“Modern man listens more willingly to witness than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses”, Pope Paul VI. With much joy and in a sense of gratitude to God, we, the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, celebrated the beatification of 22 Oblate Spanish martyrs on December 17, 2011. We are actually blessed with such heroic oblates. The memorial of these blessed oblates falls on 28th of November. The Church in Spain underwent a cruel martyrdom during the period of 1936-1939. It is reported that 6,932 members of the clergy and religious were sacrificed in this persecution, among them, we have the martyrdom of 22 Oblates: priests, brothers and scholastics from Pozuelo de Alarcon (Madrid). The missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate had established themselves in the Estacion neighbourhood of Pozuelo in 1929. They served as chaplains in three communities of sisters especially during lent and Holy Week. Oblate scholastics taught catechism in four neighbouring parishes and the Oblate choir sang at Liturgical celebrations.
These religious activities began to worry the revolutionary committees (socialists, communists and the radical labour unions) in the Estacion neighbourhood. It irritated them that the religious went around in the streets in cassock with the Oblate Cross very visible in their cinctures. Because of these religious activities the seminary of missionary oblates was becoming more and more intolerable to these Marxist groups. The Oblates allowed themselves be intimidated and maintained their programme of spiritual and intellectual formation and carried out various pastoral activities.
On July 20, 1936 socialist and communist youth took to the streets and began again to burn churches and convents especially in Madrid. On July 22, 1936 at three in the afternoon, a large contingent of Militia armed with shotguns and revolvers attacked the Oblate house. The first thing they did was to round up the religious, some 38 of them and locked them up into a small room where they were closely guarded and threatened by the guns. Next the militia began a meticulous search of the house looking for guns. All that they managed to find were religious pictures, crucifixes, rosaries and sacred vestments. They set fire to all of them in the streets.
Then the Oblates were brought together in the refectory where the windows were barred. It was their first jail. I imagine and compare this situation to Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane where, knowing everything that would happen to him, Jesus prayed to God. On July 24th, 1936 at about three in the morning the martyrdom of oblates began. Seven Oblates were called and loaded into two cars without any investigation and were executed. The rest were preparing themselves to die as well. On the same day a truck arrived from the police to take the rest of them. They all thought that this was the last day for them on the earth. But to their surprise after filling some forms they were set free. They sought refuge in private homes. The provincial put himself at risk by going around encourage others and bring them communion. In October they were hunted down again and imprisoned. In the month of November, they had the greatest moment of their life to witness and glorify Jesus Christ. On the 7th of November two of them were martyred. The rest, 13 of them, were taken to Paracuellos de Jarama and were executed on November 28, 1936.
As we celebrate the memorial of these Blessed Oblates, it is an essential task for every one of us to reflect the messages given through this martyrdom. As we are in the Year of Faith, the lives of these Blessed Oblates become a great model and inspire us to imitate Jesus Christ more radically. Further this martyrdom encourages us to be prophetic in this fast moving world, where people become more ignorant of God and His love. We are invited to become models and witnesses for the love of God.
Bro.A.Siyanstan Jenis, OMI
De Mazenod Scholasticate, Columbuthurai,
Jaffna.