Feast Day of Blessed Miguel Pro

Download black and white PDF of Blessed Miguel Pro.
Download his rarely worn cassock. (He wore it only a few times due to the persecution in Mexico.)
Download his "dandy" outfit. (It is a sketch of one of the many disguises he wore during his underground work.)
Download his mechanic outfit. (It's another of his disguises.)

CELEBRATING HIS FEAST DAY
Read about him here. My kids want to celebrate the feast day of Blessed Miguel Pro by making and decorating the house with some Mexican flags and papel picado. For dinner, my husband is making enchiladas, then we'll have some cocol later. And of course we'll have a retelling of our favorite Miguel Pro stories ... and act them out with the Paper Dali. :)


MIGUEL PRO
My son's birthday is coming up, and in celebration of his name saint, I made a Paper Dali of that amazing, fun, daring and selfless priest.

This Mexican priest was known for his joy, humor and wit as he evaded capture and celebrated the sacraments and served the poor and faithful in Mexico during the anti-Catholic persecutions. Included in the collection are disguises that he wore throughout the city: the fancy gentleman’s suit, a mechanic outfit (see picture to the right) and his regular street clothes. I included the priestly cassock, although he never wore it in Mexico, for it was illegal to be a priest.

My children's favorite stories about Blessed Miguel Pro involve his close calls with the authorities. The best story is one in which Miguel Pro was to celebrate Mass at someone's house. He knew the police were on the hunt for him---it was illegal to be a priest---but he managed to find a police uniform and disguised himself as one. When he got to the house, an officer was in front, guarding it. He told the man that he heard that a priest was coming to the house for Mass, and he was going to go inside and check things out. The police officer let him in. Miguel Pro went inside the house, had enough time to have Mass, and then came back outside. When the police officer asked him what had happened, Father Pro said, "There was a priest inside the house, but not anymore!"

You can learn more about him in the excellent “Blessed Miguel Pro" book by Ann Ball. If you do a Wiki search for him, there's a very factual article about him that makes marvelous Miguel sound boring. Ann's book is a far better read. You get a sense of how wonderfully human he was --- full of humor, life and dedication. Ann Ball's friend also maintains a fabulous Miguel Pro website.

The patron for Paper Dali is Blessed Miguel Pro, who despite many difficulties managed to bring happiness and laughter to others. He was known for being a cheerful and playful man who took his faith seriously but knew that, despite the hardships in life, that there is much beauty to it as well.

Viva Cristo Rey!