CAUSA EMMANUEL BORRAS FERRE et CXLVI SOCII
The Cause includes 147 « premused Martyrs » : 1 bishop, 66 priests, 2 seminarians, 39 Brothers of the Christian Schools, 7 Carmelite Fathers, 7 Claretian Fathers, 1 Capuccin, 4 terziari Carmelite terziaries and 20 Monjes of Montserrat.
It was the last diocesan process in which Brothers of the Christian Schools were inserted. The diocesan phase began on April 28, 1952 and ended on July 2, 1959. In the 354 sessions, 984 witnesses were questioned. The Positio is made up of 4 volumes for a total of 3450 pages. The Brothers grouped in the canonical process celebrated in Tarragona belonged to different schools not only in the city but also in the surrounding area and were martyred in different circumstances and on different days. When the persecution became fierce and it was no longer possible to live safely in schools, the Brothers were forced to take refuge where they saw fit. The danger that they would be recognized and reported to the Comités was always lurking. In fact, this happened to 6 Brothers who had taken refuge in the Hotel Nacional in Tarragona: they were discovered and murdered together with the owner of the hotel that had hosted them and not reported. Even more pitiful fate fell to 2 other Brothers of the Cambrils community, one sick and the other a nurse: they were loaded into a car and taken out of the town. Arriving in a lonely place, they ordered a new member of the Revolutionary Committee to proceed to kill them. He had been employed in the house of the Brothers, he knew the two well and refused. At threats of being shot himself together with the two, he trembled the order, amid the laughter and curses of those present.
Many other Brothers, rounded up here and there, were massed, together with priests, other religious and lay Catholics, on the old boat “Rio Segre”, from which, in small groups, they were sent to be shot, which generally took place far from inappropriate witnesses. Here are the names of the 39 Brothers:
- Hno. Agapito Modesto (Modesto Pamplona Falguera) 29 years old
- Hno. Alberto Joaquín (Alberto Linares de La Pinta) 23 years old
- Hno. Alejandro Antonio (Alejandro Arraya Caballero) 28 years old
- Hno. Alejandro Juan (Fermin Gellida Cornelles) 47 years old
- Hno. Alfeo Bernabé (Bernabé Nuñes Alonso) 34 years old
- Hno. Anastasio Lucas (Lucas Martín Puente) 28 years old
- Hno. Andrés Sergio (Andrés Pradaz Lahoz) 28 years old
- Hno. Angel Amado (Aejandro Pérez Fierro) 31 years old
- Hno. Anselmo Félix (Modesto Godo Buscató) 57 years old
- Hno. Antonio Gil (Alejandro Gil Monforte) 33 years old
- Hno. Arístides Marcos (Pedro Cano Cebrián) 30 years old
- Hno. Arnoldo Cirilo (Juan Font Taulat) 46 years old
- Hno. Augusto María (Miguel Arsenio Merino) 41 years old
- Hno. Benildo José (Francisco Casademunt Ribas) 64 years old
- Hno. Benito Juan (Juan Bautista Urgell Coma) 30 years old
- Hno. Buenaventura Pío (Pío Ruiz De La Torre) 27 years old
- Hno. Claudio José (Manuel Mateo Calvo) 27 years old
- Hno. Clemente Adolfo (Juan Clemente Vea Balaguer) 38 years old
- Hno. Clemente Faustino (Germán José Fernández Sáenz) 21 years old
- Hno. Daniel Antonino (Nicolas Rueda Barriocanal) 42 years old
- Hno. Eladio Vicente (Cesáreo España Ortiz) 50 years old
- Hno. Elías Paulino (Javier Pradas Vidal) 40 years old
- Hno. ElmoMiguel (Pedro Sistema Torrent) 68 years old
- Hno. Exuperio Alberto (Miguel Alberto Flos) 55 years old
- Hno. Fausto Luis (José María Tolaguera Oliva) 32 years old
- Hno. Félix Adriano (Francisco Vicente Edo) 33 years old
- Hno. Fulberto Jaime (Jaime Jardí Vernet) 35 years old
- Hno. Gilberto de Jesús (José Boschdemont Mitjavila) 56 years old
- Hno. Honorio Sebastián (Sebastián Obeso Alario) 25 years old
- Hno. Hugo Bernabé (Francisco Trullén Gilisbart) 41 years old
- Hno. Jacinto Jorge (José Comprubí Corrubí) 48 years old
- Hno. Jenaro (Mariano Navarro Blasco) 32 years old
- Hno. Justino Gabriel (Gabriel Albiol Plou) 26 years old
- Hno. Leoncio Joaquín (Joaquin Pallerola Feu) 44 years old
- Hno. Luis Alberto (Ildefonso Alberto Flos) 56 years old
- Hno. Magín Pedro (Francisco Javier Salla Saltó) 20 years old
- Hno. Marciano Pascual (Pascual Escuín Ferrer) 29 years old
- Hno. Nicolás Adriano (Juan Pérez Rodrigo) 22 years old
- Hno. Rafael José (Patricio Gellida Llorach) 65 years old
Iter della Causa
28/04/1952: Beginning of the Diocesan Process super martyrio
02/07/1959: End of the Diocesan Process
09/12/1990: the 20 Benedictines of Montserrat are retired
04/12/1992: Rome, Decree on the validity of the Diocesan Process.
03/04/1993: Rapporteur: Fr. Ambrogio Eszer, O.P.
18/10/2000: Presentation of the Positio
29/01/2002: Readmission of the 20 Monks of Montserrat
03/06/2011: Congress of Theologians
05/06/2012: Ordinary of the Cardinals
28/06/2012: Decree super martyrio
13/10/2013: Beatification (in Tarragona, together with 483 other Martyrs)
Liturgical memorial: 6 November