July 24th marked 76 years since the
martyrdom of seven Oblates and the father of a family, beatified last December.
To commemorate such a significant date, various celebrations were organized in
different places. Therefore, around July 24th, the town of
Villaverde de Arcayos celebrated the blessed martyrs, Justo GONZÁLEZ and
Pascual ALÁEZ; statues of the two were blessed and placed for the devotion of
the people in their parish church. The Eucharist was presided by the Oblate
Bishop Ramiro DÍAZ, a son of the same town. Joining him and other Oblates, some
of whom were also born there, were numerous friends and family members of the
two martyrs.
There was a Mass celebrated also in Santa Marina del
Rey, this time presided by the diocesan bishop, recalling the martyr Juan
Antonio PÉREZ. Although martyred in November, they also celebrated Blessed
Gregorio ESCOBAR in Estella and in Prioro, Blessed Serviliano RIAÑO. In similar
celebrations presided by their diocesan bishops or their parish pastors, the
memory of other martyrs was celebrated. It is summertime in Spain and at this
season, many go back to their hometown. For that reason, they chose these dates
so that no one would miss the opportunity.
In our Oblate house in Pozuelo de Alarcón, a large
group of the faithful and of Oblates also gathered to commemorate the martyrs. On
the 24th, everyone wanted to be near the house of the martyrs to
remember what happened there. The walls and rooms of the house still speak and give
witness to the sacrifice of our martyrs: their oblation, their strong commitment
to community, their Eucharist-centered prayer, their love and forgiveness of their
enemies. Visiting these areas on pilgrimage has a major impact on all those who
have the opportunity to do so. During the homily, mention was made of the
testimony of Fr. Felipe DÍEZ, one of the survivors. The militants went about grabbing
all the members of the community, one by one, pointing their weapons at them, and
locking them in a small room. In passing, one of the formators invited them to
make the act of contrition so as to receive general absolution. Fr. Felipe said:
“I wanted to pray the prayer, Lord Jesus
Christ, but I couldn’t get it out. Indeed, what came out were acts of love for
God, of forgiveness for those who we thought were going to shoot us and offering
my life for those who were killing us, for the Church and for Spain.”
To end the celebration at Pozuelo, all participants
went to the monument, located outside of the house, which symbolically brings
together and commemorates the martyrdom of our blessed brothers. There we
renewed our baptismal promises, and each person could pray, asking for some
special grace, while offering a lighted candle that was left in front of the
main part of the monument. This consists of four large slabs of granite in which
is carved a cross, surrounded by the names of all the martyrs, with the image
of the Virgin Mary enshrined at the foot. All renewed their commitment to being
witnesses of the love and forgiveness of Jesus at this time in the life of the
Church, symbolized by a beautiful historic bell familiar also to the martyrs,
and which rang out a beautiful sound as each of us was invited to renew our
baptismal promises. The Litany of the Blessed Martyrs and the praying of the Salve completed this prayer which ended
at the same time as the setting sun flashed red in the sky over Madrid. Blessed
Oblate Martyrs of Pozuelo, pray for us.
