| “If by Shedding Our Blood Spain Can Be Saved, Lord May it Be as Soon as Possible” |
| ,Earlier in the week, we shared a new movie about seven nuns of the Visitation Order who were martyred during a time of intense anti-Catholic sentiment in Spain.Our email was very well received. The movie, 35 minutes long, has been viewed on YouTube 54,200 times since its premiere on November 22nd. The movie, La Séptima Corona — Mártires de la Visitación is in Spanish, but English subtitles can be turned on.In our chat this week, we are going to discuss the contents of the movie. by an article below written by Sister Anne-Marguerite, VHM.The article, which has been abridged, summarizes the story of the martyrs, so that you may learn about them and join us for a lively discussion. Click for Living Jesus Chatroom Movie La Séptima Corona. Mártires de la Visitación The political climate in Spain in the early part of the twentieth century was hostile toward the Catholic Church. Many bishops, priests and religious were martyred for the Faith. Among the almost 8,000 martyrs are the seven Visitation nuns from Madrid: Blessed Maria Gabriela and her Companions. Spanish PersecutionThe Republic of Spain was established in 1931; after one month, a new wave of persecution erupted. The superior of the Visitation in Madrid, Mother Maria Gabriela, instructed the 83 sisters to put on secular clothes and leave the monastery. The community suffered separation as each sister went to her family. After a few days, seven sisters returned to occupy the monastery and soon all the sisters were brought back. Later in the same year, the persecution was so great that the community was forced to leave the monastery. Not wanting to suffer separation again, the community went to Oronoz in Navarre where a benefactor provided a house for them. Mother Maria Gabriela and eight sisters remained in Madrid to guard the monastery. Once the danger had dissipated, the community left Oronoz for Madrid in March 1932. From 1933 – 36 there was a temporary cessation of persecution and the community was able to go about living their monastic life in peace.The National Movement under the leadership of General Francisco Franco initiated revolution in July 1936. Sensing danger in the air, the sisters returned to Oronoz in June of that year. Seven sisters were selected to be the first in turn to watch the monastery. They remained in the monastery for one month longer and then on July 13, they moved to a small basement apartment not far from the monastery. A week later the first fire occurred at the monastery. These were clearly dangerous times.The Agony of Anticipation On November 18, 1936, the sisters were herded into a truck and driven a short distance; as they stepped out of the truck, they were shot. It was a quick end, but the agony of anticipation was long. From the time they left the monastery for the apartment on July 13, the sisters lived a clandestine life. Initially the little band went daily to the monastery and opened the windows and rang the bells to give an impression of occupation. Five days later, July 18, the Revolution broke out in earnest and they were forced to remain confined in the apartment. On July 20 – 21, the monastery was set on fire but not razed having suffered mostly interior damage.From that time forward they remained in the apartment. The caretakers and gardener of the monastery were very solicitous of the sisters bringing them food and supplies. Several priests braved the danger to say Mass in the apartment to provide the sacramental life of the sisters. Amelia, Sister Teresa Maria’s sister, visited them every day to provide not only her charity but also consolation to the nuns. The sisters were subjected to house searches. The first of these was on August 14 and was followed by another within a few weeks. They were notified that the house was “registered”.Sometime after this, Sister Teresa Maria was taken into custody and detained overnight in the police station. Sister Josefa Maria volunteered to accompany her, went with her and stayed with her. The final house search took place on November 17 and as the rebels were departing, they threatened to return the next day to kill them. True to their promise, the anarchists arrived to carry out their evil deed and the anxiety of four months was ended.Opportunity to FleeThe sisters had many opportunities to flee, so the questions must be asked: “Why did they not try to escape this martyrdom?” “Are they true martyrs if they could have saved themselves and did not?” The second question has been answered by the Church when the Decree of Martyrdom was issued: yes, the seven Visitation Sisters of Madrid are genuine martyrs. The first question is more complex to answer. The primary reason the sisters gave for not attempting to escape their fate was spiritually motivated. The caretaker pressed them to go one by one to a consulate and questioned their reason for resisting his offer to get them to safety.The sisters told him: “We are awaiting the palm of martyrdom and if by shedding our blood Spain can be saved, Lord may it be as soon as possible.” As contemplatives in the Church, their life of prayer for the world took on a physical quality: they willingly shed their blood for the salvation of Spain. I would also venture to suggest that their former experience of 1931 when the community was temporarily dispersed colored their decision. In addition to giving up their religious lives and dispersing to their families, they would be endangering their loved ones who sheltered them.Before leaving the sisters in Madrid, Mother Maria Leocadia advised them to try to stay together, if possible. Sister Maria Gabriela clearly explained to the sisters that this recommendation was not a command of obedience and that anyone who wished to go to her family or the consulate could freely do so. The sisters unanimously agreed that they did not want to jeopardize the caretaker nor did they want to suffer separation. They chose to accept whatever was in God’s permissive will for them, even martyrdom. The sisters’ reluctance to flee was not blind obedience but rather an act of genuine courage.On April 26, 1937 the Bishop of Pamplona, Marcelino Olaechea, delivered the news of the martyrdom of the seven sisters to the community left in Oronoz. He had the sad duty of telling them that on the night on November 18, 1936 the sisters were taken by the rebels and transported a short distance by truck. As they emerged from the vehicle, shots rang out killing six of the sisters.Sr. Maria Cecilia EscapedStartled by her companion falling to the ground, Sister Maria Cecilia, the youngest of the sisters, ran. She managed to escape unnoticed. Guards later stopped her and despite her timid nature and fear, she declared herself to be a religious. She was arrested and immediately put in jail. At dawn on November 23, Sister Maria Cecilia was also shot; the bullet piercing her Cross of Profession. Her body was put in a common grave until 1959 when many of the martyrs of the revolution were reinterred in the Basilica of the Holy Cross of the Valley of the Fallen, a monument to honor those who lost their lives in the Revolution.At the conclusion of the war in 1939, the community returned to Madrid from Oronoz. Their first concern was to find any information about the seven sisters who were martyred. The bodies of four sisters were transferred to the monastery. They are: Sister Maria Gabriela, Sister Teresa Maria, Sister Maria Engracia and Sister Maria Ines. Since the bullets riddled the faces of Sister Maria Angela and Sister Josefa Maria, the superior was unable to swear under oath that the police photographs of the deceased were of these two sisters. Their bodies also rest in the Valley of the Fallen with that of Sister Maria Cecilia. The OrderThe Order of the Visitation was founded by St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantal in 1610 in Annecy, France. The first Spanish Visitation was founded in 1749 in Madrid. The monastery was relocated several times and in 1883 the sisters moved into the present monastery where the seven martyrs lived.The Road to SainthoodSt. John Paul, II, pope, issued the Decree of Martyrdom for Sister Maria Gabriela and her Companions on July 7, 1997. This act opened the way for the beatification of the martyrs on May 10, 1998. The final step in the process of recognizing their sanctity is canonization for which a miracle is required. Please pray to the sisters in your needs and ask the Lord to give them the honor of being canonized. They are a marvelous example of the response of faith under persecution, whether this is to the point of death, or trials in the work place or political arena. We can turn to Sister Maria Gabriela and her Companions to give us the courage to profess our faith in Jesus with our lives.Reflection by Sister Anne-Marguerite, VHM (abridged) Reflections: What do you think leads to anti-Catholic sentiment in society?There are places today where people’s lives are at risk for being Christian, but in other parts of the world, persecution comes in the form of a “white martyrdom.” Discuss how the faith is the target of persecution in this manner.Why is it helpful to learn the stories of martyrs?Is martyrdom something we should aspire to?How can we grow in courage to standup for our faith, whether it be to offer ourselves in death, or in another self-emptying manner?Can you remember being told in grammar school of Church martyrs? How did it affect you? Sign up for our Living Jesus Chat Room:Come to our Living Jesus Chat Room, 7:30 PM to 8:30 PM Eastern Time U.S |