Photo Credit – Hana Matsumoto photo, courtesy of ARC Entertainment
What price would you pay for freedom?
In the 1920s, thousands of Catholics in Mexico fought against the government’s attempts to eliminate Catholicism during the Cristero War. Let me guess . . . you don’t know much about this war? Never heard of it?
Until recently, I was uneducated — embarrassingly clueless. If you’re in the same boat, here’s the CliffsNotes version of this long-hidden historical event:
Mexico’s Cristero War (1926-29) was a grassroots rebellion against the administration of President Plutarco Elias Calles who provoked the Catholic community by arresting priests and forcing the closure of all churches. Calles sought to restrict, if not eliminate, Catholicism from the country.
Historic accounts indicate 50,000 Mexicans became Cristero fighters, with thousands of women joining the Feminine Brigades of St. Joan of Arc to provide logistical support to the armed uprising. The war holds special significance for Knights of Columbus given many Knights suffered martyrdom during the fight.
The conflict ended in 1927 with the Mexican government ultimately agreeing to let the Catholic Church resume worship and all rites as long as it generally obeyed the law. Mexico did not reestablish formal relations with the Vatican until 1992, some 65 years later.
Why am I talking about the Cristero War?
If you haven’t heard, it is the subject of the new exhilarating action epic, For Greater Glory, opening in theaters TODAY, June 1. Actors Andy Garcia and Eva Longoria headline an international cast in this story about the fight for religious freedom — a fight that continues still today (in light of our current battles to ensure our religious freedoms are protected here in the United States, it’s been said that For Greater Glory is “the right movie at the right time”).
I haven’t been this excited to see a movie in quite some time. I wait in eager anticipation to hear the ¡Viva Cristo Rey! (long live Christ the King) battle cry proclaimed on the big screen. Lucky me, it’s date night here and a fellow deacon-in-training couple offered to watch our kids. Sweet timing! We are headed out to see it, and the movie tickets I’ve already purchased are burning a hole in my purse.
PLEASE NOTE: A strong box office during opening weekend helps the movie stay in theaters for additional weeks. If you are going to see it, do so ASAP. Visit www.ForGreaterGlory.com to find theaters and showtimes.
Conversation Starters: How much do you know about the Cristero War? Are you as excited to see For Greater Glory as I am? If you have screened it already or have plans to watch it soon, stop back and let us know what you think of the movie. Click here to leave your comment.
We are planning to see it tomorrow night after church! Dan is very excited to see it. I also knew nothing about it until we got his Knights of Columbus magazine last month.
The Knights of Columbus magazine was great in it’s coverage of this time in Mexican history. The movie looks very good and has a great cast. I am excited to see Peter O’Toole in this film. A great book about a time slightly after the Cristero War is the Power and The Glory by Graham Greene. It is about a Catholic priest and his struggles with the Mexican government. I love everything Graham Greene wrote and this was the first book by him that I read. It was also adapted into a very good film called The Fugitive.
Just saw For Greater Glory. What a wonderful film. hard to believe such a movie could even be made these days. Great acting and wonderful moral lessons abound. made me proud to be a Catholic. hope we can all defend our faith with as much courage as these people did. I have a new respect for Andy Garcia. I hope this movie gets some acknowledgement fromHollywood.
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For Greater Glory opens June 1: The Fight for Religious Freedom Hits the Big Screen | The Practicing Catholic