Diego Ventaja, Manuel Medina and companions

The two priests actively collaborated at the Ave Maria Schools in Granada with Andrés Manjón for the education of poor children. Manuel Medina Olmos was appointed auxiliary bishop of Granada in 1925, then bishop of Guadix in 1928. Diego Ventaja Milán was appointed bishop of Almería in 1935 by Pope Pius XI, marking his short episcopate with a strong social commitment inspired by Rerum Novarum.

During the Spanish Civil War in 1936, the two bishops refused to abandon their faithful. Arrested during the summer, they were held in degrading conditions on prison ships along with seven Brothers of the Christian Schools. On the night of August 29 to 30, 1936, Bishop Ventaja and Bishop Medina Olmos were executed by firing squad at the Barranco del Chisme in Vícar. Their Lasallian companions were also martyred shortly thereafter.

The beatification process opened in Almería in 1956. The decree of martyrdom in odium fidei was promulgated by Pope John Paul II on December 21, 1992. On October 10, 1993, John Paul II solemnly celebrated their beatification in Saint Peter's Square in Rome, associating the two bishops and the seven Brothers of the Christian Schools.

Presented by John Paul II as the image of the Good Shepherd, they leave behind a legacy of charity and educational commitment. Bishop Medina Olmos forgave his executioners before dying. Today, a monolith marks the site of their martyrdom at the Barranco del Chisme, statues honor Bishop Ventaja in Almería and Ohanes, and the Cathedral of Guadix preserves the relics of Bishop Medina Olmos. Their feast day is celebrated on August 30.