Baltasár Pardal Vidal

It was within the parish of San Nicolás that the great work of his life took shape. Baltasár was entrusted with the catechesis of young girls in a small, dilapidated chapel dedicated to the Virgin of Atocha (Nuestra Señora de Atocha, nicknamed the "Morenita"). The Atocha neighborhood was at that time an extremely poor, marginalized area, marked by illiteracy and social precariousness. Deeply moved by the material and moral misery of the inhabitants, particularly the children and women, he conceived the project of a large-scale work to uplift them. On August 30, 1923, he officially inaugurated "La Grande Obra de Atocha" (The Great Work of Atocha). This institution was recognized by the Spanish Ministry of Education as a charitable and educational establishment on December 29 of the same year. The work rested on four fundamental pillars: a great kitchen (to feed the needy), a great school (to instruct the children), a great workshop (to provide professional training to women and give them a trade), and a great church (for spiritual life). To ensure the sustainability and development of this foundation, Baltasár Pardal Vidal gathered around him a group of catechists and collaborators. In 1939, these consecrated women formed a stable community of life. On March 19, 1951, Cardinal Quiroga Palacios signed the decree of erection of diocesan right for this community in the form of a female secular institute: the Daughters of the Nativity of Mary (Hijas de la Natividad de María). The institute received pontifical approval on November 1, 1977, from Pope Paul VI, and its definitive statutes were approved by the Holy See on February 22, 1995. As early as 1955, the institute crossed Spanish borders to establish itself in South America, notably in Uruguay and Venezuela, bringing its model of social and educational action for the most destitute. Alongside his foundations, Baltasár Pardal Vidal served for forty-six years as the magisterial canon of the collegiate church of Santa María del Campo in A Coruña. He was also appointed diocesan moderator of the catechism and visitor of Christian doctrine for the Archdiocese of Santiago de Compostela.

Baltasár Pardal Vidal passed away on March 3, 1963, at 3:00 PM in A Coruña, at the age of 76. In accordance with his wish to remain among the children, his remains were interred in the chapel of the Grande Obra de Atocha. His reputation for holiness and heroic charity prompted the Archdiocese of Santiago de Compostela to introduce his cause for canonization. The process began in October 1996. The official opening of the diocesan inquiry took place on December 18, 1997, presided over by Archbishop Mgr Julián Barrio Barrio. The diocesan phase was officially closed on November 30, 2001. The Positio on his virtues was submitted and approved in Rome in 2005. On May 10, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI signed the decree recognizing the heroic nature of his virtues, thereby conferring upon him the title of Venerable. In January 2023, a file documenting an unexplained healing attributed to his intercession was transmitted to Rome to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints with a view to his future beatification.

Baltasár Pardal Vidal is currently recognized as venerable by the Catholic Church. This title was granted to him by Pope Benedict XVI on May 10, 2012, through the decree on the heroic nature of his virtues. His cause for beatification is under examination in Rome, with an alleged miracle having been submitted to the Holy See in January 2023.

The spirituality of Baltasár Pardal Vidal is deeply Eucharistic and Marian. His spiritual and apostolic motto summarizes his drive: "To the Eucharist through Mary, and through Mary and the Eucharist, to save souls" (A la Eucaristía por María, y por María y la Eucaristía a salvar las almas). Inspired by the little way of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, he placed spiritual childhood, simplicity of heart, and confident abandonment to Divine Providence at the center of his life and that of his spiritual daughters. An innovative pedagogue, he considered that education should be based on the love of the child, affirming that "the teacher's book is the child" (El libro del maestro es el niño). He also insisted on Christian joy, exhorting his collaborators to be "very joyful saints, like Alleluias of Resurrection" (santos muy alegres como aleluyas de Resurrección). His legacy continues today through the numerous schools and reception centers of the Grande Obra de Atocha, as well as through the active presence of the Secular Institute of the Daughters of the Nativity of Mary in Spain, Uruguay, Venezuela, Argentina, and Peru. In 2006, the Archbishop of Santiago de Compostela created the "Cátedra Baltasar Pardal" within the Compostelan Theological Institute to promote and study his theological, catechetical, and pedagogical thought. Several streets bear his name in Galicia, and a monument pays tribute to him in the Plaza de España in A Coruña, facing his work.