Jesús Antonio Gómez y Gómez

After his ordination, Father Jesús Antonio exercised various ministries. He was first appointed confessor to several female religious congregations and rector of the "San José" National College in Marinilla. In 1929, he became coadjutor vicar of El Santuario, where he carried out intense pastoral activity on behalf of the youth and the most destitute.

In 1936, he received the position of spiritual director of the Seminary of Medellín, and two years later, became a professor of fundamental dogmatic theology at the same institution. For nearly twenty years, he dedicated himself with remarkable zeal to the confession and spiritual accompaniment of seminarians, priests, religious, and laypeople. In 1947, he traveled to Rochester, in the United States, to receive treatment for his aneurysm.

In 1948, he founded the magazine Sé Apóstol to promote the Eucharistic Crusade, a movement for which he was appointed archdiocesan assistant in 1951. He also directed the publication In Corde Jesu, intended for the formation and spiritual edification of priests.

In 1955, weakened by illness and fatigue, he had to leave his duties at the seminary. He was then appointed chaplain of the Discalced Carmelite monastery of El Poblado. In 1959, he assumed the spiritual direction of the Cristo Sacerdote Seminary for adult vocations. In 1967, he was appointed canon magistral of the chapter of the Cathedral of Medellín.

In February 1971, while suffering from a painful cancer, he founded the Fondo Sacerdotal para los Pobres (Priestly Fund for the Poor) in Medellín. Through this work, he gave concrete expression to his deep conviction that priests should not only solicit alms for the poor, but must also share their own goods with them.

He passed away in Medellín on March 23, 1971, at the age of 76.

The reputation for holiness of Father Jesús Antonio Gómez y Gómez, already very vivid during his lifetime, spread rapidly after his death. The faithful particularly remember his long hours spent in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, which earned him the nickname among the population of "The Lamp of the Blessed Sacrament" (La lámpara del Santísimo).

On September 3, 1996, a group of priests and former seminarians officially requested the Archbishop of Medellín, Monsignor Héctor Rueda Hernández, to open his cause for canonization. After receiving the favorable opinion of the Episcopal Conference of Colombia on March 13, 1998, the cause was officially introduced with the agreement of the Holy See on May 23, 2000. The diocesan inquiry into his life, virtues, and reputation for holiness concluded on October 4, 2002. The Congregation for the Causes of Saints validated the acts on March 10, 2004, paving the way for the drafting of the Positio.

On August 5, 2022, Pope Francis authorized the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints to promulgate the decree recognizing the heroic nature of his Christian virtues, thus conferring upon him the title of "Venerable".

For his beatification to be pronounced, a miracle attributed to his intercession must be officially recognized by the Holy See. The postulation of the cause continues to collect testimonies of favors and healings attributed to his intercession.

The spirituality of the Venerable Jesús Antonio Gómez y Gómez rests upon an intimate union with Christ, nourished by constant prayer and a deep Eucharistic devotion. His ministry was marked by great pastoral charity, attentive listening, and unwavering support for those experiencing difficulties.

His legacy remains alive through the Fundación Canónigo Jesús Antonio Gómez Gómez and the Fondo Sacerdotal para los Pobres, which perpetuate his charitable action. In March 2025, on the occasion of the 130th anniversary of his birth and baptism, a bronze sculpture bearing his likeness was inaugurated at the entrance of the archdiocesan curia of Medellín, reminding the faithful of his model of priestly life and self-giving.