Blessed Ignatius de Azevedo and 39 Companions

Ignatius de Azevedo was a Portuguese Jesuit who sailed for the mission of Brazil with thirty-nine companions of the Society of Jesus. Between 15 and 16 July 1570, during the sea crossing, the whole party was killed for professing the Catholic faith. Pope Pius IX declared them blessed in 1854, and they are remembered together on 19 January among the blessed martyrs of the Society of Jesus. Their names are recorded individually by the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, from Ignatius de Azevedo himself to Diogo de Andrade, the three Alvares brothers, Alonso de Baena, Marcos Caldeira and the rest, ending with Simão da Costa and the companion remembered only as João Adauctus.