Scattered along the Georgia coast lie the nearly forgotten sites of pioneering 16th-century Franciscan missions. Here, more than 400 years ago, five Spanish friars were slain while bringing the Catholic faith to the native Guale people.

Now a new association, the Friends of the Georgia Martyrs, has been established in the Diocese of Savannah to promote the cause of canonization of these five missionaries. The group was formed as a project of The Stella Maris Center for Faith and Culture, a local lay initiative whose goals include the education of area residents about the Catholic Church's rich heritage in Georgia.

The Most Reverend J. Kevin Boland, Bishop of Savannah, has expressed enthusiasm about the mission of the new association: "Knowledge and appreciation of our inspirational heritage gives us the courage to recognize that the faith we profess today is ultimately God's gift, passed down from one generation to the next. How privileged we are that the blood of martyrs was poured out on the soil of Georgia in defense of the sacredness of marriage."

The palmetto (cabbage palm) -- the only palm native to the Georgia coast, a fitting symbol of the Franciscan friars' martyrdom.

Those who join the Friends will receive literature about the martyrs and a newsletter, The Palmetto. The publication is so called because the palm is the traditional symbol of Christian martyrdom (from the ancient sign of victory), and the cabbage palm (palmetto) is the one palm that is native to the Georgia coast. The palmetto frond, then, seems a fitting symbol of the Georgia martyrs.

This publication will feature historical information about the men and their mission, news of recent developments in their cause, and devotional helps. Members will be asked to support the cause through prayer, testimony of favors received, and efforts to make the Georgia martyrs' story more widely known. The association will also examine the possibility of planning a pilgrimage to one of the mission sites.

Few people today are familiar with the dramatic events of this area's earliest Catholic history. The first of these friars, Fray Pedro de Corpa, came to Spanish Florida in 1587 and was sent to the Guale village of Tolomato, near modern-day Darien, Georgia.

The Georgia Martyrs, a sculpture by Marjorie Lawrence of St. Simon's Island, Ga. It hangs in the vestibule of St. Williams Parish on St. Simons Island, Ga.

Conflict erupted there in 1597. Fray Pedro insisted that those who were baptized must be faithful to Church teaching about the sanctity of marriage. But Juanillo, the local native chief's nephew, openly took a second wife. So the missionaries reminded him that when he had become a Christian, he had made a solemn promise to forsake the Guale custom of taking multiple wives.

Juanillo refused to listen to the friars. They responded that they could not support his desire to succeed as chief.

Enraged, Juanillo left the mission, gathered a band of warriors from the countryside, and proceeded to murder Fray Pedro and his four missionary companions who resided at three other mission sites along the coast. The martyrs' anniversaries are September 14, 16, and 17.

The formal process to declare the five men to be "saints" took a significant step forward on April 16 of this year. At that time the Church's special tribunal for the cause received and accepted the sworn testimony of the members of an historical commission, who have been studying the case since 1982.

The next step in the process is the meeting of the tribunal with modern-day witnesses. This is an effort to ascertain whether the reputation for martyrdom continues to the present day.

Fr. Conrad Harkins, O.F.M., the Vice Postulator for the Cause of the Georgia Martyrs, thinks it's fitting that the Cause is being advanced today.

"I think the time for recognizing the Georgia Martyrs has come," he observed. "It would be wonderful if Hispanic Americans had Hispanic-American saint-heroes. French missionaries from Quebec have long been recognized. Hispanic Americans can rightly be inspired by the courage of these missionaries who first brought the Gospel to America and were willing to die for it.

"In fact, all Americans concerned with protecting the nature of marriage in today's society can draw courage from the witness of these men. Their witness strengthens the moral fiber of all. They remind us that some truths are worth dying for."

Meanwhile, some reports have been received about extraordinary healings obtained following the intercession of the martyrs. All such incidents should be reported to Fr. Harkins, because all claims need to be carefully investigated and documented by the Church.

Dr. Paul Thigpen, executive director of The Stella Maris Center and coordinator of the new association, believes that the martyrs will find "friends" not only in Georgia, but also across the country and beyond.

"In our day, when the sanctity of marriage is so severely challenged, we desperately need the example, the courage, and the help of these heroic Christians. Because of their love for God, they gave their lives for the truth about marriage."

For more information: Go online to http://www.georgiamartyrs.org and http://darientel.net/~schoettl/martyrs/.

To join the Friends of the Georgia Martyrs: By email, send your name, address, phone number, and email address to georgiamartyrs@comcast.net. By mail, send the same information, along with a stamped, self-addressed business envelope, to The Stella Maris Center for Faith and Culture, P.O. Box 30157, Savannah, GA 31410-0157.