On November 18, twenty new martyrs were beatified in the Cathedral of Seville in a Eucharist presided by Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. These individuals were martyred during the religious persecution that took place during the Spanish Civil War in 1936 … among the beatified  were six lay people belonging to the Conferences of St. Vincent de Paul.

MANUEL LUQUE RAMOS: layman in the archdiocese of Seville, sacristan at the monastery of Santa Clara and a member of the Conferences of St. Vincent de Paul. Born March 6, 1893 in Marchena, Seville he was shot on July 22, 1936 (at the age of 43) in Marchena, Seville. To his mother, Encarnación, he confided his desire to forgive his murderer. He was the first individual who was tortured and murdered for his faith in Marchena (the first individual who was not a politician) … he was a Christian worker.

MANUEL PALACIOS RODRÍGUEZ: A layman in the archdiocese of Seville, married and a member of the Conferences of St. Vincent de Paul. He born on August 16, 1877 in Aracena. Manuel was a faithful layman who was shot on August 5, 1936 along with one of his sons, the seminarian Enrique Palacios, only 19 years old, in the Sevillian town of Cazalla de la Sierra. Both Manuel and Enrique have been beatified as a result of the martyrdom they suffered for giving their lives for Christ.

AGUSTÍN ALCALÁ HENKE: a lawyer, who was born on June 7, 1892 in Alcalá de Guadaira (Seville) and was baptized on the 19th of the same month. He was the fourth of five siblings. He obtained his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Seville. In 1915 he defended his doctoral thesis on the slavery of blacks in Spanish America. Faithful to his Christian commitment, he promoted the social doctrine of the Church in his family businesses and in politics. He belonged to the Conferences of St. Vincent de Paul and after he had offered a significant donation for the poor, he was fatally shot. His Christian social commitment was the cause of his assassination.

MARIANO LÓPEZ-CEPERO MURU: He was born in Cazalla de la Sierra in 1883. He served as deputy mayor of his hometown and was a member of the parish council. He shared prison with two of his sons. He was a member of the Conferences of St. Vincent de Paul. and was “a man of solid faith and deep religious convictions. He accepted the greatest tortures and sufferings as the will of the Most High. According to witnesses, in prison he prayed the rosary daily together with the other martyrs and his brother Gabriel. He was murdered on August 5, 1936 in the prison of Cazalla de la Sierra.

GABRIEL LÓPEZ-CEPERO MURÚ: A layman in the Archdiocese of Seville, married and a member of the Conferences of St. Vincent de Paul. He was born on August 2, 1875 in Cazalla de la Sierra, Seville and was the brother of Mariano López-Cepero, a very active lay Christian in the Sevillian town of Cazalla de la Sierra. He was shot for his faith on August 5, 1936 in the prison of Cazalla de la Sierra, the same day as his brother at the age of 61 and together with one of his seven children, Pedro.

CRISTÓBAL PÉREZ PASCUAL: A layman in the archdiocese of Seville, married and a member of the conferences of St. Vincent de Paul. He was born December 9, 1887 and was  the pharmacist in Cazalla de la Sierra. But if Cristobal is remembered for anything in Cazalla de la Sierra, it is for his deep religious beliefs and the charity that overflowed from his pharmacy. He exercised a true apostolate on behalf of the most needy, so much so that he became known as the “father of the poor”. Cristobal wrote to his wife asking her to pray to God: Pray for all of us and may the Lord grant that this blood shed be for the salvation of the poorest of the poor. He was shot on August 5, 1936.

Fuente: https://ssvp.es/