James Alfred Miller

After taking his first vows, Brother James was sent to teach at Cretin High School (now Cretin-Derham Hall High School) in Saint Paul, Minnesota. There, he taught Spanish, English, and religious education, while also coaching the football team. Coming from a farming background, he willingly put his manual skills to use for the maintenance and repair of the institution, which earned him the affectionate nickname from his students of "Brother Fix-It."

In August 1969, after taking his perpetual vows, his desire to go on mission was realized. He was sent to Bluefields, Nicaragua, where he taught until 1974. He was then transferred to Puerto Cabezas, also in Nicaragua, where he took on the directorship of the local school. Under his dynamic leadership, the institution grew from 300 to 800 students. He also oversaw the construction of an industrial and vocational arts complex, as well as the founding of ten new rural schools in the region.

In July 1979, as the Sandinista revolution broke out in Nicaragua, the political situation became extremely dangerous. Having collaborated with the Ministry of Education (then under the Somoza regime) for the development of schools, Brother James was considered to be in danger of reprisals. His superiors ordered him to leave the country immediately and return to the United States. He temporarily returned to his teaching position at Cretin High School, and then in New Mexico, but his heart remained deeply attached to the missions in Central America.

In January 1981, his superiors granted his request to return to the mission field and sent him to Guatemala, a country then torn by a violent civil war. He was assigned to Huehuetenango, at the Colegio De La Salle and the "Casa Indígena La Salle" (La Salle Indigenous Center). As assistant director of this center, he dedicated himself entirely to the education, vocational training (particularly agricultural), and religious formation of young indigenous Maya from extremely poor rural backgrounds. He actively committed himself to the defense of their rights and dignity in the face of social injustices.

The political climate in Guatemala in the early 1980s was marked by fierce repression by the military regime against the Catholic Church, whose preferential option for the poor was equated with subversion. Aware of the risks he ran by protecting and educating indigenous youth, Brother James Miller chose to remain faithful to his mission. In a letter written to a friend shortly before his death, he confided: "I pray to God for the grace and strength to serve Him faithfully among the poor and oppressed of Guatemala. I place my life in the hands of His Providence. I place my trust in Him."

On February 13, 1982, in the late afternoon, while students were preparing a party for the following day's carnival, Brother James was on a ladder outside the Casa Indígena building repairing a wall or a lamppost. It was then that three hooded men appeared at the corner of the street and fired at him at point-blank range. Struck by several bullets in the throat, chest, and right flank, he died instantly at the age of 37. The assassins, presumably linked to death squads or government military forces, fled and were never identified or brought to justice. His body was repatriated to the United States and buried in Sharon, Wisconsin.

The cause for the beatification of Brother James Alfred Miller was officially opened on September 1, 2009, in the Diocese of Huehuetenango, Guatemala. On December 15, 2009, the cause was formally introduced in Rome, conferring upon him the title of Servant of God.

On November 7, 2018, Pope Francis authorized the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate the decree recognizing his martyrdom in hatred of the faith (in odium fidei). This recognition dispensed with the requirement of a miracle for beatification.

The beatification ceremony was celebrated on December 7, 2019, in Huehuetenango, Guatemala. The solemn Mass took place on the sports fields of the Colegio La Salle, in the immediate vicinity of the site of his martyrdom. It was presided over, in the name of Pope Francis, by Cardinal José Luis Lacunza Maestrojuán, Bishop of David (Panama). Brother James Alfred Miller thus became the first Lasallian brother from the United States to be raised to the honors of the altar.

The spirituality of Blessed James Miller is deeply rooted in the charism of Saint John Baptist de La Salle: the love of Christian education, the selfless service of the poorest youth, and community life. His commitment was not political in nature, but flowed directly from his faith in the Gospel and his desire to restore the human dignity of marginalized indigenous populations.

His legacy endures today through the "Brother James Miller" fund, created to support the education of poor children and promote social justice in Central America. The Casa Indígena in Huehuetenango was renamed in his honor, and a chapel is dedicated to him at Lewis University in Illinois. He is celebrated liturgically on February 13, the anniversary of his martyrdom.