Venerable James Miller

James Alfred Miller, FSC (September 21, 1944 – February 13, 1982), also known as Brother Leo William or Santiago, was an American Catholic member of the Brothers of the Christian Schools who served in Guatemala until his murder in 1982. Miller served as a teacher first in Cretin High School before being sent to teach in Bluefields in Nicaragua where he remained until his superiors ordered him to leave. He was requested to leave his work in Nicaragua due to political tensions that put Miller at risk of being killed, but he was frustrated to be sent back to his native home, where he remained for some time to teach. He was known for his construction and practical abilities to the point where students at Cretin High School referred to him as "Brother Fix-It." Miller was later sent to Guatemala where he taught, and he remained there until he was murdered. His killer was never identified and brought to justice, despite a long investigation. Miller's beatification process opened in Huehuetenango on September 2, 2009, though the cause's formal introduction came on December 15, 2009, and Miller was named a Servant of God. Pope Francis approved Miller's beatification in late 2018. It was celebrated in Huehuetenango on 7 December 2019. James Alfred Miller was born premature on September 21, 1944, to farmers in Stevens Point, Wisconsin; his siblings included his brothers Bill and Ralph and sisters Pat Richter and Louise Shafranski. Miller weighed almost four pounds upon birth but later would stand at six feet two inches and weigh 220 pounds. He grew up in Custer. He was noted for having a boisterous laugh that could startle people in his adulthood. Miller first attended grammar school in his area before he entered Pacelli High School. It was while a freshman that he first met the De La Salle Brothers. In September 1959, he entered the juniorate in Missouri and was then admitted as a postulant into the order in 1962.