Reverend Joseph E. Kurtz, D.D. Bishop | Archdiocese of Louisville

Father Moisés Lira Serafin has been beatified in a ceremony at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. Known for his advocacy for life from conception, he is credited with the miracle of saving an unborn child's life.

Pope Francis acknowledged the beatification on September 15 during his Angelus prayer, stating, "Yesterday, Moisés Lira Serafin was beatified in Mexico City. A priest and founder of the Congregation of the Missionaries of Charity of Mary Immaculate, he died in 1950, after a life spent helping people to advance in faith and in love of the Lord." He added, "May his apostolic zeal encourage priests to give themselves unreservedly, for the spiritual good of the holy people of God. A round of applause for the new Blessed! I can see the Mexican flags over there!"

At his beatification Mass on September 14, Father Lira was remembered as a joyful individual who maintained humor even amid personal and physical suffering. Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for Saints’ Causes, noted in his homily that Father Lira's joy stemmed from always doing God's will. "This was his source of joy. This is how Blessed Moses lived the smallness of which he speaks," said Cardinal Semeraro.

Born in 1893 in Puebla state, Father Lira faced numerous hardships early on; his mother passed away when he was five years old and frequent relocations marked his childhood due to his father's work. Despite these challenges, Cardinal Semeraro highlighted that Father Lira remained cheerful and playful.

Father Lira joined the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit priesthood in 1922 and endured religious persecution during Mexico's Cristero Rebellion by secretly celebrating Mass and bringing Communion to the sick. He later founded the Missionaries of Charity of Mary Immaculate to address both social and spiritual needs through an evangelical approach.

He passed away in 1950 and was declared venerable by Pope Francis on March 27, 2013. His beatification followed recognition of a miracle involving Rosa María Ramírez Mendoza’s unborn daughter diagnosed with fetal hydrops—a usually fatal condition—during her fifth month of pregnancy. Ramírez prayed to Father Lira after reading about him and subsequently found her baby healthy during her sixth-month check-up.

"I’m the example that God exists," said Lissette Sarahí Ramírez’s daughter born on September 6, 2004. "This is a very strong message from God," commented Father David Padrón who promoted Father Lira’s beatification.