the priest but instead took him as a slave. Father Criado would be beaten, mocked, and used as a beast of cargo by the Creeks and Yamasee. He never renounced his faith and was killed by the British when discovered in February 1705 while enslaved near Macon, Georgia.
As weeks passed, many of the Apalachee who had fled into the wilderness returned to the ruins of their homes, villages, and Missions. These Apalachee refused to leave their ancestral homes and the elderly Servant of God Father Manuel de Mendoza OFM, who had served the Florida missions for 26 years, volunteered to go to the Apalachee and re-establish Mission San Pedro y San Pablo de Patale for them. Father Mendoza rebuilt the Church of San Pedro y San Pablo, it's Convent, and buried the slain but as the Apalachee rebuilt their lives, Moore planned his return. In June 1704 However, Moore and his force returned to Florida. Moore had recruited even more men for his expedition thanks to the success of the first, over 160 Militiamen including Scotsmen and French Huguenots and over 2,300 Creek and Yamasee braves. On 23 June, shortly after saying Mass for the vigil of St. John the Baptist, Father Mendoza was tricked into coming out of his residence by a Creek and then shot by an arrow. Father Mendoza was apprehended and one of his loyal Apalachee sacristans attempted to defend him but was shot dead. Father Mendoza was tied to a stake and slowly burned to death, while the Mission was sacked by British forces. Among the Apalachee killed was a woman and two year old child who refused to apostatize. Father Mendoza’s remains were later found due to his clerical rosary beads and crucifix which survived the flames. Moore sacked Mission San Pedro y San Pablo, causing another exodus from two other Missions. Another Spanish force was sent to attempt to expel the British and buy the refugees time to escape but was decisively defeated on 3 July, over 200 of the Spanish forces were killed and and Moore gave the same ultimate as before to the captured. On 4 July 1704 the British tied fifteen faithful Apalachee braves and two Spaniards who refused to renounce the faith to stakes, some accounts say they were tied to large wooden Crosses set up for the stations of the Cross, and set small fires at their feet. The British cut into the captives and put burning splinters into their wounds. Despite this intense suffering, Servant of God Baltasar Francisco, a Spanish solider, preached the truths of the Catholic faith and called upon the Virgin Mary, confident that “she would carry him to God.” Both Spanish soldiers, Balthasar and Servant of God Don Pedro Marmolejo, a native of Pensacola, as well as the 15 Apalachee braves, remained faithful to the Catholic faith and eventually died from their suffering. Moore contemplated sacking the remaining Presidio San Luis and Mission San Lorenzo but ultimately focused on pursuing the fleeing Apalachee and those that still lived hidden in the wilderness. After several weeks of purging North western Florida of its native population, Moore returned to Charleston with his spoils, and was hailed as a hero. Several British Militias and the Creeks would remain in Florida and pursue the refugees who fled to St. Augustine or Pensacola. Moore's expedition was a major victory for the British, but Moore himself was unable to enjoy his newly acquired wealth, as he would die in early 1706 of a tropical disease, one he likely contracted in Florida. Many of the Apalachee fled west to Pensacola, others left Spanish territory all together and fled to French territory. The French Governor of Louisiana, Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, ordered an investigation of these attacks after thousands of Catholic Apalachee pleaded for asylum in New France. According to French reports, during Moore’s second incursion at least 2,000 Catholic Apalachees were killed west of San Luis (Tallahassee) and 32 Spanish soldiers were captured, 17 of which remained loyal to the catholic faith and were burned at the stake. The bodies of the slain were buried in Mission San Lorenzo and San Luis, though many of the bodies were consumed by animals or never found, leaving the total death count unknown but at least 6,300, which does not include those who died while fleeing due to starvation or exposure.
The British remained in Florida, entering the western boundaries of Timucuan territory in Madison County in August 1704, raiding Mission San Pedro y San Pablo de Potohiriba and San Mateo de Tolapatafi. Over the next year the Missions and villages of Florida became subject to constant harassment from British Militia and slaver Catchers, the total number of those killed or captured is unknown but thought to be in the hundreds.
By Spring of 1706, British Militia besieged Mission San Francisco de Potano near Gainesville and attacked neighboring Ranches and villages. These Militias also constantly harassed Presidio San Luis and Mission San Lorenzo de Ivitachuco, killing their cattle and not allowing them to grow crops. The Spanish eventually abandoned these places. During the raids on the Timucuans Missions and villages, Servant of God Father Augustin Ponce de Leon OFM, was killed. Father Ponce de Leon was born on 6 September 1669 in St. Augustine, Florida where he was also ordained in the Convent de San Francisco in 1692. Father Ponce de Leon served Mission Nombre de Dios Chiquito in 1705 when the British and Creeks attacked St. Augustine. He went with the Spanish Forces to expel the British, encouraging the Spanish troops and administering the last rites. Father Ponce de Leon, in an act of mercy, attempted to ransom himself to the British for the released of his parishioners, whose souls were in danger of apostasy. Father Ponce de Leon was first shot with an arrow but managed to stand up and again beg for their ransom, three Catholic natives were killed for attempting to assist the priest, Roberto, a Catholic Yamasee, and two Catholic Timucuans, Julio and Jacinto. Father Ponce de Leon was then shot again with a musket and killed. Miraculously, the Spanish were able to rescue most of the captured Catholics and drive back the British. Similarly, when the British appeared in Pensacola, the British and their Creeks killed two Franciscan priests Father Pedro de Galindes OFM and Father Lucio Herrera OFM, both priests were traveling with the Blessed sacrament from Presidio Santa Maria de Galve (Pensacola) to Presidio San Carlos de Barrancas, when they were attacked. Father Herrera was carrying a ciborium with the Blessed Sacrament and made every effort to escape but was shot in the back multiple times by arrows, falling over and spilling the consecrated hosts. Despite this, Father Herrera dragged himself over to the ciborium and began consuming the Blessed Sacrament until the British soldiers and Creeks picked them up. Father Herrera reportedly said: God knew everything and asked God for forgiveness for failing to keep the Blessed sacrament from being captured. As he bled to death Father Herrera prayed the souls of the Creeks “who due to their tremendous ignorance and misery, had profaned those hosts at the command of Lutherans” and died shortly after saying this. Father Galindes, shot with arrows, attempted to distract the enemy so Father Herrera could escape, only to be struck in the head with an axe and then beheaded. The British force would then attack Pensacola only to be defeated and driven back. The two priest’s remains were later found and buried near the altar of the Chapel of San Carlos in the Presidio.
The British also managed to kill Servant of God Don Patricio de Hinachuba, the chief of Mission San Lorenzo de Ivitachuco, an educated and devout man, and who corresponded by letter with King Philip V of Spain, who he swore allegiance too. Just outside of St. Augustine, Don Patricio was captured along with many more refugees from his mission Don Patricio was ordered to renounce his faith to demoralize the other Apalachee slaves, and he tortured but never renounced the faith and eventually died from his torture. With him many more Apalachee were killed for refusing to renounce their faith, including his wife and a man named Andres. By Spring 1706 the Missions of the Apalachee in Northwestern Florida and of the Timucua in Northern Florida were Completely destroyed, and the British, unable to take St. Augustine, shifted their focus west and south. Twice in 1707 did the British and Creeks under Scotsman Thomas Nairne assault Pensacola, the first siege began on 12 August when 300 Creeks and a dozen British Militiamen began razing the rural houses outside of Pensacola. The British stormed Pensacola and burned many houses down, taking prisoners including women and children. In total 10 were killed while in British captivity, at least that's the number of bodies the British left, but they were unable to defeat Presidio San Carlos de Barrancas and retreated after heavy losses by Spanish artillery. Then on 27 November 20 British Militiamen and French Huguenots and 300 Creek Braves brought a demand for surrender to Pensacola but the Spanish rejected the demand, even though the garrison was depleted by disease. The besiegers began an attack on the Presidio San Carlos around midnight which lasted until daybreak, at which point they delivered a final surrender demand which the Spanish again refused. During each of the next two nights the British renewed their attacks on the fort, without significant effect. During the night of 30 November, one of the leading Creek chiefs was killed and this broke the Creeks' morale, because the siege was lifted the following morning. The attackers were reported to have suffered significant casualties. Understanding that they would not be able to take Pensacola, the British regrouped and returned with their sights on the Apalachee refugees living outside of Mobile and attacked the village in 1709 but were defeated by French forces. The British again sieged Pensacola on 1 September 1712, killing Servant of God Brother Phelipe Orbalaes OH and capturing Servant of God Father Tiburcio de Osorio OFM. Brother Phelipe, a monk of the Order of Saint John (Hospitaller), served as the combat surgeon. Brother Osorio would be killed attempting to give aid to an injured Spanish Solider. Father Osorio would be taken prisoner by the Creeks, who later used him as a slave. Father Osorio would be taken to Creek territory in middle Alabama, where he would be killed in July 1715. By this time the Spanish presence in Florida had been reduced to the districts of St. Augustine and Pensacola,
and t the British forced the largely pagan Tocobaga and Calusa tribes into extreme southern Florida. In 1718 the Spanish repopulated a small Fort, Presidio San Marcos de Apalachee, on the mouth of the St. John's river and in August of the same year the Spanish reported that the British had killed eight and taken three from the Tocobaga tribe, evidence that raids continued. However, raids would become less common as the years passed as the British Colonies engaged in wars with other tribes and the French. Raiding was reignited after British Militia pursued Yamasee refugees into Florida in 1717, these raids, often indiscriminate towards the tribe, continued to destroy the few remaining Apalachee and Timucuan villages of Florida.
On 16 September 1728, Colonel Robert Palmer and his Colonial Militia from South Carolina and their Creek allies attacked the villages on the outskirts of St. Augustine, including Presidio Moses, a settlement of escaped slaves who had fled their plantations to Florida. Colonel Palmer sacked Yamasee villages and Maroon settlements around St. Augustine, attempting to enslave those he captured. Colonel Palmer sacked Mission Nombre de Dios, killing over 30 Catholic Indians, at the time of the assault 43 people (14 men, 17 women, 12 children) lived at the Mission. In the Chapel at the time of the attack was a Timucuan man named Jose the sacristan. Known for being devout and always fulfilling his duties of preparing the altar for Mass and cleaning the Church, Jose was determined not to leave without our Lord. Jose took the ciborium containing the Blessed Sacraments and attempted to flee the Mission but was shot in the back by arrows while only a few paces from the Chapel. Colonel Palmer riddled the Chapel with bullets and rode his horse up into the sanctuary. Colonel Palmer had written that he wished to Desecrate our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament but was unable to find Him. Colonel Palmer then had the Chapel sacked, and riddled with bullets once more, and he would take the Image of Our Lady de la Leche off the Altar and would have the image executed by rifle. Our Lady was set up, the Child Jesus taken from her arms, broken up and thrown into a Marsh. Colonel Palmer then ordered for our Lady to be shot by five rifles, and afterwards threw her into the same Marsh. For this he was told that he would die by a dying Catholic Indian, and within a few days the Spanish forces had routed the British and forced them to retreat back to South Carolina. When the Spanish officials found Jose the sacristan, they found him clutching the ciborium containing Blessed Sacrament in his arms and against his chest. Not a single host had been lost, and Jose would be buried in the Chapel of Our Lady de la Leche. However, the Chapel and Mission was beyond repair and without a populace to live in it. Mission Nombre de Dios would remain abandoned until 1781.
In 1739, The British formally reopened hostilities against Spain and King George II of Britain sent a letter to James Oglethorpe, the Governor of Georgia, ordering him to "to annoy the Subjects of Spain in the best manner.” Oglethorpe raised a massive force of over 1,000 British regulars and colonial militia, 900 Sailors and 1,200 Creek braves. With the fleet of 8 ships and 56 cannons, the British began attacking Spanish settlements and Missions in Florida in December 1739, killing over 200 Indians and Spaniards. On 24 June 1740 Oglethorpe besieged St. Augustine, bombarding the city relentlessly for 27 days but was unable to defeat the walls of San Marcos, despite having much heavier and more advanced artillery than previous raids. After several decisive land victories and the start of hurricane season, the British were eventually forced to retreat in July, leaving behind most of their artillery. The acquisition of these artillery pieces made it highly unlikely for the British to return in a conventional fashion. During one of these failed attacks, Colonel Palmer was killed in the ruins of Mission Nombre de Dios by friendly fire during a retreat, just as it had been told to him. Oglethorpe would again attack St. Augustine in 1743, killing over 40 more but again failing to capture St. Augustine. Spanish Florida would force British Georgia into a truce but but raids would continue on Indian villages a much smaller scale, and never on Spanish sanctioned settlement. On 12 February 1761, the last series of British raids occurred in Florida, when British Militia and Creek braves attacked Mission San Antonio de Punta Rasa in what is today Yellow River Marsh Preserve State Park in Milton Florida. At Mission San Antonio, three Catholic Apalachees were killed while attempting to defend the tabernacle in the Chapel. The three Apalachee were brutally beaten and tortured right in front of the altar, decapitated, and then left in the chapel. This British force would next attack Mission San Jose de Escambe in what is today Molino, Florida along the Escambia River north of Pensacola. This assault killed over a dozen Catholic Indians and five Spanish Soldiers. The number of those captured to sell into slavery is unknown.
In 1763, Florida became part of the British Dominion, and among those who left St. Augustine were 89 Catholic Timucuan and Guale Indians who sailed to Havana. From Pensacola, the last remaining 108 Apalachee of Florida left Pensacola and moved to Veracruz. 270 Apalachee, Tocobaga, Timucua, and Casula would be evacuated from Southern Florida to Cuba. The remaining 600 Apalachee and Pensacola Indians in Mobile would move to Spanish occupied New Orleans or flee to Cuba as well. The arrival of British settlers in Florida marked the end of Florida's indigenous native population. Catholic Missions would return to Florida in 1781, when Florida would be returned to Spain and Capuchins and Jesuits would re-establish Missions. However, by then Florida was largely uninhabited, in less than 60 years the British had killed, enslaved and driven out over 30,000 native Americans. The Apalachee, Timucuan, Guale, Moccama, Calusa, Pensacola, and Tocobaga tribes, many of whom were Catholic, would effectively cease to exist. Eventually, empty Florida would become home to refugees from the tribes of the Yamasee, Yuchi, Miccosukee and Chickasaw, after conflicts with Britian and later the USA. These Natives would blend, creating a common culture and would be known by a Spanish pronunciation of the Creek word for “runaway”, the Seminoles. Dr Timothy J. Johnson, Professor of Religion at Flagler College, has begun the classification of these events beginning with Moore’s first raids in 1704 and ending 1761 raids at Pensacola, as a Genocide. Moore’s 1704 raids alone are considered the largest slave raid in the history of the United States and one of the largest massacres of native Americans in North American history. This systemic slaughter, genocide, of Catholics by British Protestants within the boundaries of what is today the United States, is largely unknown by most Catholics living in the US today. Currently, there is an cause open for the canonization of 57 Floridians Martyred for the Catholic Faith, their lead martyr is Antonio Cuipa.
Prayer for the Beatification of
Servants of God Antonio Inija and Companions
O God, Father of many nations, Who through the grace of baptism have chosen us to be citizens of Your one Kingdom: You called Antonio Inija and Companions to accept Your gift of faith, professing their hope in Your Only Begotten Son. Help us with Your grace to imitate their courage and humility in the face of suffering and death. May the blood of the martyrs of La Florida inspire our hearts to follow You without delay. And, if it be Your Holy Will, grant the Beatification of Antonio Inija and Companions, and through their intercession ,grant the request we hereby make (state your intention),in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
With ecclesiastical approval William A. Wack, CSC, Bishop of Pensacola-Tallahassee
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