Francisco Barrecheguren Montagut
A Spanish father who became a widower, Francisco Barrecheguren Montagut joined the Redemptorists at the age of 65 and was ordained a priest. He was declared Venerable in 2020.
Contemporaries
Figures and markers around the normalized period for this entry.
Guided reading
5 reading sections
Biography
The youth of Francisco Barrecheguren Montagut, marked by early family bereavements, his studies, his marriage to Concha García Calvo, and the birth of their daughter Conchita.
Francisco Barrecheguren Montagut was born on August 21, 1881, in Lérida, Catalonia. Orphaned at the age of five following the successive deaths of his father Manuel, his sisters Carmen and Manolita, and then his mother Manuela, he was raised by his paternal uncles in Granada. After secondary studies with the Jesuits in Málaga, he worked in his uncle Victoriano Montealegre's textile factory. In 1904, he married Concha García Calvo, with whom he had an only daughter, María Concepción (Conchita), whose education he personally oversaw due to her fragile health.
Life and work
His lay commitment, family trials with the loss of his daughter and his wife's illness, then his late vocation as a Redemptorist priest.
Active within the Nocturnal Adoration and the Third Order of Carmel, Francisco faced the death of his daughter Conchita in 1927, then the mental illness and death of his wife Concha in 1937. Having become a widower, he dedicated his assets to educational works and entered the Redemptorist Missionaries at the age of 65. Ordained a priest in 1949 in Madrid, he exercised his ministry in Granada, devoting himself to the sick and to the cause of his daughter's beatification.
Path to holiness
The death of Father Francisco in 1957, the transfer of his relics, and the rapid opening of his beatification process in Granada.
Father Francisco passed away on October 7, 1957, in Granada. His remains were transferred in 1996 to the Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, alongside his daughter. His cause for beatification opened in 1993 in the Archdiocese of Granada, with the diocesan inquiry concluding as early as 1994. The diocesan phase was validated by Rome in 1995, and the Positio was published in 2001.
Beatification and canonization
The recognition of his heroic virtues by Pope Francis in 2020, conferring upon him the title of Venerable.
On May 5, 2020, Pope Francis authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic virtues of Francisco Barrecheguren Montagut, declaring him Venerable, on the same day as his daughter Conchita. His cause is currently awaiting the recognition of a miracle for his beatification, while his daughter was beatified on May 6, 2023.
Spirituality and legacy
A model of family holiness and abandonment to the divine will through all states of Christian life.
The life of Francisco Barrecheguren Montagut illustrates the complementarity of vocations: husband, father, widower, then religious and priest. Recognized for his profound peace, his humility, and his constant joy in the face of trials, he transformed his family into a home of holiness, humbly fading into the background behind the spiritual figure of his daughter Conchita.
Frequently asked questions about Francisco Barrecheguren Montagut
Who was Francisco Barrecheguren Montagut?
A Spanish father who became a widower, Francisco Barrecheguren Montagut joined the Redemptorists at the age of 65 and was ordained a priest. He was declared Venerable in 2020.
Which saints were contemporaries of Francisco Barrecheguren Montagut?
Contemporaries include: Jesús María Echavarría Aguirre, Pauline of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus, Narcisa de Jesús and Juan de Jesús López y González.
When did Francisco Barrecheguren Montagut die?
Francisco Barrecheguren Montagut died around 1881.
Who are the relatives of Francisco Barrecheguren Montagut?
Relatives of Francisco Barrecheguren Montagut: Manuel (father), Manuela (mother), Carmen (sister), Manolita (sister), Victoriano Montealegre (uncle and guardian), Concha García Calvo (wife) and María Concepción (Conchita) Barrecheguren (daughter).
Annexes & related entities
Structured data for exploration: events, miracles, quotes, places, attributes, patronages, and important entities cited in the text.
Key Events
- Era / death: 1881-1957
- Decree of venerability by Francis