Luis Cáncer facts for kids

Luis Cáncer de Barbastro (born around 1500 – died June 26, 1549) was a Dominican priest from Spain. He was an early missionary who traveled to the New World (the Americas). He believed in a peaceful way to teach Christianity to the Native Americans.

He had great success in the Caribbean and later in Guatemala. In 1549, he went to Florida to continue his work. This area had already seen a lot of fighting from earlier explorers. Luis de Cáncer was killed on the shores of Tampa Bay. Many people have seen him as a martyr since his death. A martyr is someone who dies for their beliefs.

About Luis de Cáncer

His Early Life and Mission

Luis de Cáncer was born in Barbastro, Aragon, Spain, around the year 1500. He joined the Dominican religious order. Like many people at that time, he felt called to go to the New World. He wanted to share the Christian faith there.

In 1518, Luis de Cáncer arrived in the New World. He worked successfully with native people in Puerto Rico and Hispaniola. Later, he moved to the mainland and had special success in Guatemala. He was a follower of Bartolomé de las Casas, who was famous for protecting Native Americans.

Father de Cáncer's efforts were very successful in an area known for its warlike native groups. Because of his peaceful work, this area was renamed the "Province of True Peace." He believed that fighting and violence would not help spread the Christian message. He thought native people should be treated with respect. He was very good at bringing peace to Native Americans whom violent methods had failed to control. He also spoke up for the native people at a church meeting in Mexico in 1546.

His Florida Journey and Death

After his success in Guatemala, Cáncer suggested a peaceful mission to Florida. This area had been badly affected by earlier trips by explorers like Pánfilo Narváez and Hernando de Soto. Florida was seen as very dangerous for the Spanish. Cáncer argued that more violence would never lead to the native people becoming Catholic.

In 1547, King Charles V approved Cáncer's mission to Florida. However, the king's order said the mission should land on Florida's upper east coast. This was to avoid dangerous areas in southern Florida and the Gulf Coast, where earlier explorers had gone.

Cáncer gathered other Dominican friars: Gregorio de Beteta, Diego de Tolosa, Juan García, and Brother Fuentes. They left Vera Cruz and reached Havana in 1549. There, they picked up Magdalena, a Native American woman from Florida who had converted to Christianity. She was a "highly recommended" interpreter.

The group then sailed for Florida on a ship led by Captain Juan de Arena. Despite the warnings, Arena took them to an area south of Tampa Bay. This was only a few miles from where the earlier, violent expeditions had landed. There, they met a group of Native Americans who seemed friendly. These people told them about many villages of the Tocobaga chiefdom around Tampa Bay.

Thinking there might be goodwill, the group split up. Magdalena, Diego de Tolosa, Brother Fuentes, and a sailor went with the Native Americans by land. Cáncer returned to the ship to meet them later at the bay.

The ship reached Tampa Bay on June 23, 1549. But only Magdalena and a group of Native Americans were there to greet them. Magdalena looked "much changed" and was wearing Native American clothes. She told Cáncer that she had convinced the local chief that the friars were peaceful. She said the other Spaniards were now the chief's guests.

Cáncer and the others went back to the ship that evening. On board, they found Juan Munos, a sailor who had been enslaved by the Native Americans years before but had now escaped. Munos said that the Tocobaga had killed the two friars and enslaved the sailor.

Beteta and García wanted to leave right away and sail to Florida's east coast. But Cáncer refused to leave a land "made holy by the life blood" of his friends. The next day, the three men rowed to shore. They saw a group of angry Native Americans. Cáncer got out of the boat. He walked into the water and prayed for a while. When he stood up, he was taken to the group and beaten to death with clubs.

His Legacy

Even though Luis de Cáncer is not officially recognized as a saint, many Catholics see him as the first martyr of Florida. A martyr is someone who dies for their faith.

In 1860, Bishop Augustín Verot decided that the first church on Florida's west coast should be named St. Louis Church in his honor. Also, in 1918, a picture of Father de Cáncer was put into a large stained glass window. This window is at the Church of St. Vincent Ferrer in New York, which is run by the Dominican priests.

In 1998, the Diocese of St. Petersburg created the Fr. Luis de Cáncer Distinguished Priestly Service Award. This award is given every year to a priest in the Diocese of St. Petersburg who shows great selfless service to God's people. Espíritu Santo Catholic Church in Safety Harbor, Florida, which is near where he died, also has a stained glass window showing de Cáncer's death. In 2011, the diocese placed a Catholic Heritage Marker at the entrance of that church. It honors his and other early Catholic missionary efforts in the Tampa Bay area.

In 2015, the Vatican gave Cáncer the title "Servant of God." This title was also given to 85 Native American and Spanish people who were victims of violence. The Vatican formally began to consider them for official recognition as martyrs. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has supported this cause.

See also

In Spanish: Luis de Cáncer para niños