Saint David Roldán Lara

David Roldán Lara (2 March 1902 – 15 August 1926) was a Mexican layman who was killed during the Cristero War. A pro-Catholic activist during the anticlerical period under President Plutarco Elías Calles, he was captured by government forces, and was executed for refusing to renounce his position. Roldán was canonized by Pope John Paul II on 21 May 2000 as one of 25 Martyrs of the Cristero War. David Roldán Lara was born on 2 March 1902 in Chalchihuites, Zacatecas, Mexico. He was baptized later that month at the local parish church. His father, Pedro Roldán Reveles, died when David was one, forcing his mother, Reinalda Lara Granados, to raise him and his brothers on her own. He attended Catholic schools and was an altar boy. He entered the seminary of the Archdiocese of Durango in Durango City, but dropped out to support his struggling family. After leaving the seminary, Roldán became engaged, and worked at a local mine, where he was held in esteem by his fellow miners. He assisted the priest Luis Batiz Sáinz in directing Catholic Action of Mexican Youth, a group which he was president of until 1925. He was also vice president of the National League for the Defense of Religious Liberty (LNDNR). On 29 July 1926, the LNDNR hosted a meeting that drew a crowd of around 600 people, including its president, Manuel Moralez, Batiz, Roldán, and Salvador Lara Puente, his cousin and secretary of the organization. After the meeting, Batiz was arrested at his home by a group of soldiers. A few days later, the three LNDNR leaders, Moralez, Roldán, and Lara, met at Lara's home to discuss how to free Batiz through legal means. A group of soldiers broke into the home and arrested the three men, imprisoning them in the town hall, where they were beaten and tortured. After several days of imprisonment, on 15 August 1926, Batiz, Moralez, Roldán, and Lara were taken out of their cells by a group of soldiers.