Antonio Amundarain Garmendia

After his ordination, Father Antonio Amundarain exercised his ministry in several parishes in the Spanish Basque Country. He was first a vicar in Baroja, then in Zumárraga, where he was also chaplain of the Sisters of Mercy asylum from 1911 to 1919. He was then appointed vicar at the Santa María parish in San Sebastián from 1919 to 1929, before returning to Zumárraga as parish priest. A man of overflowing energy, he devoted himself fully to catechesis, spiritual direction, and confession. He was also a talented musician and composer, passionate about Gregorian chant, composing several popular religious songs in the Basque language. It was during his ministry in San Sebastián that he perceived a new spiritual need for young women feeling a call to consecrated life without wishing to enter a cloistered convent. On February 2, 1925, he gathered twenty young women to propose this new form of commitment to them. Twelve of them accepted, thus laying the foundations of the Alliance in Jesus through Mary. The work developed rapidly and, in 1946, Father Amundarain moved permanently to Madrid with his advisors to lead the rapidly expanding institute.

Father Antonio Amundarain led a life of profound union with God, characterized by heroic humility and tireless apostolic zeal, which he himself described as a "priestly vertigo." His contemporary, the Venerable José María García Lahiguera, would say of him that he was a man of God and lived at an exceptional supernatural height. Despite delicate health, he worked tirelessly in the service of souls and his foundation until his final days. He passed away piously in Madrid on April 19, 1954. He was initially buried in the Sacramental de San Isidro cemetery in Madrid.

The reputation for holiness of Antonio Amundarain Garmendia spread rapidly after his death. With the authorization of the Holy See, the Archbishop of Madrid opened the cause for beatification and canonization. The diocesan informative process took place from 1982 to 1986. The Congregation for the Causes of Saints validated this process by a decree on February 6, 1987. After the examination of the Positio, the theological consultants gave a favorable opinion on December 12, 1995, followed by the cardinals and bishops on April 2, 1996. On June 25, 1996, Pope John Paul II signed the decree recognizing the heroic nature of his virtues, thus conferring upon him the title of Venerable. On this occasion, his mortal remains were transferred to the crypt of the Alliance house in Griñón (Madrid), where they are venerated today.

The spirituality of Antonio Amundarain rests on a burning love for Christ and the Virgin Mary, lived in simplicity, humility, and self-effacement. His charism is centered on the contemplation of the "virgin face of Christ" and on the offering of oneself for the salvation of the world through daily life. He left behind numerous spiritual and catechetical writings, among which are Getsemaní, Jesús del Evangelio, Manual de formación Aliada, Quiero, Sic Facite, and Silbidos del Pastor. The primary legacy of the Venerable Antonio Amundarain is the Alliance in Jesus through Mary, which is the very first secular institute founded in Spain. Recognized as a secular institute of diocesan right in Madrid on February 11, 1950, it was elevated to the rank of a secular institute of pontifical right by Pope Paul VI on December 25, 1963. Today, the institute is present in many countries, notably in Spain, Italy, Portugal, Germany, Argentina, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and the United States.