Francisco Garmendia Mendizábal

Brother Andrés Hibernón began his apostolic journey as a teacher for young children, immediately demonstrating remarkable pedagogical skills and great attention to the human and spiritual needs of his students. His qualities as an educator and his sense of responsibility led his superiors to appoint him as a school director at a particularly young age. Subsequently, he was entrusted with the essential role of formator within the Scholasticate (notably in Bujedo), the formation house for the young brothers of the institute. In this mission, he displayed tireless zeal in preparing future teachers, demanding from them a solid application to both secular and theological studies, while guiding them with kindness in the acquisition of the virtues proper to consecrated life. Appointed Visitor (provincial superior) of the Madrid district, he exercised this office with immense fraternal charity, showing himself to be particularly close to the youngest brothers or those in difficulty. Under his leadership, the district experienced notable expansion. He actively contributed to the founding of several important Lasallian colleges in Spain, among which were the college of Consuegra in 1926 and that of Antequera in 1944. The Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) constituted a period of profound trials for him. Although he did not suffer martyrdom by blood—unlike many brothers of his institute—he was deeply affected by the conflict. Arrested twice by Republican forces due to his religious status, he endured incarceration in several prisons before finally being released in Alicante in 1939. After the war, he dedicated himself to rebuilding devastated educational works. Passionate about pedagogical renewal, he studied modern foreign educational systems and promoted the development of school publications and magazines intended for youth, such as El Eco de Belén or Vida y Luz. He also gave a decisive impetus to the institute's publishing house, Editorial Bruño. In recognition of his educational work and his contribution to Spanish culture, the government awarded him the Grand Cross of the Civil Order of Alfonso X the Wise.

After his death in 1969, his reputation for holiness, already well established during his lifetime, continued to spread rapidly among the faithful, former students, and members of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. As early as 1970, the ecclesiastical authority appointed a commission tasked with initiating the informative process on his life and virtues. The cause for beatification was officially introduced at the diocesan level within the Archdiocese of Madrid-Alcalá, and the decree for the introduction of the cause was promulgated on September 3, 1984.

On July 3, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI authorized the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to publish the decree recognizing the heroic nature of his virtues. By this solemn act, Francisco Andrés Garmendia Mendizábal was declared Venerable. His cause for beatification is currently underway, awaiting the official recognition of a miracle attributed to his intercession.

The spiritual life of Brother Andrés Hibernón was entirely centered on the charism of Saint John Baptist de La Salle: seeking the glory of God through the salvation and Christian education of children, especially the poorest. His spirituality was characterized by an intimate union with God in daily prayer, a profound humility, and a keen sense of the duty of an educator. His legacy remains alive through the schools he founded or developed, the Bruño publishing house he relaunched, and the example of holiness he continues to offer to Christian educators around the world. His remains rest today in the sanctuary of the La Salle community church in Griñón, alongside the relics of the Brother martyrs of the Civil War.