José María García Lahiguera

The major work of José María García Lahiguera is the foundation of the Congregation of the Oblate Sisters of Christ the Priest (Hermanas Oblatas de Cristo Sacerdote), which he established in collaboration with the Servant of God María del Carmen Hidalgo de Caviedes y Gómez. This foundation had its origin on April 25, 1938, in Madrid, in the midst of the Civil War, during spiritual exercises. Father García Lahiguera and María del Carmen discovered then that they shared the same spiritual intuition: to offer their lives and their prayers for the holiness of priests and seminarians. The first community began its common life on May 24, 1939, in Getafe, before the motherhouse was officially inaugurated in Madrid on October 11, 1945. The congregation is a religious institute of entirely contemplative life and of pontifical right. The Oblate sisters lead a life of silence, solitude, prayer, and penance. Their specific charism consists of offering themselves continuously to God for the sanctification of the clergy and the spiritual support of sacred ministers. The institute received the pontifical decree of praise (Decretum laudis) on January 24, 1967, from Pope Paul VI. Today, the congregation's monasteries are primarily established in Spain and Peru.

After his death in 1989, the reputation for holiness of Msgr. García Lahiguera continued to grow. At his request, his body was interred in the presbytery of the chapel of the motherhouse of the Oblate Sisters of Christ the Priest in Madrid.

In 1995, Cardinal Antonio María Rouco Varela, Archbishop of Madrid, officially opened his cause for beatification. The diocesan inquiry into his life, virtues, and reputation for holiness was closed on September 22, 2000. The Congregation for the Causes of Saints decreed the validity of this inquiry on January 25, 2002. The Positio, a summary document demonstrating the heroic nature of his virtues, was published in 2009.

On June 27, 2011, Pope Benedict XVI authorized the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate the decree recognizing the heroic nature of the virtues of José María García Lahiguera, thus conferring upon him the title of Venerable. His cause for beatification is currently underway, awaiting the official recognition of a miracle attributed to his intercession.

Nicknamed the "Apostle of priests," José María García Lahiguera centered his entire existence on the promotion of priestly holiness. His spirituality is summarized by his famous personal question: "Si no soy santo, ¿para qué soy sacerdote?; y si soy sacerdote, ¿por qué no soy santo?" ("If I am not holy, why am I a priest? And if I am a priest, why am I not holy?"). His episcopal motto, Anima mea pro ovibus meis ("My soul for my sheep"), testifies to his absolute dedication to his flock, and in particular to his priests.

His most significant legacy for the universal Church is his role as a promoter of the Feast of Jesus Christ, Eternal High Priest (Jesucristo Sumo y Eterno Sacerdote). With the help of the co-founder of the Oblates, he worked tirelessly on the development of the liturgical texts for this feast, which were approved by the Congregation for Divine Worship on December 21, 1971. Introduced in Spain in 1973, this feast is now celebrated in many countries on the Thursday following Pentecost, fostering prayer for priests throughout the world.

Mgr García Lahiguera also distinguished himself by his open-mindedness and sense of dialogue. In the early 1960s, while auxiliary bishop of Madrid, he provided decisive support for the creation of the Amistad Judeo-Cristiana (Judeo-Christian Friendship) association in Spain, fostering rapprochement and mutual understanding between Catholics and Jews under the Franco regime. He was also a close friend and the confessor of Saint Josemaría Escrivá, founder of Opus Dei, in the early 1940s.