Carlos Manuel Rodríguez Santiago

Blessed Carlos Manuel Cecilio Rodríguez Santiago
Born	November 22, 1918 Caguas, Puerto Rico, United States
Died	July 13, 1963 Río Piedras, Puerto Rico, United States
Venerated in	Roman Catholic Church (Puerto Rico)
Beatified	April 29, 2001, Vatican City by Pope John Paul II
Major shrine	Cathedral Dulce Nombre de Jesus, Caguas, Puerto Rico, United States
Feast	May 4
Attributes	Paschal candle

Carlos Manuel Cecilio Rodríguez Santiago (November 22, 1918 – July 13, 1963) was a layperson of the Roman Catholic Church, who was beatified by the Catholic Church on April 29, 2001. He is the first Puerto Rican, the first Caribbean-born layperson and the first layperson in the history of the United States to be beatified.

Rodríguez was born in 1918, the son of Manuel Baudilio Rodriguez and Herminia Santiago, both from large, Catholic families. He was baptized at the nearby Sweet Name of Jesus Church (now the cathedral of the region) on May 4, 1919. Rodríguez was the second of five brothers and sisters. Two of his sisters married, while another is a Carmelite nun. His only brother, José (Pepe) Rodriguez is a Benedictine monk and the first Puerto Rican to become abbot of his monastery.

In 1925, fire destroyed the family residence and business. The family was forced to live with his mother's parents. Despite the lack of space and privacy this entailed for his family, his parents taught their children not to disturb the lives of their grandparents to the extent possible and to accept the limitations of their situation peaceably.

In that same year, Rodríguez was enrolled to study at the Colegio Católico Notre Dame, attached to the parish church. After graduating the Catholic elementary school, he began to attend José Gautier Benítez High School. At that point, he began to develop ulcerative colitis. After two years at the local public high school, he transferred to the Academy of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in San Juan. His medical problems, however, caused him to leave prior to graduation. He returned to the family home and continued his high school studies as best he could, while working as a clerk, finally receiving his diploma in May 1939.

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