MISSIONARIES OF SAINT JOSEPH OF MEXICO. — On 19 December 1872, in the city of Mexico, the priest Giuseppe M. Villasca, a priest of the Congregation of the Mission, in agreement with his superiors and with the approval of Archbishop P. De la Bastida y Davalos, opened a college to provide good priests for the archdiocese and to serve as a cradle for an institute of missionaries, who would later take the title of Missionaries of Saint Joseph.
As these young priests graduated from the college, they founded new houses for the education of youth and to provide them with an adequate instruction. As the number of houses increased, Villasca encountered serious difficulties, and in full agreement with his superiors, he left the Congregation and gave stable foundation and development to his institution. On 26 November 1884, the first twelve missionaries made their religious profession in his hands. On 20 August 1897, he obtained from the Holy See the decree of praise, and on 14 September 1911, definitive approval. Currently, the Institute has 14 houses, all in Mexico, with 124 religious, engaged not only in teaching but also in parochial ministry and preaching.