On July 24, the Passionists commemorate Blessed Nicéforo Díez Tejerina, CP, and his twenty-five companion martyrs of Daimiel, who gave their lives during the Spanish Civil War rather than abandon their faith or their Passionist vocation.
Their witness is not remembered because they sought martyrdom, but because, when faced with hatred and violence, they remained faithful to Christ.
A Lasting Connection to Holy Cross Province
This feast day has a special connection to the Passionists of Holy Cross Province. Before his ordination, Fr. Nicéforo was assigned to the Passionist parish in Toluca, Mexico.
When religious persecution forced foreign seminarians to leave the country, he was sent to Chicago in 1914. There, he completed his studies while living at the former Immaculate Conception Monastery, and he was ordained to the priesthood in Chicago on June 17, 1916.
Years later, he would return to Spain, where he would ultimately give his life as a martyr.
“Citizens of Calvary”
In the 1930s, the Passionists in Spain had to withstand the assaults on their freedom and their lives during the Spanish Civil War. One of these episodes of anti-religious violence took place in the town of Daimiel, on the night of July 21-22, 1936.
As armed men surrounded the monastery,, Fr. Nicéforo gathered the young Passionist community before the Blessed Sacrament for what they knew might be their final moments together.
He did not offer false reassurance. Instead, he pointed them to the one who had already walked the path of suffering:
“Citizens of Calvary, this is our Gethsemane. At the prospect of painful death, our human nature is terrified and distressed; but Jesus is with us. I am going to give you the One who is the strength of the weak… Soon we will be with Him. Citizens of Calvary, let us die for Him. I have the task of encouraging you, yet I feel encouraged by your example.”
Living the Courage of the Martyrs
His words still speak to us today. While few of us will be asked to give our lives as martyrs, all of us encounter moments when faith is tested by fear, uncertainty or suffering. Blessed Nicéforo reminds us that courage is not the absence of fear. It is trusting that Christ remains with us, even in our own Gethsemane.
