Manuel González-Serna Rodríguez and 19 companions

Each member of this group led a life of fidelity to the Gospel and of ecclesial or social commitment before being arrested and executed: Manuel González-Serna Rodríguez (1880-1936): Born in Seville, ordained a priest in 1902, he was appointed parish priest of Constantina in 1911. He carried out intense pastoral activity there, devoting himself particularly to the poor, the sick, and children, and collaborated closely with Saint Manuel González García. Arrested on the night of July 19, 1936, he was executed in the sacristy of his church on July 23, 1936. Francisco de Asís Arias Rivas (1875-1936) and Juan María Coca Saavedra (1884-1936): Respectively parish priest and vicar of Lora del Río, they worked together on education and pastoral care. They courageously opposed the looting and burning of local churches before being arrested and shot together on August 1, 1936. Miguel Borrero Picón (1873-1936): Assistant priest in Utrera, he was arrested while inquiring about the fate of his parishioners and was murdered in the local prison on July 26, 1936. Mariano Caballero Rubio (1895-1936): Vicar in Huelva, he saw his church burned and took refuge in Punta Umbría before being arrested and mortally wounded by gunfire on July 23, 1936. Pedro Carballo Corrales (1886-1936): Parish priest of Guadalcanal, he founded a parish school there and restored the church before being arrested and shot on August 6, 1936. Antonio Jesús Díaz Ramos (1896-1936): Parish administrator in Cazalla de la Sierra, he revitalized the life of his parish and refused to abandon his faithful despite threats. He was executed on August 5, 1936. Salvador Lobato Pérez (1901-1936): Administrator of the parish of El Saucejo, he was arrested and executed with his lay brother Rafael on August 21, 1936. Rafael Machuca Juárez de Negrón (1881-1936): Vicar in Estepa, he was arrested while receiving treatment in a thermal establishment and was murdered on August 31, 1936, in Málaga. José Vigil Cabrerizo (1906-1936): In charge of the chapel of the San Jerónimo neighborhood in Seville, he was the first priest of this group to be murdered, on July 18, 1936, at his home in front of his family. Enrique Palacios Monrabá (1917-1936): A 19-year-old seminarian, he had just finished his first year of theology when he was arrested and shot on August 5, 1936, with his father, Manuel Palacios Rodríguez (1877-1936), a landowner and active member of the parish council of Cazalla de la Sierra. María Dolores Sobrino Cabrera (1868-1936): A devoted sacristan of the parish of Constantina, she was shot on the same day and in the same place as her parish priest, Father González-Serna, on July 23, 1936. Agustín Alcalá Henke (1892-1936): A lawyer and businessman from Alcalá de Guadaíra, a very active member of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, he applied the social doctrine of the Church in his businesses and was murdered for his Christian commitment on July 17, 1936. Mariano López-Cepero y Muru (1883-1936) and Gabriel López-Cepero y Muru (1874-1936): Two lay brothers from Cazalla de la Sierra, members of the parish council, arrested and executed together on August 5, 1936. Cristóbal Pérez Pascual (1887-1936): A pharmacist in Cazalla de la Sierra, his pharmacy was a place of charity and assistance for the most destitute. He was executed on August 5, 1936. José María Rojas Lobo (1910-1936): A 25-year-old lawyer, member of Acción Popular, arrested in Marchena and mortally wounded on July 21, 1936 (died on July 25). Manuel Luque Ramos (1893-1936): Sacristan of the monastery of the Poor Clares of Marchena, he courageously opposed a group of armed militiamen who wanted to interrupt the Mass, which led to his arrest and execution by firing squad on July 22, 1936. Rafael Lobato Pérez (1905-1936): A carpenter, brother of Father Salvador Lobato Pérez, he refused to leave his brother alone during his arrest and was executed with him on August 21, 1936.

The cause for beatification was introduced in the Archdiocese of Seville. The diocesan inquiry was opened in 2012 under the impetus of the then-archbishop, Msgr. Juan José Asenjo Pelegrina. After a rigorous study of the testimonies and historical documents by the historical commission chaired by Professor José Leonardo Ruiz Sánchez, the file was transmitted to Rome. On June 22, 2023, Pope Francis received in audience Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, and authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the martyrdom of the twenty Servants of God, thus directly opening the way to their beatification without a miracle being required.

The solemn beatification ceremony took place on Saturday, November 18, 2023, in the Cathedral of Santa María de la Sede in Seville. The Eucharistic celebration was presided over by Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, representing Pope Francis, in the presence of the Archbishop of Seville, Mgr. José Ángel Saiz Meneses, and numerous bishops and faithful. The following day, November 19, 2023, during the Angelus prayer at the Vatican, Pope Francis honored the memory of the new blesseds, emphasizing that they had "borne witness to Christ to the very end" and inviting the crowd to applaud them. Their common liturgical feast is set for November 6, the day of the collective memory of the martyrs of the religious persecution of the 20th century in Spain.

The spirituality of these twenty martyrs rests on a living faith, a deep union with the Eucharist, and an active charity towards their neighbor. Faced with death, they manifested an extraordinary strength of soul and a spirit of heroic reconciliation, explicitly forgiving their executioners. Father Manuel González-Serna Rodríguez asked to be shot next to the Gospel. Father Miguel Borrero Picón insisted on wearing his cassock at the moment of his execution to publicly affirm his priestly identity. Father José Vigil Cabrerizo passed away declaring: "I forgive them as God Our Lord forgave His enemies." Brothers Mariano and Gabriel López-Cepero y Muru recited the rosary daily in prison, transforming their cell into a true "sacristy." Their legacy is a pressing call to peace, communion, and mutual forgiveness. As Bishop Saiz Meneses emphasized, they are not figures of the past, but "artisans of reconciliation in society and of communion in the Church."