St. Turibius of Mogrovejo

St. Turibius of Mogrovejo was born on 16 November 1538 at Mayorga, Spain, and died on 23 March 1606 at Saña, Peru. A brilliant lawyer and judge — and remarkably a layman — he was chosen by the king and pope to become archbishop of Lima, the vast and troubled see of Spanish South America. Ordained and consecrated, he crossed the ocean to take up a mission for which he had not sought.

For over twenty-five years he labored to reform and build up the Church in Peru, traveling ceaselessly through mountains and jungle to visit his immense diocese, holding synods and councils that shaped the Latin American Church for centuries, and learning indigenous languages so as to catechize and confirm the native peoples himself. He was a fearless defender of the indigenous against the abuses of colonial officials, and he confirmed and encouraged a rising generation of saints, among them St. Rose of Lima and St. Martin de Porres. Canonized in 1726, he is honored as a patron of the bishops of Latin America.