SMU alum Brother James Miller, a De La Salle Christian Brother, who was born in Stevens Point, Wisconsin and was a member of the Winona District (now Midwest District) ministered to the people of Nicaragua as well as having taught at Cretin High School (now Cretin-Derham Hall) in St. Paul.
Brother Santiago (as he is known in Guatemala) was brutally shot to death as he was repairing a wall at the De La Salle Indian School in Huehuetenango, Guatemala on February 13th 1982. It is thought that this occurred because the Brothers were relentless in their efforts to keep the Indian boys from being conscripted into the military. Brother James was very aware of the oppression of the Guatemalan indigenous people and worked to provide training in job skills as well as leadership skills.
Blessed Brother James was beatified as a martyr by Pope Francis in 2019; he is the first religious Brother in the US to be beatified.
