Next Sunday, November 6th, the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts, in communion with the entire Church worldwide, celebrates the memory of Theophilus and his companions, martyred in Spain. The five blessed individuals are in the process of canonization and belong to the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

On November 27, 2010, the mortal remains of the five religious of the Congregation, martyred during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) and whose decree of martyrdom was approved by Benedict XVI on July 3, 2009, were buried in the Church of the Sacred Hearts in Madrid. Their remains are in the chapel of Saint Damien of Molokai, who was called the "Martyr of Charity" for sacrificing his life to serve the most marginalized in society: those suffering from leprosy.

Who are Theophilus and his fellow martyrs?

On July 18, 1936, there was a military uprising against the government of the Second Spanish Republic. This led to the civil war of 1936-1939. During this time, fourteen religious members of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts gave their lives, but the cause for canonization of only five of them was presented. The reason is that the exact details of the other nine are unknown, as are the circumstances of their deaths.

However, for the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts, the first five are considered martyrs, as we read in... “Positio super Martyrio” by Father Teófilo Fernández de Legaria Goñi and four companions:

“During this period of the (Spanish) Civil War, the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts suffered 14 victims: five from the community of Madrid, three from Barcelona, ​​five from El Escorial, and one from the community of Torrelavega. Here we present only five of them, whose deaths we were able to determine. It is not known for certain where the rest died, or very little is known. There is only some circumstantial evidence of what may have happened. It is also not known where they were buried. However, for the Congregation, they are as much martyrs as the other five who are now being presented to the ecclesiastical authorities to be officially recognized with the title and honors of martyrs of the faith. The names of these five are:
Father Teófilo Fernández de Legaria Goñi , executed on August 11, 1936;
Father Isidro Íñiguez de Ciriano , executed by firing squad on the night of October 2-3, 1936;
Fr. Gonzalo Barrón Nanclares , executed by firing squad on the night of September 1-2, 1936;
Fr. Eladio López Ramos , shot dead on the night of August 8-9, 1936;
e Fr. Mario Ros Ezcurra , executed by firing squad on the night of August 14-15, 1936, in Madrid.

They were beatified in October 13, 2013 , in Tarragona (Spain), along with more than 500 martyrs from the same period. This is the testimony of our martyred brothers. May this testimony help the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts to live its vocation with great fidelity and continue to bear witness to the love of Christ's pierced heart.