Founded in 1736, Darien was built where British colonists from South Carolina had in 1721 built Fort King George to guard the mouth of the Altamaha River, encroaching into territory claimed by Spain. The fort was abandoned in 1727 and only six years later James Oglethorpe founded Savannah, creating the buffer colony of Georgia.
Though the British built Fort King George in 1721, they were not the first Europeans to settle this bluff on the shores of the Altamaha. A historical marker by the fort’s cemetery marks the location of Santo Domingo de Talaje Mission, one of the Spanish missions built by Franciscan missionaries along Georgia’s coast between 1568 and 1684 to evangelize the Guale nation.
Due to depopulation, mostly caused by the death of natives from European diseases, pirate raids and attacks by other tribes allied with the British, the Spanish mission system in Georgia lay in ruins by 1684. The remaining missionaries along the Florida border retreated to Saint Augustine in 1706.
The best remembered Spanish mission along Georgia’s coast is the Santa Catalina de Guale Mission on Saint Catherine’s Island due to the martyrdom of five Franciscan friars in 1597. Fray Pedro de Corpa insisted that those baptized should be faithful to their spouses by living in a monogamous relationship. The heir to the local chief, Juanillo, openly took a second wife. When confronted, Juanillo gathered a group of men and murdered Fray Pedro and four other friars who lived in nearby missions.
In 1984 Bishop Lessard of Savannah formally opened the beatification process for the Georgia Martyrs and the results of the investigation were presented to Rome in 2007. How exciting would it be for these men to be officially declared martyrs and blessed when the Spanish-speaking Catholic population of Georgia is increasing rapidly and while a Franciscan, Bishop Hartmayer, is bishop of Savannah.
While celebrating Mass at the beautiful parish in Darien, I kept thinking of the brave men who left everything behind to preach the Gospel in a distant land, a land where I was celebrating Mass and preaching just as they did.
Pictures are mine, all rights reserved.
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