Dionisio Pamplona Polo and 12 companions

The work of Dionisio Pamplona Polo and his companions is fully inscribed in the charism of the Order of the Pious Schools: the Christian and human education of children and young people, especially the poorest.

Father Dionisio Pamplona Polo exercised his ministry as a teacher and formator in numerous colleges of the Piarist province of Aragon, notably in Jaca, Sos del Rey Católico, Zaragoza, Alcañiz, Pamplona, and Barbastro. He was also master of novices from 1904 to 1912. Between 1919 and 1922, he was sent to Argentina, where he served as rector of the college and parish priest of the San José de Calasanz parish in Buenos Aires. Upon returning to Spain, he directed the college of Pamplona before being appointed, in 1934, rector of the house of Peralta de la Sal (Huesca), the birthplace of the holy founder of the Order. In addition to his duties as rector, he agreed to take care of the local parish, whose priest had fled for fear of persecution.

The companions of Dionisio were also fervent educators: - Father Manuel Segura López taught in Barbastro, Tamarite, Alcañiz, Pamplona, and Tafalla, before becoming master of novices in Peralta de la Sal in 1934. - Brother David Carlos Marañón dedicated himself to manual labor and the maintenance of the garden of the community of Peralta de la Sal, where he was highly appreciated by the inhabitants. - Father Faustino Oteiza Segura, despite a serious case of Parkinson's disease that affected him from 1920, continued to devote himself to the community of Peralta de la Sal. - Brother Florentín Felipe Naya, who entered the Piarists in 1876, spent long decades in the service of the community of Peralta de la Sal. - Father Enric Canadell Quintana taught in Mataró and was distinguished by his piety. - Father Matías Cardona Meseguer, from a humble family of shepherds, began his ministry at the San Antón college in Barcelona. - Father Francisco Carceller Galindo taught at the college of Barcelona. - Father Ignacio Casanovas Perramón exercised his ministry in Terrassa, Vilanova, Olot, and Barcelona, where he was appreciated for his gentleness and his talents as a pianist. - Father Carlos Navarro Miquel, ordained a priest in 1935, taught at the college of Albacete. - Father José Ferrer Esteve taught in Albacete and held the position of master of novices in Albarracín. - Father Juan Agramunt Riera taught in Albacete and then in Castellón de la Plana. - Father Alfredo Parte Saiz held the position of procurator (bursar) at the college of Villacarriedo.

With the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in July 1936, a violent religious persecution fell upon the Catholic Church. The Piarist religious, due to their status as priests and Christian educators, became privileged targets for the revolutionary militias.

On July 23, 1936, the militiamen invaded the house in Peralta de la Sal. Father Dionisio Pamplona Polo was arrested and imprisoned. The following day, July 24, he managed to escape briefly to go to the parish church to celebrate Mass behind closed doors and to consume the consecrated hosts to avoid any sacrilegious profanation. Upon leaving, the militiamen demanded the keys to the church from him, to which he firmly replied: "I will only hand them over to the bishop who entrusted them to me." He was then transferred to the prison of Monzón.

On July 25, 1936, Father Dionisio was taken from his cell with other prisoners to be led to his execution on the Plaza Mayor of Monzón. Showing great serenity, he asked the jailer for a tool to clean his cassock, wishing to present himself before God with dignity. Being the only priest in the group and of tall stature, he was particularly targeted by the executioners' fire. He died shouting "¡Viva Cristo Rey!" (Long live Christ the King). His body was thrown into a mass grave in the Monzón cemetery.

The twelve companions met similar tragic fates, all offering a heroic testimony of fidelity to their vows and their faith: - On July 28, 1936, Father Manuel Segura López and Brother David Carlos Marañón were shot on the road to Gabasa (Purroy de la Solana). The militiamen offered Brother David his life if he would remove his religious habit, which he categorically refused. They died embracing each other and shouting "¡Viva Cristo Rey!", and their bodies were burned. - On August 9, 1936, Father Faustino Oteiza Segura and Brother Florentín Felipe Naya were executed in Azanuy. Father Faustino, recognizing one of his former students among the executioners, said to him gently: "Antonio, are you going to kill your teacher?". The man fled in tears. Father Faustino was shot, beheaded, and his body was burned with that of Brother Florentín. - On August 14, 1936, Father Juan Agramunt Riera was shot in Almazora (Castellón). He confessed before dying, received the bullets on his knees while praying and forgiving his executioners. - On August 17, 1936, Father Enric Canadell Quintana was executed in Castellfollit de la Roca (Girona). - On August 20, 1936, Father Matías Cardona Meseguer was shot in Vallibona (Castellón). He forgave his executioners with such fervor that one of them would later declare: "We killed him quickly because he was convincing us." - On September 16, 1936, Father Ignacio Casanovas Perramón was shot in Odena (Barcelona). He had refused a passport to flee so as not to abandon his widowed mother. - On September 22, 1936, Father Carlos Navarro Miquel was shot in Torrent (Valencia). Only 25 years old, he encouraged his fellow sufferers to be proud to die like Christ. - On October 2, 1936, Father Francisco Carceller Galindo was shot in Castellón de la Plana. - On December 9, 1936, Father José Ferrer Esteve was arrested at his parents' home in Algemesí and shot in Llombay (Valencia). - On December 27, 1936, Father Alfredo Parte Saiz was shot aboard the prison ship Alfonso Pérez in the port of Santander.

The cause for the beatification of Dionisio Pamplona Polo and his companions was introduced after the war. The decree recognizing their martyrdom in odium fidei (in hatred of the faith) was promulgated by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

On October 1, 1995, Pope John Paul II celebrated the solemn liturgy of beatification in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican. Dionisio Pamplona Polo and his 12 companions were proclaimed blessed, at the same time as other martyrs of the Spanish Civil War and victims of the French Revolution.

The spirituality of these thirteen martyrs is deeply rooted in the Calasanzian charism: love for youth, evangelical poverty, patience, and absolute trust in Divine Providence. As Pope John Paul II emphasized during their beatification, they are not heroes of a human war, but educators of youth who faced their tragic destiny as an authentic testimony of faith, giving through their martyrdom the last and most beautiful lesson of their lives as teachers.

Their legacy remains alive within the Order of the Pious Schools and the entire Calasanzian family. The mortal remains of the martyrs of Peralta de la Sal (Manuel Segura, David Carlos, Faustino Oteiza, and Florentín Felipe) are piously preserved and venerated in the chapel of the House-Sanctuary of Saint Joseph of Calasanz in Peralta de la Sal. The other martyrs rest in the parish or collegiate churches of their respective regions (Olot, Vallibona, Forcall, Odena, Valencia, and Villacarriedo), inspiring Christian educators around the world to serve youth with courage and self-denial.