Fray Juan de Padilla’s cause for sainthood was a topic of great interest at a symposium in Amarillo recently, but this is not the first time a call for the canonization of America’s protomartyr has been made.

In 1939, the American Bishops officially launched the Cause of the Martyrs of the United States. Fray Juan de Padilla was first among the 116 martyrs that were documented in the manuscript that was sent to the Sacred Congregation of Rites on Aug. 5, 1941.

Most Reverend John M. Gannon, the late archbishop of Erie, chaired the Commission for the Cause of Canonization of the Martyrs of the United States. Msgr. Robert G. Barcio, Ph.D., archivist and historian for the Diocese of Erie, recently noted that the cause, "likely was not advanced, because unlike other groups of martyrs, the martyrs of the United States were not linked by a particular event or time."

In 1976, when work was underway to commemorate Father Padilla’s first Mass in what is now Kansas at a site six miles east of Dodge City, Bishop Marion F. Forst was approached about introducing the martyr’s cause for canonization.

Bishop Forst wrote the Most Reverend Jean Jadot, the apostolic delegate, with these questions on April 27, 1976: "Do you happen to have in the Delegation Records evidence that the cause (for Fray Juan de Padilla) was ever opened? If it was opened, what happened to it?"

Msgr. Clemente Faccani, a member of the delegate’s staff, responded to Bishop Forst’s inquiry. "The latest index of Causes for Beautification and Canonization does not include the name of Father Juan Padilla, O.F.M."

And Msgr. Faccani was right. The cause had been introduced under the title "The Martyrs of the United States of America" collectively, not by individual names.

On June 29, 1991, Bishop Forst, then serving as Auxiliary of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, returned to Dodge City to preside at a liturgy at the Coronado Cross to mark the 450th anniversary of the first Mass in Kansas. At the banquet following, Bishop Forst revealed that he had indeed been asked to start a process for Father Padilla’s canonization in 1976. "When I contacted Rome and asked what we could do to begin the cause of canonization, the reply was, ‘Nothing, you don’t have a body.’"

While scholars agree that Father Padilla was martyred in Kansas, the site of his martyrdom and burial remains a mystery. However, there have been changes in procedures and knowing a martyr’s final resting place is no longer needed to introduce a cause for sainthood.

There is no doubt that Father Padilla was an important figure in history. This is evident in books on Kansas history and at least 12 monuments and memorials throughout the state. To advance his cause for canonization would confirm what many already believe, that America’s protomartyr is indeed a saint.

Council Grove - Stone monument on top of Mt. Padilla south of Council Grove in the Diocese of Wichita. Plaque reads: "This monument marks the place of the martyrdom and death of Father Juan Padilla First Franciscan Missionary to Kansas, December 25, 1542.

Dodge City - Father Padilla stained glass window is located in Sacred Heart Cathedral. The window is one of many designed by Francis Deck of Emil Frei Studios, St. Louis, and installed in 1948.

Dodge City - Our Lady of the Plains mural from the chapel at St. Mary of the Plains College is now located in Sacred Heart Cathedral. Father Padilla and Coronado are included in this mural. Milton Frenzel of Emil Frei Studios, St. Louis, painted the mural in 1952.

Dodge City - The Coronado Cross six miles east of Dodge City on U.S. 154 was erected by the Ford County Historical Society in 1976. It commemorates the first Christian Service in the area. Father Padilla offered Mass for the Coronado Expedition after the group crossed a turbulent river which they named the Sts. Peter and Paul River (Arkansas) on June 29, 1541.

Herington - Father Padilla Memorial Lake is located in the city park in Herington. A granite marker in the park was erected by the Quivira Historical Society in 1904. The inscription reads: "Juan De Padilla yielded his life here in 1542."

Larned - Father Padilla is the central figure in an historical mural located in Sacred Heart Church in Larned. The mural was painted by Mrs. R.E. Blair in 1962.

Lyons - The Padilla Cross four miles west of Lyons on U.S. 56 was erected by the Kansas Knights of Columbus in 1950. Commemorates the site where Father Padilla evangelized the Quivira Indians.

Offerle - A wall mural outside the cafe at Offerle shows Father Padilla as the third figure in Coronado’s entourage. The mural was painted by Dennis Burghart in 1991.

Topeka - Coronado and Father Padilla are featured in a wall mural in the capitol building. The mural was painted by John Steuart Curry.

Topeka - Carving of Coronado and Father Padilla in the Robert B. Docking State Office Building. "The sculpture on the west (side) depicts the Spanish thrust into the state from the southwest: the captain and ever present priest along with an Indian group and lancer and bowman to symbolize the Spanish-Indian conflict."

Topeka - Coronado and Father Padilla are included in a stone sculpture in Gage Park. "This memorial erected by Lillie Gordon Munn to commemorate the achievements of the native sons and daughters of Kansas."