WHO ARE THE CLARETIAN MARTYRS OF BARBASTRO?

 They are 51 Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Claretians) killed in hatred of the faith in August 1936 during the Spanish Civil war. They all belonged to the Community of Barbastro. It was 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. Two had received priestly ordination a little more than two months earlier. 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. It is good to highlight the youth of the great majority of these martyrs, since it was a Seminary Community. 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.

 

There were 25 from Cataluña, 9 from Navarro, 6 from Castilla-Léon, 5 from Aragon, and 3 from Valencia. There was one each from Cartegena, Asturias and La Rioja. Those martyrs were from 16 Spanish dioceses: Asturias (1), Barbastro (1), Burgos (before they were from Osma-Soria or Segovia) (6), Cartagena-Murcia (1), Gerona (8), Huesca (1), Lérida (4), La Calzada-Logroño (1), Pamplona-Tudela (9), Sao de Urgel (3), Solsona (2), Tarazona (1), Tarragona (3), Valencia (3), Vio (6) and Zaragoza (1). Their families were of humble social condition; the majority of them were farmers.

 

St. Pope John Paul II beatified the Claretian Martyrs of Barbastro in 1992; their feast day is celebrated on August 13. In his beatification homily, the Pope said, “Had these young men of Barbastro not received adequate religious formation and been trained in solid piety, they would not have merited the grace of martyrdom. Faithful to Christ, they triumphed with Him.”