Pedro Ruiz de los Paños and 8 companions

The work of Pedro Ruiz de los Paños and his companions is part of the charism of the Fraternity of Diocesan Worker Priests, dedicated to the awakening and formation of priestly vocations. As formators and rectors, they deeply influenced the pedagogy of Spanish seminaries at the beginning of the 20th century. Pedro Ruiz de los Paños published several reference works, including "El libro del seminarista," "El estado sacerdotal," and "La bondad educadora." He also established in Spain, starting in 1919 in Plasencia, the "Seminary Day" (Día del Seminario) to raise awareness among the faithful regarding vocations. His great project was the foundation of a female religious institute dedicated to prayer and the apostolate for priestly vocations: the Discípulas de Jesús (Disciples of Jesus). Although his martyrdom in July 1936 prevented him from seeing the work come to fruition during his lifetime, his constitutions, drafted as early as 1931, allowed his surviving confreres to officially give birth to the congregation on January 31, 1940, with the first religious sisters pronouncing their vows on December 21, 1942, in Valladolid.

The cause for the beatification of Pedro Ruiz de los Paños and his companions was introduced in 1958. The diocesan inquiry gathered numerous testimonies regarding the holiness of their lives and the heroic circumstances of their deaths. On July 6, 1993, Pope John Paul II signed the decree officially recognizing their martyrdom in odium fidei (in hatred of the faith). The testimonies highlight the peace and serenity of these priests in the face of death. None of them sought martyrdom, but all accepted it with profound Christian resignation and total forgiveness toward their executioners. For example, the young Guillermo Plaza Hernández (28 years old) asked to kiss the hand of his executioner as a sign of forgiveness. Similarly, Martín Martínez Pascual (25 years old) voluntarily surrendered to the militiamen to spare his father, who was being held hostage, and blessed his executioners before being shot while shouting 'Viva Cristo Rey!'

Pedro Ruiz de los Paños and his 8 companions were solemnly beatified by Pope John Paul II on October 1, 1995, in Saint Peter's Square in Rome, as part of a group of 45 martyrs of the Spanish Civil War. Their common liturgical feast is set for October 25 by the Fraternity of Diocesan Worker Priests, the day on which all 30 martyrs of this congregation are commemorated. In the Roman Martyrology, Pedro Ruiz de los Paños and José Sala Picó are inscribed under the date of July 23, the anniversary of their birth into heaven.

The spirituality of this group of martyrs is centered on the love of the priesthood, Eucharistic adoration, and reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in accordance with the charism of their Fraternity. They conceived the priest as a mediator totally configured to Christ, ready to offer his life for the salvation of souls and the sanctification of the clergy. Their legacy is alive today through the Fraternity of Diocesan Worker Priests, which continues its work of formation in numerous seminaries throughout the world. Furthermore, the congregation of the Discípulas de Jesús, born from the sacrifice of Pedro Ruiz de los Paños, continues to propagate his ideal of prayer and action for vocations in Spain, Mexico, and Venezuela. The mortal remains of Blessed Pedro Ruiz de los Paños are venerated in the chapel of the general house of the Discípulas de Jesús in Valladolid.