Diego Ventaja Milán and 8 companions

The work of this group of martyrs is deeply rooted in Christian education and the pastoral service of the most destitute.

Bishop Diego Ventaja Milán, although his episcopate in Almería lasted only thirteen months, distinguished himself by his great charity, his simplicity of life, and his devotion to the poor and the seminarians. He published a major pastoral letter focused on the preaching of the Gospel in a social climate that was already very tense.

Bishop Manuel Medina Olmos led an intense pastoral activity in Guadix, visiting his entire diocese and concerning himself with the difficult economic situation of the workers. He wrote notable pastoral letters on social justice, particularly on the relations between capital and labor. He was also a prolific writer and playwright, author of plays for children and zarzuelas.

The seven Brothers of the Christian Schools worked at the Saint Joseph College of Almería. They offered quality education to children of the working classes, combining academic rigor and spiritual formation. Their community life was marked by prayer, humility, and a deep devotion to their educational mission, inspired by their founder Saint John Baptist de La Salle.

In July 1936, the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War was accompanied by a violent religious persecution led by the Republican militias of the Popular Front. In Almería, churches were burned and priests and religious were hunted down.

Mgr Diego Ventaja Milán refused to leave his diocese despite evacuation offers proposed by the British authorities, choosing to remain by the side of his faithful. He was arrested on August 5, 1936. Mgr Manuel Medina Olmos was also arrested in Guadix and transferred to Almería. The two bishops were imprisoned together, notably in the holds of the prison ship Astoy-Mendi in the port of Almería, where they suffered mistreatment and constant humiliations, which they endured with heroic patience.

The seven De La Salle Brothers were arrested in July 1936. They were held in various makeshift prisons and on prison ships (Astoy-Mendi, Capitán Segarra, Jaime I). During their captivity, they provided moral and spiritual support to their fellow detainees.

Their martyrdom was accomplished in several stages: - The bishops: On the night of August 29 to 30, 1936, Mgr Diego Ventaja Milán and Mgr Manuel Medina Olmos were taken to the Barranco de El Chisme (Vícar) and shot. Their bodies were then burned by their executioners. - First group of brothers: On the night of August 30 to 31, 1936, brothers Edmigio, Amalio, and Valerio Bernardo were executed at the Pozo de la Lagarta (Tabernas) and thrown into a deep well. - Second group of brothers: On the afternoon of September 8, 1936, brothers Teodomiro Joaquín and Evencio Ricardo were shot by the side of the road in Roquetas de Mar. - Third group of brothers: On the night of September 12 to 13, 1936, brothers Aurelio María (director of the school) and José Cecilio were murdered and thrown into the well of Cantavieja (Tahal/Tabernas).

The diocesan informative process for their beatification opened in Almería on February 7, 1956.

On October 10, 1993, Pope John Paul II celebrated the beatification of Diego Ventaja Milán, Manuel Medina Olmos, and their 7 Lasallian companions in Saint Peter's Square in Rome.

Their common liturgical feast is set for August 30, the day of the martyrdom of the two bishops.

The spirituality of these martyrs is characterized by total abandonment to the will of God and the imitation of Christ, the Good Shepherd. They faced death while sincerely forgiving their persecutors. Before being executed, Bishop Medina Olmos declared: "We have done nothing to deserve death, but I forgive you so that the Lord may also forgive us." Bishop Ventaja, for his part, spoke these final words: "May God forgive you as I forgive you with all my heart, and may this be the last blood you shed."

Their legacy remains alive in the dioceses of Almería and Guadix. Their relics (notably the skull of Bishop Ventaja) are preserved and venerated in the Martyrs' Chapel of the Cathedral of Almería and in the Cathedral of Guadix. They are honored as models of reconciliation, fidelity to the Gospel, and commitment to the Christian education of youth.