José was born in Guanajuato, Mexico to a simple family. He learned to read and write at home as he was not able to attend school. At age 14, he manifested his desire to become a priest, but because his family could not afford to send him to seminary, he did not enter until he was 20 years old. Due to political unrest, the seminary was closed several times and part of his formation occurred in the United States. José was finally ordained in 1919. He was a humble man with a deep desire to lead souls to Christ. When the government forced priests to register during the Mexican Revolution, he refused and went into hiding. In April 1927, he traveled to celebrate Holy Week with a religious community in secret and was discovered. He admitted being a priest, was arrested, interrogated, and tortured. Blessed José Trinidad Rangel y Montaño was finally shot and killed on April 25, 1927.