St. José Luis Sánchez del Río was born on March 28, 1913 in Sahuayo, Michoacán, Mexico as the third of four children in his family. José loved his faith and grew up with a strong devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe.
José was 12-years-old when the Cristero War began in Mexico. During this time, the Mexican government wanted to extinguish the influence of the Catholic Church throughout the country. They started executing priests, seizing the Catholic Church's property, and closing religious schools and convents, in accordance with anti-clerical laws that were written into the Mexican Constitution.
People from many of the central and western states in Mexico rebelled against the government in defense of the Catholic Church. José's brothers joined the rebel forces, but his mother would not allow him to participate. Prudencio Mendoza, the rebel general, also refused José's enlistment because he was too young to join the rebellion.
> St. José Luis Sánchez del Río was born on March 28, 1913 in Sahuayo, Michoacán, Mexico as the third of four children in his family. José loved his faith and grew up with a strong devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe.
> José was 12-years-old when the Cristero War began in Mexico. During this time, the Mexican government wanted to extinguish the influence of the Catholic Church throughout the country. They started executing priests, seizing the Catholic Church's property, and closing religious schools and convents, in accordance with anti-clerical laws that were written into the Mexican Constitution.
> People from many of the central and western states in Mexico rebelled against the government in defense of the Catholic Church. José's brothers joined the rebel forces, but his mother would not allow him to participate. Prudencio Mendoza, the rebel general, also refused José's enlistment because he was too young to join the rebellion. [continue reading](https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=46079)
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