Saints celebrated on the 4th of June
Jose Maria was born on April 27, 1945, Spain, and entered the Novitiate of the Missionary Fathers of the Sacred Heart, in Canet de Mar, Barcelona, in 1965. He made his religious profession on September 8, 1966 and was ordained a priest on June 9, 1972. Moving to Guatemala in 1975 to work as a missionary in the diocese of Quiche, he ministered in the parishes of Santa Cruz; Zacualpa and San Gaspar Chajul. On June 4, 1980 Jose Maria was shot dead along with his lay sacristan Domingo del Barrio Batz, whilst returning to Chajul on horseback after visiting remote villages of the parish. He is one of the holy Martyrs of Quiche.
Between 1960 to 1996, Guatemala struggled through a conflict between its military regime and various leftist groups, during which time over 200.000 people were killed. During the 1980s in particular the Church began to undergo systematic persecution for its role in the defence of the dignity and rights of the poor.
Sources: https://www.thetablet.co.uk/news/12462/guatemalan-martyrs-granted-recognition
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2021-04/beatification-ten-martyrs-quiche-guatemala.html
https://misacor.org.au/item/28534-padre-jose-maria-gran-cirera-msc-and-the-blessed-matyrs-of-el-quiche
PRAYER:
Grant, we beseech you, almighty God, that the venerable feast of Blessed Jose Maria may increase our devotion and promote our salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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