Moisés Lira Serafín
beatified Mexican priest (1893–1950
The Vatican record
- 27 March 2013 — Heroic virtue declared — title Venerable (decree list, 2013)
- 14 December 2023 — Miracle through their intercession approved (decree list, 2023)
Who they were
Moisés Lira Serafín was born at Zacatlán, in Puebla, Mexico, on 16 September 1893. He grew up under the care of a benefactress, and joined the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit amid the persecution of the Church in Mexico, being ordained after studies in Morelia and Rome.
In 1934 he founded the Missionaries of Charity of Mary Immaculate, to help everyone live as God's beloved children, and was remembered as austere, simple and generous. He died on 25 June 1950.
The miracles
An unborn child — León, Mexico — 2004
In the 22nd week of a woman's third pregnancy, a check-up found that the baby had late generalised fetal hydrops, a dangerous build-up of fluid in several organs, and the pregnancy was judged high-risk. After prayers to Father Moisés, the child was healed.
Why that counted as sanctity
The case of an unborn child was examined by the Church's doctors and theologians and approved as a miracle on 14 December 2023, opening the way to beatification.
- Dicastery for the Causes of Saints - biography of Blessed Moisés Lira Serafín, with the miracle
- Dicastery for the Causes of Saints — promulgated decrees (causesanti.va), summarised in our own words
- Wikidata Q9034167 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Moisés Lira Serafín (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.