My daughters, do not be afraid; this is but a moment, and heaven is forever.
María Teresa Ferragud Roig was born on January 14, 1853, in the city of Algemesí (Valencia). She was less than two months away from turning 20 when María Teresa married Vicente Silverio on November 23, 1872. From this marriage, they had nine children: the eldest daughter, María Teresa, a cloistered nun, died before the war; the next two died in infancy; the following four became cloistered nuns, three in Agullent (Maria Jesús, Verónica, and Felicidad), and one in Benigánim (Josefa); one daughter married, Purificación; and the only son became a Capuchin friar, Fray Serafín.
She became a widow in 1916. In 1936, after being forced to leave their convents, the four daughters of this family found refuge in their mother’s home, from where they were captured along with their mother, who chose to accompany them voluntarily at all times, right up to the final moment of their martyrdom, encouraging and urging them to be faithful to their Spouse. She died last, witnessing the martyrdom of her daughters with admirable fortitude.
Pope Pius XII“She was more than the mother of the Maccabees.”
St. John Paul II“How can we not be deeply moved when hearing the accounts of their martyrdom?”
In the San Pio X parish of Algemesí (Valencia), some blessed martyrs of the religious persecution of 1936 are buried: a mother, María Teresa Ferragud Roig, and her four daughters, who were cloistered nuns. When they were taken to be executed, the mother asked to be shot last so she could console and encourage her daughters until the end.
PRAYER
O God, glory and crown of the martyrs,
who granted Blessed María Teresa Ferragud Roig
to resemble Your Son in a death like His,
after encouraging her daughters
to be faithful to their Spouse until the end, witnessing their martyrdom;
we ask You, through her intercession
and that of her four martyr daughters,
-Josefa, María Jesús, Verónica, and Felicidad-,
to grant us the graces we now implore.
Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord.
Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.
Mary, Queen of Martyrs, pray for us.
(with the necessary permissions)
Come to the Source
Dear brothers, pilgrims, friends, and curious individuals who, through these means, wish to delve into the knowledge of women and events worthy of sanctity. Welcome. My name is Óscar Benavent. I am the pastor of San Pio X parish in Algemesí, and I wish to open the doors of this place that refreshes, inspires, comforts, and strengthens faith.
Tertullian said that the blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians, and in a parish in Algemesí, a town in the diocese of Valencia, rest the fruitful bodies of heroic women filled with faith who, in human weakness, gave their lives for the love of Christ. An elderly mother, along with her four contemplative daughters, were urged to renounce the Catholic faith and, in the face of their calm but resolute refusal, were executed because they preferred to die rather than live as if God did not exist. The love that God has for us is so great that, despite being so fragile, so sinful, and extremely vulnerable, He transforms us into witnesses and heroes.
I want to invite you to come to the source where all this happened. I encourage you to approach María Teresa and her daughters just as you are and live your faith. In doing so, their holiness will awaken your own, their fruitfulness will blossom within you the desire for God, and contemplating what Christ was capable of doing with them will fill you with hope, for only He has the power to do the same with you.
If you have been called to the life of faith and doubt, drink from the same source as these women. They shed their blood and gave their lives like Christ so that it may be confirmed in your heart that you are loved, saved, called, and sent.
And when this pilgrimage concludes, sit down, reflect, and pray over this passage from St. Peter.
“Therefore, brothers, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. If you do this, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:10-11.
Both the Parish of St. Pius X in Algemesí and I await you.
Óscar Benavent Calatayud, parish priest
Pope Benedict XVI proposed this mother and her daughters as a model of Christian family for the VI World Meeting of Families in Mexico in 2008
MARTYRS
