Devoting Myself to Death on Day of the Dead: a Santa Muerte Devotee in Rural Oaxaca

Abby describes how she watched, initially a non-believer herself, as her family and the whole community came together to care for a statue of Santa Muerte during a hurricane and eventually built a large chapel that would come to house many statues where la Santa would be celebrated on Day of the Dead and Abby would come to realise she was devoted to death.

Why Would a Belgian Follow Mexican Folk Saint Santa Muerte?

By Guest Contributor Walter M. C. Walgraeve* Devotion to Santa Muerte has been spreading like wildfire across Latin America and parts of North America so it’s not surprising that it also has made the leap over the ocean and has reached Europe. While probably most devotees here will be of Latin American descent, it is … Continue reading Why Would a Belgian Follow Mexican Folk Saint Santa Muerte?

Top Vatican Official Rebukes Santa Muerte – Again

Italian cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, President of the Pontifical Council for Culture, has reiterated his denunciation of Santa Muerte issued in Mexico City four years ago. Speaking yesterday at Università Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria he said, "These depravaties, blasphemies, and idolatries have become a real and perverse cult among Mexican narcos with the veneration of Santa Muerte, … Continue reading Top Vatican Official Rebukes Santa Muerte – Again

The Universal Mother and a Universal Flag – A Neo-Pagan reflection on Santa Muerte

The following piece was submitted by Gabriel Oakfield, a Neo-Pagan Santa Muerte devotee from the United Kingdom, who provides his personal perspective on Santa Muerte's place in bridging tensions between a Catholic upbringing and his sexual identity. In this reflection Oakfield also allows us to see one way in which Saint Death's decentralized global presence is acting … Continue reading The Universal Mother and a Universal Flag – A Neo-Pagan reflection on Santa Muerte

¿Es Santa Muerte – el Nuevo Movimiento Religioso de más rápido crecimiento en las Américas – Institucionalizando?

Tanto las fotos como la traduccion del ingles fueron realizadas por la Dra. Fabiola Chesnut, Jefa del Departamento de Lenguas Extranjeras y Bellas Artes de la Escuela Secundaria Huguenot, Richmond, Virginia, y nativa de Morelia, Michoacán. Texto por el Dr. Andrew Chesnut. El día 28/12/16 asistí a la celebración del 9º aniversario de la fundación … Continue reading ¿Es Santa Muerte – el Nuevo Movimiento Religioso de más rápido crecimiento en las Américas – Institucionalizando?

Is the Fastest Growing New Religious Movement in the Americas – Santa Muerte – Institutionalizing?

All photos were taken by Fabiola Chesnut, Chair of Foreign Languages and Fine Arts at Huguenot High School, Richmond, Virginia, and native of Morelia, Michoacan. On 12/28/16 I attended the 9th anniversary celebration of the founding of Templo Santa Muerte Internacional in the gritty Mexico City suburb of Tultitlan.Founded by Jonathan Legaria Vargas, aka Comandante … Continue reading Is the Fastest Growing New Religious Movement in the Americas – Santa Muerte – Institutionalizing?

Vatican Official Denounces Santa Muerte as ‘Sinister and Infernal’

The Mexican offensive against Santa Muerte (Saint Death) launched by former president, Felipe Calderon, has now gone global. In an interview last week with a Peruvian Catholic news site (Aciprensa), the President of the Pontifical Council for Culture, Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, condemned the cult of the skeleton saint as "sinister and infernal." The Italian prelate, … Continue reading Vatican Official Denounces Santa Muerte as ‘Sinister and Infernal’