THEY PREFERED TO DIE RATHER THAN LIVE AS IF GOD DID NOT EXIST
This coming weekend, October 25 and 26, we will celebrate the festival of the martyrs of Algemesí in our town. At the parish of San Pío X, we will specifically honor the feast of the Blessed María Teresa Ferragud and her daughters—Sister María Jesús, Sister María Verónica, Sister Josefina de la Purificación, and Sister Felicidad Masiá. As you know, this mother and her daughters were martyrs of the religious persecution of 1936, and their remains rest at the altar of the Blessed Sacrament Chapel in our parish.
Tertullian said that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of Christians and at San Pío, the fruitful bodies of these heroic, faith-filled women await the resurrection—women who, in their human frailty, gave their lives for the love of Christ. An elderly mother and her four contemplative daughters were urged to renounce the Catholic faith; faced with their calm yet resolute refusal, they were executed by firing squad because they prefered to die rather than live as if God did not exist. The love God bears for us is so great that, despite our frailty, sinfulness, and immense vulnerability, He transforms us into witnesses and heroes.
I want to invite you to come to the source where all this took place. I want to invite you to come to the celebration. I want to encourage you—just as you are and as you live out your faith—to place yourselves before María Teresa and her daughters. In this way, their holiness will awaken your own, their fruitfulness will stir within you a desire for God, and the contemplation of what Christ was able to accomplish through them will fill you with hope—because He alone has the power to do the same with you.
If you have been called to the life of faith and harbor doubts, drink from the same source as these women. They shed their blood and laid down their lives, just as Christ did, so that it might be confirmed in your hearts that you are loved, saved, called, and sent.
This year, we are continuing the new way of celebrating this feast day that we began last year. On Saturday, October 25, we will all gather at 10:00 a.m. at the parish church of San Pío X. There, we will pray Lauds, and upon concluding, we will make a pilgrimage to the site where María Teresa and her daughters were martyred, near the Alzira market. The pilgrimage will start from the parish of San Pío X, and we will make a stop at the parish of Sant Jaume. There, we will venerate Blessed Josefa Naval Girbés, the mentor of the Blessed.
María Teresa. From Sant Jaume, we will make our way to the Capella de la Troballa—the home of the Mother of God—the place from which these women consecrated their lives and became a source of healing for all humanity. Accompanied by their relics and praying the Rosary, we will make a pilgrimage to the site where they became “wheat for Christ”—the place where they offered up their lives. There, we will proclaim our faith, present our prayers, and give glory to God. Upon conclusion, a shuttle service will be available to return to Algemesí. In the evening, we will joyfully celebrate the 7:30 PM Eucharist.
And when this celebration concludes and we have enjoyed this day, let us sit down, examine, and pray over this passage from Saint Peter.
“Therefore, brothers, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. If you do this, you will never stumble; and the doors of the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be thrown wide open to you.” 2 Peter 1:10-11.
Throughout this year, we have been working to spread devotion to them. We have produced prayer cards, relics, and icons. Don Salvador David has also written a book about their lives, writings, and correspondence. Furthermore, we have already begun filming a documentary that will illustrate the experiences of these holy women. At the heart of the parish’s plans is the creation of a reliquary museum—a place to house, contemplate, and pray with the many mementos and relics of these women that we possess. May the Lord provide.
Both the Parish of St. Pius X in Algemesí and I await you.
Óscar Benavent Calatayud parish priest
Parish of San Pio X
From OCTOBER 19 to 26
● SUNDAY 19:
- Sunday XXIX in Ordinary Time.
- 11’00h: Eucharist.
- †Fr. Amadeo López Bomboí.
- 11’00h: Eucharist.
● MONDAY 20:
- 17’30h: Catechesis for infants. 1st course.
- 19’30h: Eucharist.
- 21’00h: Catechesis for young people and adults.
- 22’00h: Holy Hour.
● TUESDAY 21:
- 17’30h: Catechesis for infants. 2nd course.
- 19’30h: Eucharist.
- †Consuelo Oscar y Jaime Roig.
- 19’30h: Eucharist.
● WEDNESDAY 22:
- 17’30h: Catechesis for infants. 3rd course.
- 19’30h: Eucharist.
- †Vicenta Esteve Chinesta y Juan Girbés Borrás.
- 19’30h: Eucharist.
● THURSDAY 23:
- 17’30h: Catechesis for infants. 4º, 5º & 6º courses.
- 19’30h: Eucharist.
- †Pilar Bueno López y Federico Gómez Toldrá.
- †José Suay Mira.
- 21’00h: Catechesis for young people and adults.
- 19’30h: Eucharist.
● FRIDAY 24:
- 19’30h: Eucharist.
- 20’15h: Pastoral Activities with Confirrmation Sponsors.
● SATURDAY 25:
- Feast of the Martyrs.
- 10’00h: Morning prayer.
- 11’00h: Pilgrimage from the parish to the place of martydom.
- 19’30h: Eucharist.
- †Concepción Chirivella García.
- †Juan Girbés y Purificación Masiá.
- †Difuntos de la familia Girbés Masiá.
- †VICENTE MARTÍNEZ JUAN, DECEASED FROM THE MARTÍNEZ FAMILY JUAN AND DECEASED FROM THE BORRÁS FERRER FAMILY.
● SUNDAY 26:
- Sunday XXX in Ordinary Time.
- 11’00h: Eucharist.
- †Fina Jorques Navarro.
- 11’00h: Eucharist.
