Francisco Gárate Aranguren

In 1874, at the age of seventeen, Francisco decided to enter the Society of Jesus as a coadjutor brother (lay brother). However, due to political upheavals in Spain (notably the expulsion of the Jesuits after the revolution of 1868 and the Third Carlist War), he had to go into exile. Accompanied by two other young men, he made the journey on foot to Poyanne, in the Landes department of France, where the Spanish Jesuits had established their novitiate in exile. He pronounced his first vows there on February 2, 1876. In 1877, he received his first assignment to the Jesuit college of La Guardia (Pontevedra, in Galicia), near the Portuguese border. For ten years, he served there as an infirmarian and sacristan. He distinguished himself there by his tireless dedication, his patience, and his gentleness toward sick students. It was also at this college that he pronounced his perpetual vows on August 15, 1887. In 1888, Brother Francisco was transferred to the University of Deusto in Bilbao (then called the College of Higher Studies). He was given the role of porter and receptionist, a position he would occupy without interruption for forty-one years, until his death in 1929. In this position of first contact, he became the welcoming face of the institution for students, professors, families, and the poor who came to ask for alms. Affectionately nicknamed "Brother Politeness" (Hermano Cortesía) or "Brother Delicacy," he performed his daily tasks with extraordinary serenity, patience, and charity, uniting constant work with continuous prayer, a rosary always in his hand.

After his death on September 9, 1929, the reputation for holiness of Brother Francisco Gárate continued to grow, particularly among the former students of Deusto. The diocesan informative phase of his beatification process opened in the Diocese of Vitoria (which then included Bilbao) on December 14, 1939, and concluded on July 29, 1940. The cause was officially introduced in Rome under the pontificate of Pius XII on February 26, 1950. A supplementary investigation into his virtues took place in Bilbao from 1951 to 1953. On February 11, 1982, Pope John Paul II promulgated the decree recognizing the heroic nature of his virtues, thereby conferring upon him the title of Venerable.

To pave the way for beatification, a miracle is required. The cause recognizes the inexplicable healing of Maria Ugalde Caño, which occurred in Bilbao on February 19, 1943. She was suffering from a severe and extensive necrosis of the left thigh following a burn ("gravi et extensa necrosi ex ustione sinistri femoris"). After examination by the medical commission and the theologians, the decree approving the miracle was signed by Pope John Paul II on May 9, 1985. On October 6, 1985, Pope John Paul II celebrated the solemn beatification of Francisco Gárate Aranguren in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican, alongside two other Spanish Jesuits, Diego Luis de San Vitores and José María Rubio.

The spirituality of Blessed Francisco Gárate is based on the sanctification of daily life through the simplest and most ordinary tasks. Often compared to Saint Alphonsus Rodriguez, another famous Jesuit porter brother, he embodied the Ignatian ideal of "finding God in all things." His personal motto summarized his absolute trust in Providence: "I do what I can, and the good God does the rest." Today, his memory remains alive at the University of Deusto, where his room has been preserved and transformed into an oratory (the "Garate otoigunea"), inaugurated and blessed in September 2025 to foster recollection and prayer. His liturgical feast is inscribed in the Roman Martyrology on September 9 (the day of his death), but it is celebrated on September 10 by the Society of Jesus and the University of Deusto so as not to coincide with the feast of Saint Peter Claver.