On July 24th, 1936, three nuns from the Carmel de San Jose in Guadalajara, Spain, died for the Catholic Faith. Theirs’ were cruel and brutal deaths, but heroic, as they offered their lives for the end of the Spanish Civil War/Communist Revolution, and its bloody persecution of the Faithful. Their names were, as follows:
Sr. Maria Pilar of St. Francis Borgia
Born in 1877, she initially didn’t intend to be a nun but experienced a strong conversion after attending the Carmelite profession of her older sister. She ended up entering Carmel, herself, at age 20 and was distinguished for her strong love for the Eucharist and her habitual silence. Being the oldest of the trio of Martyrs, Sr. Maria Pilar was 58 when she was killed.
Sr. Maria Angeles of St. Joseph
This nun was 31 when she suffered martyrdom. Born in 1905, she entered Carmel at age 24 although she felt herself called to consecrated life from early childhood. As a nun she was noted for her admirable adherence to the Rule and was said to have never infringed upon it. Her virtues were so apparent, the prioress referred to her as a “little angel”.
Sr. Teresa of the Child Jesus and of St. John of the Cross
This sister was the youngest of the three Guadalajara Martyrs, having died at the age of 27. She entered Carmel at 16 after having been inspired by reading the autobiography of St. Therese the Little Flower. Like her holy role model, she was strong-willed, but was making great strides in her spiritual journey. She loved our Eucharistic Lord and greatly enjoyed Adoration.
With the onset of the civil war, the Carmelites of Guadalajara, along with other Catholic religious began experiencing increasing hostility from the general public as the Communistic, anti-Christian mentality took hold of many of their countrymen. Sensing the grave impact the revolution would have upon the local Church, Sr. Maria Angeles and Sr. Teresa of the Child Jesus were both inspired to offer their lives as sacrifices for the quick end to the war and persecution. Sr. Maria Pilar, likewise, made a similar offering on July 22, 1936, while in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament - she beseeched the Lord to allow her to die as a victim-soul and to spare her companion nuns. All three Carmelites had made their oblations consciously and deliberately after obtaining permission from their superior.
When the revolutionaries entered Guadalajara on July 22nd (the same day Sr. Maria Pilar made her self-offering), the tension in the city had reached such a critical level, the prioress felt it prudent to disperse the community to avoid the convent being targeted. The plan was for the nuns to ride out the war while temporarily sheltering with their respective family and friends. So, on the following evening, under cover of the night, the sisters discretely left in pairs, disguised in secular clothing.
When twelve of the nuns just so happened to end up at the same boarding house, the landlady became anxious and insisted that the majority of the sisters find other places to stay; she was only willing to shelter three. Consequently, on the fateful day of July 24th, 1936, Sr. Teresa, Sr. Maria Pilar, and Sr. Maria Angeles left to go to the home of another woman they knew. On their way to the alternate hiding place, the trio was somehow recognized by a female soldier who cried out, “Look - they are nuns! Shoot them!” The sisters then ran for cover in a nearby doorway as the militia opened fire at them - Sr. Maria Angeles was immediately killed when a bullet struck her heart, while Sr. Maria Pilar was badly wounded.
What followed next was simply diabolic – a couple of the men set upon the fallen nun with daggers, savagely slashing at Sr. Maria Pilar multiple times before leaving her to die. Shocked bystanders transported her to a Red Cross clinic where nothing could be done for her. Sympathetic medics later testified that she prayed constantly in her agony and her last words were: “Father, forgive them, they do not know what they are doing.”
Sr. Teresa, on the other hand, somehow managed to dodge the bullets and ran into an alley where she was found by some of the same soldiers. They pretended to be remorseful and offered to help the traumatized nun find safety. Instead, they led her to the cemetery where they demanded that she give in to the Communist propaganda and their lewd suggestions, whereupon Sr. Teresa rebuked them before again fleeing from her captors. She was mercilessly gunned down as she ran with arms spread open in a cruciform gesture shouting "Viva Cristo Rey!".
Bone relics from all three Carmelite
Martyrs gifted to this ministry by their
convent in Guadalajara, Spain.
After careful investigation of the facts, the Church deemed these three Carmelite nuns Martyrs of the Faith, and Beatified them on March 29, 1987. Of the hundreds of faithful victims of the Spanish Civil War, they were among the earliest to be officially recognized as such, and declared Blesseds. May their collective spirit of courage and self-sacrifice inspire us in our own present time of growing hostility towards Christianity.
* * AN INTERESTING ANECDOTE * *
These Martyrs have a special place in this author's heart because of a unique incident involving their precious relics guarded by this ministry: one afternoon I was awakened from a nap by an intense but delightful fragrance of roses. Surprised and intrigued, I followed the scent trail from my bedroom to my living room shrine where I discovered the source of the aroma to be the relics of these three Blessed Carmelites! I interpreted the occurrence as confirmation of their spiritual presence and heroic sanctity.
O, Carmelite Martyrs of Guadalajara,
pray for us!
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