Two hundred and twenty years ago today, on September 2, 1792, was the beginning of what became known as the "September Massacres". This happened in France during the French Revolution. Considered one of the bloodiest events in the history of France, this horrible massacre lasted for only three days.

The September Massacres were a way for the revolutionaries of France to not only strike out against those whom they felt had wronged them, but also as a means for them to make a show of force against the advancing Prussian army. The mobs of the September Massacres sought to kill as many of the political prisoners that were being held in Paris as possible before the Prussians could arrive and possibly free them. Though the initial attack on the prison transfer had specific targets in mind, the murderous revolutionaries that made up the mobs put no thought into guilt or innocence when they made their attacks. The assaults on other prisons were to show the Prussians know how dangerous the people of France really were.

The mob killed over two hundred priests and three bishops. The massacres occurred during a time of rising resentment against the Roman Catholic Church, which eventually led to the temporary dechristianization of France.

One-hundred and ninety-one September Massacre martyrs were beatified by Pope Pius XI in 1926. Long after the names of their executioners have been forgotten, their heroism in the defense of the Papacy and the Catholic faith will be remembered.