Antonio Tort Reixachs

The daily life of Antonio Tort Reixachs was marked by concrete charity and constant dedication to the most destitute. Every Sunday morning, after attending Mass, he would go to the Holy Spirit sanatorium for tuberculosis patients in San Adrián del Besós to visit and care for the sick as a volunteer. In the afternoon, he devoted his time to teaching catechism to the children of the parish of La Merced. In July 1936, the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War was accompanied by violent religious persecution led by republican militias in Barcelona. Faced with the danger, Antonio did not hesitate to leave Monistrol on foot to reach Barcelona in order to help the persecuted Church. On July 21, 1936, as the episcopal palace had just been stormed by rioters, Antonio happened to cross paths with the Bishop of Barcelona, Monsignor Manuel Irurita, who was seeking to flee. Despite the immense risks to himself and his family, Antonio decided to take him in and hide him in his own home. He also sheltered his brother Francisco Tort, Marcos Goñi (a close associate of the Bishop), as well as four Carmelite Sisters of Charity. For several months, this house became a refuge of clandestine prayer where the Bishop celebrated Mass every day and where the small community received communion in secret.

On December 1, 1936, armed militiamen from the No. 11 control patrol of Pueblo Nuevo burst into the home of Antonio Tort. They ransacked the house, profaned sacred images, and discovered the people in hiding. In an attempt to save his guests, Monsignor Irurita presented himself under the assumed name of Manuel Luis, claiming to be a simple priest, but the militiamen arrested the bishop, Marcos Goñi, Antonio Tort, and his brother Francisco. Before being taken away, Antonio bade a serene farewell to his wife and children, telling them that he was going to Heaven. The prisoners were taken to the San Elías convent, which had been transformed into a prison (checa) by the revolutionary forces. During his detention, Antonio was subjected to violent interrogations, physical abuse, and moral humiliation because of his faith and his assistance to persecuted religious. He endured these tortures with heroic patience, refusing to renounce his faith in Jesus Christ.

During the night of December 3 to 4, 1936, Antonio Tort Reixachs, his brother Francisco, Bishop Manuel Irurita, and Marcos Goñi were taken near the Montcada cemetery, where they were shot by militiamen in hatred of the faith. After the end of the conflict, their bodies were exhumed from the mass grave in Montcada and formally identified by Antonio's wife, María Josefa Gavín Sagardía, and his children. His mortal remains were then transferred to Barcelona. The cause for the beatification of Antonio Tort Reixachs was investigated by the Archdiocese of Barcelona. On April 13, 2024, Pope Francis authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing his martyrdom in odium fidei (in hatred of the faith). The solemn beatification ceremony took place on November 23, 2024, in the Basilica of the Sagrada Família in Barcelona. It was presided over by Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints and official representative of the Holy Father, in the presence of more than 1,500 faithful. The following day, during the Angelus prayer on November 24, 2024, in St. Peter's Square, Pope Francis paid tribute to the new blessed, presenting him as an "exemplary witness of Christ and the Gospel."

The spirituality of Blessed Antonio Tort Reixachs is that of a deeply Eucharistic and Marian layman, who knew how to combine his duties as a husband, father of eleven children, and craftsman with an unwavering apostolic commitment. His work as a goldsmith was for him a way to honor God by shaping sacred objects of great beauty. His legacy lies in his evangelical courage and his boundless charity. Conscious of the mortal risks he incurred by hiding priests and nuns, he chose to obey the law of love rather than the fear of death. His life and martyrdom recall the universal vocation to holiness of the laity and the strength of Christian witness within the family.