Blessed Jose Maria de Manila - The Third Filipino Beatus

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Blessed Jose Maria de Manila 
In our country, the predominantly Catholic country in Asia,  two persons have been canonized and a third, although the son of Spanish parents, is considered a son of the Philippines and has recently been beatified by Pope Francis: Blessed José Maria de Manila.

 Some Filipinos were surprise, and sadly, some were not aware of him, neither was the news of his beatification and only the few knew him and his glorious martyrdom probably thru books and online articles, especially with the news from the Vatican. Without any further ado, may I introduce to all Filipino Catholics, a Friar with a "Filipino Heart" and must be emulated by all the devout.

 Early Life

He may be an "insulares" (a Spaniard born in a Spanish colony), he does have a heart of a Filipino. José María was born in Manila, Philippines on September 5, 1880 to Spanish parents Don Eugenio del Saz-Orozco de la Oz, the last Spanish Mayor of Manila, and Doña Felisa Mortera y Camacho.

According to Father Eugenio Lopez, Provincial Minister of the Capuchin Philippine Province, Father Jose’s baptismal certificate could not be produced because it was burned during the ‘Liberation of Manila’ in 1945. “But his school records from the University of Santo Tomas showed he is ‘natural de Manila’. All of the accounts of his life from his homeland Spain also showed he was born in Manila,”

His Education

Eugenio became both a son of the Philippines as well as a citizen of Spain. Eugenio spent the early years of his life in study at Catholic schools in Manila. His classmates remembered him as a studious, pious, and devout student. His secondary education began at Ateneo in Manila, which he attended for two years. Next he attended the Colegio de San Juan de Letran for one year before completing his secondary education at the University of Santo Tomas.

This Catholic education left a lasting impact on Eugenio. He made a consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary by the time he was 16. In 1896, shortly after this, he left the country of his birth to go to Spain for more education. The rest of his family followed him shortly afterward, just before the end of Spanish rule in the Philippines.

His life as a Capuchin 

Although his father insisted that he study law, Eugenio Jr. longed to become a Capuchin priest. Eugenio acceded to his father’s wishes and completed his law curriculum, but when he was done, after practicing law for only a few months, he then prepared to enter the Franciscan order of the Capuchins and his father did not stand in his way. Records also showed that he had his simple profession in Lecaroz in Navarra on October 4, 1905, while his solemn profession was held 18 October 1908. He was ordained a priest on November 30, 1910.

Fr. José María "remained a Filipino at heart" throughout his years in Spain, desiring to return to the Philippines to serve the local Philippine Church despite the fall of the Spanish East Indies government in 1898 due to the Philippine Revolution and the Spanish–American War. Circumstances prevented him from returning, and so he resolved to zealously proclaim the Gospel in Spain, which was still suffering from poverty brought about by the First World War.

The Persecution of the Spanish Civil War

There was a growing tide of anti-Catholicism and anticlericalism in Spain, as critics accused the Church of conspiring with the government to keep the people poor. The effects of the Wall Street Crash of 1929 pushed the working class to their limits, and military generals took advantage of the situation by staging an uprising in July 1936 that began the Spanish Civil War. Church property was seized or destroyed, and priests and religious were imprisoned. On 17 August 1936, Fr. José María was executed at the gardens of the Cuartel de la Montaña, a military building in Madrid.

 The Beatification

On March 27, 2013, Pope Francis approved the findings of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints that Fr. José María and 521 other companions were indeed killed because of their Roman Catholic Faith, clearing the way for their beatification. These twentieth-century martyrs of the religious persecution during the Spanish Civil War were beatified on October 13, 2013 in Tarragona, Spain. The Beatification Rite and Mass was presided by Angelo Cardinal Amato, SDB, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, who read the Apostolic Letter declaring the martyrs "Blessed" and setting their common feast day for every November 6 , together with other previously beatified martyrs of the Spanish Civil War.

The miraculous statue of Bl. Jose Maria
de Manila in St. Francis of Assisi Parish
in Mandaluyong City
Veneration 

Though very few Filipinos knew him, he was embraced by the learned Filipino Catholics who've read the life of this unsung martyr. As of this writing, the Filipino Capuchin Order are working hand in hand in promoting the life and devotion to Blessed Jose Maria de Manila. One of the earliest venerated image of him was enshrined in the Parish of St. Francis of Assisi in Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong City and it is said that miracles were reported through his intercession and the parishioners regarded the image miraculous.

In this trying times, we take Bl. Jose Maria de Manila as our inspiration for standing up for the Faith, at all costs, allowing God’s will to be done and not our own. Let us heed God’s call through His instrument of love, and let us be instruments ourselves. Let us pray for the intercession of Bl. Jose de Manila for perseverance and courage in upholding the Faith, as he had, in the most desperate and trying times

Before we conclude this blog entry dedicated to Blessed Jose Maria de Manila, here is a novena prayer that was released by the Filipino Capuchins that would help for his Canonization in the future.

Novena Prayer to Blessed Jose Maria de Manila

 Oh God, You gave the servant of God, Jose Maria de Manila, Capuchin, the great privilege of sharing in the passion of Your son, our Lord Jesus Christ, by accepting the grace of martyrdom with unwavering faith and steadfast love. Grant me through his intercession the grace of which I ardently hope for; (Mention your petition)

 And above all, give me the grace of witnessing to my faith and following the footsteps of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns, with You with the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

 Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory to the Father…

 Jesus, Mary and Joseph, pray for us!

 Blessed Jose Maria de Manila, pray for us!

If miracles and answered favors were granted through the intercession of Blessed Jose Maria de Manila, you may contact:

Bahay Capuchino
50 Apo St, Sta. Mesa Heights
Quezon City 1114
Tel. Nos. (02)-742-6532 / (02)-742-13

References:

Alvarez, Pow, (2013), Blessed Jose Maria de Manila, Retrieved from http://www.wordandlife.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/ECHOES-OF-GODS-LOVE-ARTICLEopt.pdf.
Breslin, Carole, (2016), Catholic Heroes: Blessed José Maria De Manila, Retrieved from http://thewandererpress.com/saints/catholic-heroes-blessed-jose-maria-de-manila/.

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