Saints celebrated on the 24th of July
Prayer to the Angels and the Saints
Heavenly Father, in praising Your Angels and Saints we praise Your glory, for by honouring them we honour You, their Creator. Their splendour shows us Your greatness, which infinitely surpasses that of all creation.
In Your loving providence, You saw fit to send Your Angels to watch over us. Grant that we may always be under their protection and one day enjoy their company in heaven.
Heavenly Father, You are glorified in Your Saints, for their glory is the crowning of Your gifts. You provide an example for us by their lives on earth, You give us their friendship by our communion with them, You grant us strength and protection through their prayer for the Church, and You spur us on to victory over evil and the prize of eternal glory by this great company of witnesses.
Grant that we who aspire to take part in their joy may be filled with the Spirit that blessed their lives, so that, after sharing their faith on earth, we may also experience their peace in heaven. Amen.
THE CARMELITE MARTYRS OF GUADALAJARA
Bl. Maria Pilar, Teresa of the Child Jesus and Maria Angeles were shot on July 24, 1936 in Guadalajara, Spain. They were the first of the thousands of martyrs of the Spanish Civil War to be recognised as martyrs by the Church.
Sr Maria Pilar of St Francis Borgia, the eldest of the martyrs at 58, was born Jacoba Martinez Garcia in 1877. She had a great devotion to the Eucharist.
Sr Maria Angeles of St Joseph was born Marciana Valtierra Tordesillas in 1905 and was aware of a religious vocation from childhood. She once said “We must see if we can be faithful enough for God to grant us the grace of martyrdom.”
"FOR GOD TO GRANT US THE GRACE OF MARTYRDOM"
The youngest of the martyrs, Sr Teresa of the Child Jesus and of St John of the Cross was born Eusebia Garcia in 1909. Like St Therese of Lisieux, whom she admired, she entered Carmel as a teenager.
From the outbreak of the civil war, the Carmelite nuns of Guadalajara suffered from disturbances, although they had not been politically involved in events in any way; they did not even vote in the elections of 1936. They suffered solely because they were nuns.
THEY SUFFERED SOLELY BECAUSE THEY WERE NUNS
On July 22, 1936, militia arrived in Guadalajara. The Carmelite sisters feared that their monastery might be set on fire and so decided to leave it, going out two by two in modest secular clothes to find various safe houses. The next day, some of the community who had taken refuge in a hotel, left it to join some of their other sisters in a boarding house. The landlady was frightened as she now had twelve religious sheltering there, and told them only three could stay. Sr Teresa suggested that three of them could go to the house of a lady she knew nearby.
"GO ON, THEY ARE NUNS!"
Sr Maria Pilar, Maria Angeles and Teresa left the house together and ran down the street. This, in addition to their modest dress, attracted attention and a woman standing with a group of militia was heard to say, “Go on, they are nuns!” When the sisters arrived at the house, they found no one at home and so stayed in the doorway. The militia had followed them and opened fire.
"VIVA CHRISTO REY!"
Sr Maria Angeles died instantly, while Sr Maria Pilar was badly wounded. She was taken to a Red Cross hospital where she died some hours later, repeating “Father, forgive them, they do not know what they are doing.” Sr Teresa escaped the first hail of bullets but was apprehended by militia soon afterwards. They led her to a cemetery where they demanded that she shout “Long live Communism! Long live Russia!” Instead, she shouted “Viva Christo Rey!”(Long live Christ the King!) and was shot.
These martyrs were beatified by Pope St John Paul II on March 29, 1987.
(Excerpts from: "From Carmel to Calavary: The Three Martyred Carmelites of Guadalajara" by Mons. Jesus Pla Gandia)
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