Spanish Martyrs

Tomorrow is the feast of Blessed Niceforo of Jesus and Mary (Diaz Tejerina) and his twenty-five companions, Passionist martyrs of the Spanish Civil War. Often, groups of martyrs are described as X and companions, although many of them never actually met one another in this life (e.g. Saint Andrew Dung-Lac and companions). This group of martyrs really were companions in the sense that they were all members of the same Passionist community of Daimiel. Niceforo, who is named first, was the provincial; the others were the rector, brothers and priests of the community, including lectors (teachers of philosophy or theology) and their students, some of whom were only a short time out of the novitiate. The Australian Passionist Website gives an account of their martyrdom (scroll down to find it) and all their names, including Laurino Proano to whom I always pray in particular, because he had the same devotional title as myself (”of Jesus Crucified”). Some of the community were liberated from prison and so escaped death. At least one of them was present at the beatification. Someone who was also there told me that he had asked this survivor how he felt about not being martyred; he said that his greatest regret was that he was not with the others - he felt that he should have died with them. More than half of this group of martyrs were aged 21 years or younger. It is thanks to the survivors that we have the words Father Niceforo spoke to the community on the night of their arrest: “Citizens of Calvary, this is our Gethsemane. Human nature frightened at the prospect of the Steps of the Passion, like the humanity of Jesus, feels weakness and fear. But Jesus is with us. He comforts us and sustains us. In a few moments we will be with Christ.” It wasn´t just a few moments; their suffering dragged out much longer, but none of them refused the grace of witnessing to Christ.