Martyrs
Blessed Philip of Jesus Munárriz and 50 Companions, Martyrs of Barbastro
These are the 51 Blessed Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Claretians) killed in hatred of the faith in August 1936. The all belonged to the Community of Barbastro, a large community, composed of 60 persons, dedicated to the formation of the missionaries; it was a Seminary of the Congregation.
Nine were priests who had charges of responsibility in the house and in the Seminary. Of the 12 Brothers of the community, only 5 received the palm of martyrdom, because they did not kill the elderly nor those that were very sick.
The rest of the community (39) were seminarians who were in the last years of theology. One was a subdeacon and 11 had received minor Orders. Two Argentinians were saved from death: they were freed at the last minute because they were foreigners. Only 9 of these martyrs were over 25 years old; 36 of them had not reached that age, and three were only 21 years old. Blessed Andrés Solá y Molist, C.M.F.
He was born on 7 October 1895 in Can Vilarrasa, Spain. In September 1922 he was ordained, and in 1923 he was sent to Mexico as a Claretian missionary priest.
The anti-Catholic and anticlerical laws that were passed at the time forced Fr Solá y Molist into hiding; he went to live in the home of Josefina and Jovita Alba in León so that he would not be obliged to leave the Country. He continued to administer Holy Communion to the sick and to hear confessions and celebrate many baptisms and marriages, all at the risk of his very life.
By 1927 the persecution had worsened and his local superior, Fr Fernando Santesteban, directed him to leave León and to go to Mexico City. He remain ed there for some days, and then with the permission of the Provincial Superior he returned to León to continue his ministry.
On 23 April, he received a letter from the superior of the community informing him that there was a warrant for his arrest and that he should suspend his activity, go into hiding or change residence. Fr Solá gave no importance to the letter, believing that nothing would happen. Instead, the next day he was arrested.
When soldiers entered the home of the Alba sisters to take him away, he confirmed that he was a priest. He was led away to his martyrdom and shot on 25 April 1927.
Blessed José María Ruiz Cano, Jesús Hannibal Gomez Gomez, Antonio Vilamassana Carulla and Companion Martyrs
The Martyrs of Fernan Caballero make up a group of 14 young seminarians, close to their priestly ordination, along with Br Felipe Gonzalez (47 years).
For the Cause of their canonization, Fr Jose Maria Ruiz Cano (29 years) linked them altogether as protagonists of a moving story of martyrdom in the city of Siguenza. All of them, sixteen in total, were recognized as martyrs of the Church by Pope Benedict XVI on July 1st 2010, for having testified to their faith by surrendering their lives.
The events of their martyrdom occurred in two different places, Siguenza (Guadalajara) and Fernan Caballero (Ciudad Real), but were brought together under the same Cause. It is not geographical distance that counts here but the coincidence of the same youthful illusions, full of faith and generosity, truncated in both places with the same violence.
The seven Claretian martyrs of Tarragona came from two communities very close to each other: Tarragona and La Selva del Camp. Their martyrdoms took place separately, at different times and places.
The Claretian Community of Tarragona, living in a very humble house, had the privilege of having a group of Claretians who worked as lecturers in the Seminary and the Pontifical University, where their work as distinguished teachers was always greatly valued.
Blessed Mateu Casals, Teófilo Casajús, Ferran Saperas and their 106 Companion Martyrs
These 109 Martyrs from the Spanish religious persecution in 1936, are addition to the previously beatified: 51 in Barbastro, 16 in Fernan Caballero and 7 in Terragona, with a total of 183 Claretian Missionaries glorified by the Church.
The 109 martyrs are from the Claretian communities of Barcelona (8), Castro Urdiales (3), Cervera-Mas Claret (60), Sabadell (8), Vic-Sallent (15), Lleida (11) and Valencia (4). At the head of this large group of martyrs are three names: Mateu Casals (priest), Teófilo Casajús (student) and Ferran Saperas (brother). They symbolize the 49 priests, 31 brothers and 29 students who will be beatified. Catalans (the majority), Navarrese, Aragonese, Castilians … all shared the common religious profession and a great love for Jesus Christ and for the Church. Except for two, who died in 1937, all were martyred in the final months of 1936, during the religious persecution that took place in the Spanish Civil War. The biographies of each of them and various accounts of their martyrdom can be found on the website indicated below. M. Maria Patrocinio Giner Gomis, RMI
On March 11, 2001, M. Maria Patrocinio Giner Gomis, a Claretian Missionary Sister, was beatified, along with 232 other martyrs from the same archdiocese of Valencia. She was born in Tortosa (Tarragona – Spain) in 1874. Her first name was María Cinta Asunción and belonged to a large family of deep religious tradition. For many years she held the position of formatress of the young Claretian generations and educator in Carcagente (Valencia – Spain). She died a martyr in Portichol de Valldigna (Valencia – Spain) on November 13, 1936 during the religious persecution in Spain.