Numerous martyrs shed their blood in bringing the faith to the Americas during the time of the Spanish exploration. One of the most impressive of these saintly missionaries was the Jesuit priest Father Pedro Martínez, who was martyred near Jacksonville, Florida in 1566. Martínez is considered the first Jesuit martyrs in the New World.
Early Life in Spain
Pedro Martínez was born in Teruel, Aragon, in 1533 of a good family with connections to the government of Aragon. From his earliest youth he was animated by a spirit of deep piety and tells us that he had made a vow of chastity even as a child. After five years in preparatory school he attended the University of Valencia where he won first honors in philosophy. He was, however, no mere academic, for he devoted significant time to swordsmanship and became a master fencer. Though pious, young Martínez was also bombastic, and perhaps given over to hubris. He later related that “I was bold and combative in the world and was wont not to hide myself.” (1)
That Martínez would go onto join the Jesuits is an amusing twist of fate, since as a youth he disliked the Jesuits because many of his collegiate friends had been drawn away into the Society. One day some of Martínez’s friends went to the Jesuit house in Valencia to interview for discernment with the Society. They prevailed upon Martínez to join them, though he had no real intention of entering their ranks. While the Jesuit priest, Fr. Jerome Nadal, interviewed Martínez’s companions, Martínez wandered off and sat in the porter’s lodge. The porter, seeing the lad, asked him why he had come. Martínez replied that he just wished to sit and look around. The porter left him, and throughout the day Martínez watched the brothers coming and going about their duties and was so impressed by their demeanor that he changed his opinions. He went to Fr. Nadal and asked to be admitted to the Society at once. Fr. Nadal asked him to spend some time in prayer and then return for an eight day discernment retreat.
Martínez, however, had scheduled a fencing duel on the appointed day that Fr. Nadal wished him to make the retreat. Still feeling the tug of the world, Martínez put off the retreat to do the engagement. But after some time, when his opponent failed to appear, he decided to return to Fr. Nadal and make the retreat. Martínez evidently took this as a sign from God, for he was so insistent on admission that he was mentioned in a letter to St. Ignatius himself. Fr. Tablares, who worked in the Valencia house with Fr. Nadal, wrote to St. Ignatius:
Some have come to us with a strong desire to enter the Society, but Father Nadal had seen fit to put them off for a time. One of these youths came one evening with his bundle on his back, begging to be admitted to work in the garden, for he said under no consideration would he leave the premises. Neither Father Nadal nor the short-tempered Father Tablares could induce him to leave. “I am here for good,” he said, “and you will have to keep me.” They urged that the house was very poor and that they had not even food for him; but he said that was not to the point: he had come not to eat but to work. They showed him their cramped quarters, that they had no room or place for him to sleep, but he answered that neither had he come to sleep. And there perforce he stayed the night. Next morning Father Nadal thought it would be well to have him examined on his life and studies. They found him well grounded in logic and philosophy, of honorable extraction and good morals and manners. In truth, I have never seen anybody fleeing from justice as he came fleeing from the world. He has good talent and a good disposition, and alone he has been able to do more than all the others, as happens when the grace of God is on one’s side. (2)
Martínez was kept on four months probation until he was finally admitted to the Society of Jesus on October 2, 1553. His penances were so severe that his superiors had to step in and limit them. Many of his former friends came to see if word of his miraculous transformation were true and came away so impressed that not a few entered religious life due to his example.
The Training of Pedro Martínez
Martínez earned a reputation as a holy and charitable brother. He was patient and kind-hearted with a special gift for assisting the dying. He applied his skills to mediating civil disputes, preaching, and holding retreats. He was especially engaged in work with the so-called “New Christians,” Marranos and Moriscos, which may have imbued him with an interest in spreading the Christian message abroad. Throughout this time he continued his studies as well, receiving a master’s degree in 1555.
Martínez was ordained to the diaconate in 1557 and advanced to the priesthood the following year, much younger than most of his peers. The skilled hands that once wielded the sword became adept at other practical skills in the Jesuit house; Martínez became an expert cook and a skilled general craftsman who took every opportunity to practice and master some manual skill.
In 1558 he accompanied a Spanish expedition to Oran (Algeria) that had come to make war on the Moors. Fr. Martínez was assigned to the military hospital where he was a favorite among the sick and at one time was in charge of ministering to 600 patients. The Oran expedition ended in disaster, and Martínez’s charges would soon multiply into the thousands. Nevertheless, his zeal never lessened and he ministered to all the sick and wounded selflessly until his return to Spain with the army later that year.
Though Martínez had as yet not openly expressed interest in the missions, we can see how his early years in the Jesuits trained him admirably for the rigors of missionary life.
Martínez’s Missionary Aspirations
By this time Martínez had come to the attention of Jesuit leadership who had begun to consider candidate for the New World missions. St. Francis Borgia, in a letter to Father General Lainez, said, “Master Martínez…is a good theologian and preacher and works with fervor and energy” and suggested he be considered for the missions in Peru, whose viceroy was eagerly requesting some Jesuits for the mission fields. (3) When told about the opportunity, Martínez eagerly requested the assignment. He wrote to the Superior General in 1560:
I beg your Paternity, by the Most Precious Blood, not to deny my request. I have bodily strength, and I have desire by the Grace of God to employ it in His service even to the shedding of my blood and the sacrifice of my life.; and I pray our Divine Lord by His Holy Death and Passion to incline your Paternity’s heart to grant me this great mercy and boon. (4)
While Martínez’s superiors agreed on his suitability, bureaucratic matters delayed the matter and by 1561 Martínez had enrolled in a theology program at the University of Salamanca, hoping to refine his theology skills ahead of any possible dispatch to the New World. In following years he would move up the Jesuit hierarchy, eventually becoming rector and minister of Valladolid.
Martínez preached and ministered incessantly and, once in leadership, revealed a gift for governing and administration. The houses under his guidance prospered. Martínez, however, had not given up on his desires and continued to petition his superiors to be sent to the missions. Years of wrangling, letters back and forth, and administrative delays elapsed until finally, in 1566, Martínez was notified that he was to prepare for departure to the Floridas at once. It should be noted that in the 16th century “the Floridas” meant not only the peninsula of Florida, but what is today the entire American Gulf Coast. Martínez was named superior of a little band of Jesuit priests destined for the task and received a special blessing from Pope St. Pius V.
Martínez in the Mission Field
Martínez sailed in summer of 1566 and spent his time on the voyage ministering to the sailors, working hard to reform their morals (a further discussion of this can be found in our article, “Sung Catechisms in the Jesuit Missions“). After a few stops the vessel landed in Montserrat Island, just southeast of Puerto Rico, on August 9. Here their vessel waited for a few days before breaking off from the main fleet and heading north toward Florida. They reached the coast of Florida on Wednesday, August 28, the Feast of St. Augustine.
These shores being unknown, the ship meandered looking for the harborage. The fort of St. Augustine had only been founded one year prior and the coast of east Florida was little understood. The captain of Martínez’s vessel was relying on hearsay to find his way, either to St. Augustine or to the harbor of Saint Elena, in modern day South Carolina. On August 30 the ship was hit by a fearsome gale that lasted twelve hours and forced them to jettison a substantial amount of cargo. Then a northern gale blew them so far seaward that they were out of sight of land for another four days.
Coming again to the shoreline, they were compelled by necessity to make a landing in search of food and water and went ashore at 30° 30′, near modern-day border between Florida and Georgia. They were in dire straits and in fear of encountering the natives in their weakened condition. The men refused to go ashore unless Fr. Martínez accompanied them. The Jesuit cheerfully clambered into the rowboat and went ashore with two Spanish soldiers and six Flemish sailors. It was September 14, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Martínez and the crew went ashore Tecatacuru, on the southern rim of Georgia’s Golden Isles. Thus was Pedro Martínez’s arrival on the American continent.
The Martyrdom of Fr. Pedro Martínez
Not long after Martínez and his companions set ashore, strong winds forced the vessel off, leaving Martínez stranded. After searching for an Indian settlement and finding nothing, they returned to the shore and saw the ship gone. Martínez and company camped twelve days on the beach hoping the ship would return, but the storm had forced it all the way down to Cape Canaveral, from which it would fight to return north for many days.
When Martínez had waited twelve days, he and his company walked along the shore looking for the Spanish fort, supposing themselves to be in the vicinity of St. Augustine. They were, however, about 50 miles north and in dire need to provisions. Eventually Martínez found a freshwater river and led the company inland, following the river to an Indian settlement. The Indians fled at their arrival, but they were able to scavenge food. From here they continued south for several days in the rowboat, occasionally venturing inland to look for Indians who might provide them with food. In all this, Fr. Martínez led the way with a crucifix bound to a lance with a piece of cloth, singing hymns and litanies to keep their spirits up.
Indians soon found the little party, and calling them friends, provided them with all manner of food—maize, hominy, cooked fish, crabs, and jugs of water. The Spaniards returned the favor with gifts of a doublet and stockings, which greatly pleased the Indians. The Indians told Fr. Martínez how to reach St. Augustine by way of a nearby river, but warned him that he would have to travel through the territory of three different chieftains to get there.
Fr. Martínez and company continued their journey up the river, and while passing the second Indian village, some of the Flemish sailors stopped to obtain some fish from some Indian boys. The boys broke off in a run toward the village, which alarmed Fr. Martínez. Soon a dozen Indians had surrounded the boat. Martinez’s companions urged him to push off, but Martínez was unwilling to leave the Flemings behind who had gone ashore.
The Flemings rushed back to the boat, but as they were attempting to enter, some Indians seized Fr. Martínez from behind and dragged him into the water, attempting to drown him. One on the Spaniards and two Flemings were similarly treated and then, being dragged to shore, were clubbed to death. Another three Flemings were killed with a flight of arrows while Fr. Martínez was dragged to land. The four surviving members of the party were able to push off the boat, but as they disembarked they saw Fr. Martínez on the shore, on his knees raising his hands to heaven and then killed with a single blow to the head from a club. Thus perished the Jesuit martyr Fr. Pedro Martínez. The date was October 6, 1566.
It would be many days until the survivors were rescued by a boat belonging to governor Don Pedro Menendez and related the sad tale of Martínez’s fate to the Spaniards at St. Augustine. Fr. Martínez’s body was never recovered. Historians place the site of the martyrdom in the Fort George River which separates Fort George Island from the mainland in Jacksonville, Florida.
Fr. Pedro Martínez is lumped together with the so-called “Martyrs of La Florida,” 58 (or more, sometimes cited as 86) Catholic missionaries and native converts killed between 1549 and 1715 in the Spanish province of La Florida (modern-day FL, GA, AL, VA). Their cause was only submitted to Rome in 2023 and, at the time of writing, has not progressed. Nevertheless, we can agree with the assessment of one of the Spaniards who witnessed Martínez’s martyrdom, who said, “He surely went straight to heaven.” (5)
(1) The passage is from the questionnaire Martínez filled out upon joining the Jesuits, as quoted in Michael Kenny’s The Romance of the Floridas (AMS Press: New York, 1934), 162
(2) Kenny, 164
(3) Ibid., 166
(4) Ibid., 167
(5) Ibid., 185
Phillip Campbell, “The Life of Missionary-Martyr Pedro Martínez, SJ,” Unam Sanctam Catholicam, Apr 10, 2026. Available online at https://unamsanctamcatholicam.com/2026/04/11/the-life-of-missionary-martyr-pedro-martinez-sj/