Martyr laywomen in Spain in the XX. century

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She was born on October 15, 1890 in Pozoblanco, Córdoba province, Spain. She went to a school run by Conceptionist nuns, where she studied until she lost her mother at the age of 15, after which she stayed at home to care for her younger siblings. She married the architect Juan Caballero Cabrera in 1925. They had one daughter. According to testimonies, Teresa led an exemplary life.

She was a Salesian Cooperator, and the president of the Women of Catholic Action and taught poor children reading and writing. When the civil war broke out, she offered herself to God for “the triumph of her cause”. On August 16, 1936, Blessed Antonio María Rodríguez Blanco, the parish priest, was murdered. Teresa was arrested on August 22, as a prominent Catholic in Pozoblanco. 

In prison, she gave hope to others. She repeated the following short prayer: “Jesús en el ara / Jesús en la cruz / Jesús en el alma / mil veces Jesús” (Jesus on the altar / Jesus on the cross / Jesus in the soul / a thousand times Jesus).

Teresa was put on trial by the “Committee of the Popular Front” with 19 other people. She was charged with “political propaganda against the Marxist ideas”. She responded: “It was not about defending capital, but the law of Jesus Christ.” Another false accusation was that she was wearing a military uniform and carrying a weapon.

After she was condemned to death with 17 others, she said: “This is what we were waiting for. Jesus Christ claims us and we go with Him, where we are better off than here among this family.” 

She was shot on September 20 in the cemetery of the village. She wanted to die last in order to encourage her companions. Her last words were: “¡Os perdono, hermanos! ¡Viva Cristo Rey!” (“I forgive you, brothers! Long live Christ the King!”) She was 45 years old.

She was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI on October 28, 2007, together with her parish priest, as one of 498 Spanish martyrs.

Image of Blessed Teresa Cejudo Redondo in the Salesian church of Pozoblanco.

She was born on December 3, 1890 in Valencia, Spain. Her father died early and her mother became paralyzed, so she started working early as a seamstress. She also taught classes on the subject. She was a member of the Catholic Action and a catechist, attending Mass daily. She prepared sick people to receive the sacraments. The Communists not only hated her active faith but also at the fact that she started the Christian labor union for seamstresses, the “Sindicato de la Aguja” (“Union of the Needle”) in her place of residence.

When the persecution was in full swing, she told her niece who feared for her life: “I do not deserve the joy of the Lord choosing me to be a martyr.” A few days later, on September 19, 1936, she was arrested and brought by a group of “frentepopulistas” to a secluded spot near Valencia, the Torre Espioca. When they beat her, she kept repeating “¡Viva Cristo Rey!”, so they held her down and cut out her tongue. She was then shot at the age of 45.

She was beatified on March 11, 2001 by Pope John Paul II as one of the 233 martyrs of Valencia.

The Torre Espioca, an 11th century Moorish defence tower near the village of Picasent, in Valencia province.

Taken from here. License: CC-BY-NC-SA 2.0. Author: Grupo Fotográfico Picafoto.

She was born on February 20, 1890 in Caudete, Province of Albacete, Spain. Her parents moved from Caudete to Alcoy in the province of Alicante in search of a better life. She started working at a young age in a textile factory. She went to Mass every day and became a Franciscan tertiary, and the president of the Union of Spanish Catholic Women in Valencia. In the factory, she was the president of the Catholic union of the women workers from 1927 until her death. She also worked as a catechist and was a member of multiple religious organizations. Thanks to her work, many children were baptized and people became interested in consecrating themselves to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Florencia did a lot of apostolic work in the factory, convincing unbaptized co-workers of getting baptized and others to marry in Church. 

She was arrested on September 23, 1936. While in prison, she had a sense that she is going to die and promised two women, who were imprisoned with her, that the first thing she would ask from God once she received the Beatific Vision would be that they might be released. That indeed happened the day after her death.

On October 1, she was brought to a village called Rotglá y Corbera. According to the murderers themselves, when she saw that she was about to be shot, she commended herself to the Sacred Heart in a loud voice and asked God for forgiveness for her killers. Her last words were: “¡Viva Cristo Rey!”. She was 46 years old.

She was beatified on March 11, 2001 by Pope John Paul II as one of the 233 martyrs of Valencia.

Alcoy in 2007. Taken from here. License: CC-BY-NC 2.0. Author: Luis Gosalbez.

She was born on November 11, 1903 in Sevilla (Seville), Spain, into a middle-class family. Showing talents as an artist, she studied drawing and painting at the School of Fine Arts in Sevilla. Following the advice of her parents, she entered a school for aspiring teachers. She earned her degree in 1923.

She entered the “Teresian Association” in 1926, which is an Association of the Faithful founded by Saint Pedro Poveda Castroverde, who was also martyred during the civil war, dedicated to forming teachers. 

When she came to Hornachuelos, where she started working as teacher, Victoria knelt down in the church and asked God to save all the people in the town, saying: “¡Pídeme precio!” (“Ask me a price!”) Victoria once wrote in her diary:

“What shall I do, Lord, to please you more?”

“I surrender myself wholly to your most adorable plan: Do what you will of me because I belong entirely to you, but do not forget my petition.”

“Let your charity transform me, that in it I may burn and in it I may be purified. Inspire me with your spirit of truth and your simplicity that I may attract souls. Clothe me with your strength and your courage for the battle that awaits me in the world…”

On the back of an image of the Virgin Mary she had always with her, she wrote: “Queen of the angels, most blessed Mother, LET NO ONE FROM THIS TOWN BE LOST. Pray for us.” 

In the evenings, she taught illiterate inhabitants to read and write. On Sundays, she taught girls between 15 and 20 of age to write. 

She bought from her salary shoes, and winter clothes for her pupils. Each time she visited her family, she bought a large piece of cloth in the city for her pupils to learn to sew.

In the classroom, she placed a statue of the Virgin Mary with the Baby Jesus, and called it the “Virgin of Pardons”, because every girl who misbehaved, had to ask pardon in front of it. 

Thanks to her efforts and example, more and more people from the town start going to Mass. 

When the persecution started in July of 1936, she knew that she was in danger, but didn’t flee. She received the sisters of the arrested parish priest and brought food, clothes and books to the priest in prison.

On August 11, 1936, two armed men came to her house, demanding that she come with them, allegedly to make a statement. She was detained in a house converted into a prison. “Those who saw her through the bars remember her seated, serene, in a recollected attitude, her hands together, ‘as when she was at Mass’.” (link) She was imprisoned with the parish priest and 16 other men.

On August 12, at 2 AM, the militia awoke the prisoners, handcuffed them and forced them unto a twelve kilometer long march to an abandoned mine in Rincón. On the way, Victoria encouraged the others: “¡Ánimo, daos prisa! Nos espera el premio…” (“Courage, hurry up! The prize awaits us…”) There, the militia first shot the 17 men into the mine shaft. 

Finally, a few of the militiamen offered to spare her if she would stop stubbornly confessing her faith. In response, she knelt down, raised her arms, and holding a tiny icon of the Virgin Mary in her fingers, told them: “Digo lo que siento. ¡Viva Cristo Rey! ¡Viva mi Madre!” (“I will say what I feel. Long live Christ the King! Long live my Mother!”) She was 32 years old.

She was beatified on October 10, 1993 by Pope John Paul II with ten other martyrs.

Hornachuelos in 2010. Taken from here. License: CC-BY 2.0. Author: Javier Lastras.

She was born in Valencia on October 15, 1876. 

She married the widower Carlos del Río Diez de Bulnes, with whom she had four children. The couple also had three children from Carlos’ first marriage. After the death of her husband she moved to Valencia with her son Luis, who was mentally handicapped.

When the persecution started, she hid religious in her house, brought food to people in prison and tried to get them released. A group of militiamen arrested her in her house together with her sister, Blessed María de la Purificación de San José CCV and her stepdaughter, Blessed María Josefa de Santa Sofía CCV, both of which were nuns, and with her son. 

On September 23, 1936, they were led to the Paterna Riding School, where they first shot her son, then the two nuns. According to the killers themselves, the victims appeared happy and content, praying and giving thanks to God. Sofía’s last words were: “¡Viva Cristo Rey!”. She was 59 years old.

She, her sister and her stepdaughter were beatified on March 11, 2001 by Pope John Paul II as three of the 233 martyrs of Valencia. 

Monument dedicated to the victims of Republican massacres at the Paterna Riding School. This was also the execution place of Blessed Ismael Escrihuela Esteve, Blessed José Perpiñá Nácher, Blessed José María Zabal Blanco, Blessed Ana María Aranda Rivera, Blessed Luisa María Frías Cañizares, Blessed Luís Campos Gorriz and others.

Taken from here. License: CC-BY-SA 4.0. Author: Baila.

Sources

With the exception of Blessed Teresa Cejudo and of Blessed Victoria Díez, there are short descriptions in Spanish about all of the saints in this article, in a PDF published by the Catholic Action of Toledo: here 

Blessed Teresa Cejudo Redondo

Pastoral letter of the Bishop of Córdoba on the occasion of the beatification of the 498 martyrs (Spanish): here 

Article about the lives of martyrs (Spanish): here 

Interview with her granddaughter (Spanish): here 

CNA article on the recollections of her granddaughter (English): here 

Article about her on the website of the Salesians (Spanish): here 

Article as a part of a series on Spanish martyrs (Spanish): here 

Parish of Pozoblanco (Spanish): here 

Blessed Francisca Cualladó Baixalui

Article as a part of a series on Spanish martyrs (Spanish): here

Blessed Florencia Caerols Martínez

Article on the Vidas Santas blog (Spanish): here

Website of the Diocese of Albacete (Spanish): here

El Testigo Fiel article (Spanish): here

Short article on a website of a Mexican parish (Spanish): here

Article as a part of a series on Spanish martyrs (Spanish): here

Blessed Victoria Díez Bustos de Molina

Website about her, with materials in multiple languages: http://victoriadiezdesdehornachuelos.es

A short biography by the former Bishop of Granada (Spanish): here

A 20-page PDF about the life of the blessed (English): here 

Article on the site of the Teresian Association (Spanish):  here

Article on the site of the Teresian Association (English):  here 

Blessed María Sofía Teresa Ximénez Ximénez

Short article on a website of a Mexican parish (Spanish): here

Article as a part of a series on Spanish martyrs (Spanish): here