Bl Alphonsus Maria of the Holy Spirit – June 12 – Carmelite Saints

Summary: As the French Revolution entered its worst days, sixteen Discalced Carmelites from the Monastery of the Incarnation in Compiègne offered their lives as a sacrifice to God, making reparation to him and imploring peace for the Church. On June 24th, 1794, they were arrested and thrown into prison. Their happiness and resignation were so evident that those around them were also encouraged to draw strength from God’s love. They were condemned to death for their fidelity to the Church and their religious life and for their devotion to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Singing hymns and having renewed their vows before their superior, Teresa of St. Augustine, they were put to death in Paris on July 17, 1794. They were beatified by Pope St. Pius X on May 13, 1906. Their equipollent canonization was decreed on December 18, 2024. History: Madeleine-Claudine Lidoine was born and baptized in the parish of St. Sulpice in Paris. Her mother was 41 at the time of her birth, and she was an only child. Madeleine’s father worked at the Paris Observatory. Her parents provided her with a quality education, nurturing her artistic and poetic talents. However, after investing in her education, they lacked the funds for a dowry when she sought admission to Carmel. The royal princess, Madame Louise, who had entered the Carmel of St. Denis and taken the name Sr. Teresa of St. Augustine, heard of Madeleine’s situation and asked to meet her. Recognizing her vocation, Sr. Teresa asked her nephew’s wife, the young Dauphine Marie Antoinette, to provide a dowry, which she did willingly. With this support, Madeleine entered the Carmel of Compiègne and took the name of her patroness, Sr. Teresa of St. Augustine. In 1786, at the age of 34, Sr. Teresa of St. Augustine was elected prioress and was re-elected in 1789. In May 1789, the French Revolution erupted. The number of Christian martyrs surged in the revolution’s early years. Thousands died by guillotine, exile, drowning, imprisonment, shootings, or mob violence. Amid this, in January 1790, Mother Teresa received the vows of Sr. St. Francis Xavier, the last novice in Compiègne. Mother Teresa warned her of grave risks and urged her to reconsider. Sr. Xavier confidently replied that the Lord would protect her and went ahead with her vows. A few months later, in July, the new French Republic issued the Civil Constitution of the Clergy, which abolished all religious communities except those involved in teaching and nursing. Soon after the Bastille’s fall on August 4, 1790, officials with armed guards interrogated each sister at the Compiègne convent, forcing a choice between renouncing vows or facing punishment. Every sister declared her wish to remain a Carmelite and refused to abandon her life of obedience, chastity, and poverty. Seven, including Mother Teresa of St. Augustine, explicitly stated they wished to live and die as Carmelites. They remained in the convent as state wards. By the end of 1791, the revolutionary government required all clergy to swear a civic oath in support of the Civil Constitution. Between June and September of 1792, amid increasing violence, Mother Teresa of St. Augustine invited her sisters to offer their lives to God as a sacrifice for peace between the Church and the State. Together, they decided to make this offering, adopting it as their daily prayer until martyrdom. In August 1792, authorities ordered all women’s monasteries closed. On September 14, 1792, officials seized the convent. They removed the furnishings, and the nuns were forced to return to secular life. As planned, they split into small groups in nearby apartments and kept in frequent contact. They wore secular clothing and depended on friends’ charity. Despite these changes, they continued their spiritual routines. Mother Teresa encouraged a daily renewal of dedication for two years. Their Act of Consecration, offering themselves to God as a complete sacrifice, was made for peace in France. Mother Teresa believed love would ultimately prevail. As the Reign of Terror worsened in 1793, the government searched the sisters’ apartments for two days and found letters showing their devotion to religious life. On June 24, 1794, they were arrested and taken to Paris, where they were jailed at the Conciergerie and brought before the Revolutionary Tribunal. Even in prison, the Carmelite sisters stayed calm and faithful, spending the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel together before their trial. On July 17, they were tried without lawyers. They were charged with being loyal to religious life, called "fanaticism," and for their devotion to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. The God-given strength of character of Mother Teresa of St. Augustine sustained her community through the difficult days of imprisonment and trial. On the day of their sentencing, July 17, 1794, the sixteen Carmelite nuns were taken to the square on two carts for execution, a journey that took two hours. During that time, they sang hymns of praise—the Miserere, the Salve Regina, the Office of the Dead, vespers, and Compline. Onlookers berated them, hurling insults and throwing things at them. Upon arriving at the Place du Trône, the nuns faced the guillotine. Mother Teresa led the Te Deum, followed by the Veni Creator Spiritus. The executioner, reluctantly carrying out his duty, allowed them to complete their devotions and permitted Mother Teresa to choose the order of execution. Sr. Constance, the novice prevented by anti-religious laws from making her profession, was able to pronounce her vows with the community and was the first to die. After she received a blessing and kissed a small terracotta Madonna and Child statue, she proceeded forth for execution. The other nuns followed suit. Finally, Mother Teresa made her own offering, kissed the statue, and pondered its fate. A woman in the crowd came forward to take it from her, ensuring its preservation, which is found today in the restored Carmel of Compiègne. Large, hostile crowds often attended such executions. However, the serenity and composure of the nuns, who seemed to be simply renewing their vows instead of facing execution, deeply affected the spectators. As each nun approached the guillotine, the crowd’s taunts increasingly faded into silence. With the execution of Mother Teresa, the Act of Consecration made by the community was consummated. Just ten days later, Robespierre was executed, and within two months, the Reign of Terror ended. French Catholics of the time believed that the executions of these nuns "helped bring about the end to the horrors of the revolution" and hastened the end of the Reign of Terror. The nuns were buried in a common grave at Picpus cemetery with 1,306 others executed between June 13 and July 27, 1794. Today, their memory is honored with a plaque at the site. Beatified by Pope St. Pius X on May 27, 1906, in St. Peter’s Basilica, the sixteen Carmelites became the first martyrs of the French Revolution recognized by the Holy See. On February 22, 2022, the Diocese of Beauvais announced Pope Francis accepted the procedure of equipollent canonization for the Martyrs of Compiègne. This would allow them to be canonized as saints, bypassing the judicial processes, formal attribution of miracles, and scientific examinations typically involved in the canonization of a saint. On December 18, 2024, Pope Francis canonized all sixteen martyrs. The legacy of these Carmelite martyrs endured long after their deaths. Three sisters, absent at the time of arrest, survived. One, Sr. Marie de l'Incarnation, wrote an influential account of the execution, History of the Carmelite nuns of Compiègne, published in 1836. In 1931, Gertrud von Le Fort’s novella, The Song at the Scaffold, drew from this account, and Emmet Lavery adapted the novella as a 1949 play with the same name. Raymond-Leopold Bruckberger and Philippe Agostini, inspired by Le Fort's novella, developed a film project that evolved into the stage drama Dialogues des Carmélites, which premiered in Zurich in 1951. The film project was later revived as Le Dialogue des Carmélites in 1960, with a new adaptation in 1984 for French television. Later, Francis Poulenc composed the opera Dialogues of the Carmelites. Most recently, in 2024, François Lespes released the documentary Blessed: The True Story of the Carmelites of Compiègne. Prayer: Lord God, you called Saint Teresa of St. Augustine and her companions to go on in the strength of the Holy Spirit from the heights of Carmel to receive a martyr’s crown. May our love too be so steadfast that it will bring us to the everlasting vision of your glory. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. List Martyrs: The Martyrs of Compiègne consisted of 11 nuns, three lay sisters, and two externs (or tertiaries). St. Teresa of St. Augustine (Madeleine-Claudine Lidoine, September 22, 1752-July 17, 1794) (professed religious, Carmelites at Compiegne) St. Marie-Anne St. Louis (Marie-Anne Brideau, December 7, 1752-July 17, 1794) (professed religious, Carmelites at Compiegne) St. Henriette of Jesus (Marie-Francoise Gabrielle de Croissy, June 18, 1745-July 17, 1794) (professed religious, Carmelites at Compiegne) St. Mary of Jesus Crucified (Marie-Anne Piedcourt,1715-July 17, 1794) (professed religious, Carmelites at Compiegne) St. Charolette of the Resurrection (Anne-Marie-Madeleine Thouret, September 16, 1715-July 17, 1794) (professed religious, Carmelites at Compiegne) St. Euphrasia of the Immaculate Conception (Marie-Claude Cyprienne, 1736-July 17, 1794) (professed religious, Carmelites at Compiegne) St. Teresa of the Sacred Heart of Mary (Marie-Antoniette Hanisset, 1740/1742-July 17, 1794) (professed religious, Carmelites at Compiegne) St. Julie Louise of Jesus (Rose-Chretien de la Neuville, 1741-July 17, 1794) (professed religious, Carmelites at Compiegne) St. Teresa of St. Ignatius (Marie-Gabrielle Trezel, April 4, 1743-July 17, 1794) (professed religious, Carmelites at Compiegne) St. Mary-Henrietta of Providence (Anne Petras, June 17, 1760-July 17, 1794) (professed religious, Carmelites at Compiegne) St. Constance of St. Denis (Marie-Genevieve Meunier, May 28, 1765/1766-July 17, 1794) (novice, Carmelites at Compiegne) St. Marie St. Martha (Marie Dufour, October 1/2 1742-July 17, 1794) (lay sister, Carmelites at Compiegne) St. Mary of the Holy Spirit (Angelique Roussel, August 4, 1742-July 17, 1794) (lay sister, Carmelites at Compiegne) St. Juliette St. Francis Xavier (Juliette Verolot,  January 11, 1764-July 17, 1794) (lay sister, Carmelites at Compiegne) St. Catherine Soiron (February 2, 1742--July 17, 1794) (not a Carmelite sister but served in the convent at Compiegne) St. Therese Soiron (February 23, 1748--July 17, 1794) (not a Carmelite sister but served in the convent at Compiegne)

Summary: In one single memorial, we remember our sisters who were martyred in the Spanish Civil War, which lasted from 1936 to 1939. Maria Pilar of St. Francis Borgia (born at Tarazona on Dec. 30, 1877), Teresa of the Child Jesus and of St. John of the Cross (born at Mochales on March 5, 1890), and Maria Angeles of St. Joseph (born at Getafe on March 6, 1905), Discalced Carmelite nuns of the Monastery of Guadalajara, Spain, were martyred on July 24, 1936, and beatified by Pope St John Paul II on March 29, 1987. Maria Sagrario was born at Lillo (Toledo) on 8th January 1881. A pharmacist by trade, she was one of the first women in Spain to be admitted to this qualification. Through her spirit of prayer and her love for the Eucharist, she was a perfect embodiment of the contemplative and ecclesial ideal of the Teresian Carmel. She was martyred on 15th August 1936, a grace for which she had longed; she was beatified by Pope St John Paul II in 1998. History: Bl. Maria Pilar of St. Francis Borgia Jacoba Martínez García was born in Tarazona, Spain, on December 30, 1877, to Gabino Martínez and Luisa García. The youngest of eleven children, eight died young, and the three surviving siblings dedicated themselves to the Lord. Her brother, Julián, became a priest, and her sister, Severiana, entered the Carmelite convent of San José in Guadalajara, taking the name Sr. María Araceli of the Blessed Sacrament. Cheerful and sociable, she was well-liked by everyone. As a teenager, Jacoba said she did not believe God might also want her to be a nun, since she herself did not want it. In June 1894, her sister Severiana took her vows, and everyone was present. At that moment, Jacoba began to reflect deeply and hear the voice of God. Sometime later, she told her parents and brother of her decision to consecrate herself to the Lord in the same convent as her sister. She then had to wait four years to fulfill her great desire because there were no vacancies. She entered the monastery of San José in Guadalajara on October 12, 1898, at the age of 20, taking the name Sr. Jacoba María Pilar de San Francisco de Borja. She made her profession on October 15, 1899. She embroidered exquisitely. As sacristan, she poured her love for God into beautiful lacework, which, sparing no effort, she left to adorn the church and serve as an example of her diligence. She had a great devotion to the Eucharist and referred to the Blessed Sacrament as “El Vivo,” the Living One. She was known for her great seclusion in her cell, where she silently enjoyed her constant and loving communion with God. When war broke out, she was aware of the danger to which the community was exposed and was heard to say, “If they martyr us, we will go singing, like the Compiègne martyrs.” Bl. Maria Angeles of St Joseph Marciana Valtierra Tordesillas was born in Getafe, Spain, on March 6, 1905, to Manuel and Lorenza Tordesillas. She was the youngest of eleven siblings, six of whom died in early childhood. Her gentle, calm nature meant nothing could make her cry, even when her younger siblings tried to provoke her. When she was three years old, her mother died. At twelve, she wrote to her sister, a nun: “When I lost my mother, being so small, I didn’t realize what I was losing; now I miss her so much. How much I need her! But the Blessed Virgin Mary is taking her place, for I have entrusted myself to her and have taken her as my mother.” She was aware of a religious vocation from childhood. Daily Eucharist, the rosary, the sacraments, and long hours of prayer before the tabernacle were her daily spiritual food; she was cheerful and kind, and she never sought anything for herself. Charity in word and deed was her most outstanding virtue, and she devoted herself to the poor in all their needs. She never betrayed anyone's good name, and if conversations turned to criticism or gossip, she would quietly withdraw. This good example was her hallmark throughout her life. Her entry into the convent was delayed until she was 24, as she had to care for her widowed father and an aunt. When her aunt died, her father gave her permission to enter Carmel. On July 14, 1929, she left home and entered the Carmelite convent of San José in Guadalajara. She was happy “alone with God alone,” in the longed-for haven, and from then on was called Sr. María Ángeles de San José. She devoted herself to recollection, silence, and mortification, and excelled in humility and charity. She shunned any pretense of standing out, considered herself the least of all, and always humbled herself. She lived abandoned to God like a child, yet remained exquisitely faithful and ready to serve her sisters. Her ardent missionary zeal led her to offer everything for the salvation of souls, and she desired that God be known and loved by all. She wrote to her sister Concepcionista: “What a great joy it is to be a Carmelite! No matter how much you think about it, you can’t even imagine it.” She was devoted to being faithful in small things and once said, “We must see if we can be faithful enough for God to grant us the grace of martyrdom.” Again, she once said, “How marvelous to be martyrs, but I am not worthy of that grace.” In the process of beatification, the sisters testifying agreed that they could not remember Sr Maria Angeles committing a single fault in her Carmelite life. One of her confessors stated: “Sr Maria Angeles would have achieved sainthood even if she had not suffered martyrdom.” Bl. Teresa of the Child Jesus and of St John of the Cross Eusebia García, the youngest of the martyrs, was born on March 5, 1909, in Mochales, Spain, to Juan and Eulalia García. She was the second of eight children and devoted to God from a very young age. From the age of six, she lived for long periods with her uncle, Fr. D. Florentino, who also shed his blood for Christ the King in Sigüenza (Guadalajara) in 1936. At nine, she made two vows: chastity and Marian slavery. In 1918, she entered the Ursuline Sisters' school as a boarding student. Reading the autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, whose name she would adopt in Carmel, she felt a clear calling to the Carmelite cloister and was drawn from the outset to the convent of San José in Guadalajara. She had to wait, using the time to perfect her musical studies and train in penance. Like Thérèse, she also had to overcome a difficult temperament, and her sisters in Carmel testified that she tried hard to correct her faults and be charitable. She was granted permission to enter at 16 on May 2, 1925, taking the name Sr. Teresa of the Child Jesus of Saint John of the Cross. After crossing the cloister door, the new postulant felt completely happy. She was appointed organist and made her debut at the canonization of Saint Thérèse on May 25, 1925. On March 6, 1930, she pronounced her solemn vows. She then dedicated herself wholeheartedly to her sanctification, striving to make her religious life shine with love, fidelity, and surrender to God's will. Like Sr Maria Pilar, she had a great devotion to prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, which she fondly called ‘sunbathing.’ She spent long hours before the tabernacle praying for the sanctification of priests and the salvation of souls, and she also made known her desire for martyrdom. Martyrdom From the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, the Carmelite nuns of Guadalajara suffered disturbances, with children throwing stones at the monastery and passers-by shouting insults. The longing for martyrdom grew stronger in every heart in this blessed convent, which they hoped to attain through the Lord's mercy. On July 22, 1936, Guadalajara was taken by the Republicans, and the convent had to be abandoned. Dressed as laywomen, the nuns prepared to leave as the Republicans were coming to burn the monastery down. They left in pairs and went to the homes of acquaintances, praying without ceasing. On July 24, some of the community who had taken refuge in a hotel left to join other sisters in a boarding house. The landlady, frightened by the 12 religious sheltering there, said only three could stay. Sr Teresa suggested that three of them go to the house of a nearby woman she knew. Sr Maria Pilar, Sr. Maria Angeles, and Sr. Teresa left the house together around 4 p.m. As they went down the street, they passed a truck where some militiamen were having a snack. A woman with the group cried out, “Shoot them, they’re nuns!” They reached the house, but the militia followed and opened fire on them. Sr Maria Angeles died instantly, while Sr Maria Pilar was badly wounded. When they saw she was still alive, they shot her again and stabbed her with a knife. She exclaimed, “Long live Christ the King! My God, forgive them!” An assault guard took her to a nearby pharmacy, then she was taken to the Red Cross station, where she was treated with great charity. Hearing Doña María Carrasco speak, she said, “Don't leave me, ma'am, don't let them touch me. But what have I done to them? Forgive them, Lord!” She was then taken by ambulance to the Provincial Hospital and examined again. She had a shotgun wound in her abdomen, a broken spine, a broken leg, and an exposed kidney. The Director notified Sr. Dolores Casanova of the Sisters of Charity that she was a nun. She gave her a crucifix to kiss, and she died in her arms, repeating, “Forgive them, forgive them…” Sr Teresa escaped the first hail of bullets but was apprehended by the militia soon afterward. They pretended to look after her but led her to a cemetery, where they demanded that she shout “Long live Communism! Long live Russia!” Instead, firm in her purpose of surrendering herself to God, she opened her arms in the form of a cross, shouting, “Long live Christ the King! Long live Christ the King!” A volley of bullets from behind killed her. These martyrs were beatified by Pope St John Paul II on March 29, 1987. They were the first of the thousands of martyrs of the Spanish Civil War to be recognized as martyrs by the Church. The Carmel of Guadalajara is still home to a community of Carmelite nuns who actively promote the cause for the canonization of their Sisters. Bl. Maria Sagrario Elvira Moragas y Cantarero was born in Lillo, Spain, on January 8, 1881. She was the third of four children of Ricardo Moragas, a pharmacist, and Isabel Cantarero. In 1886, her family moved to Madrid after her father became the pharmaceutical purveyor to the royal household. Inspired by him, Elvira studied pharmacy, became one of the first women in Spain to earn a pharmacy degree, and worked with her father. After his death, she continued the work and proved her professional ability. During this time, she became aware of her religious vocation to the Carmelites and decided to enter the order. However, her spiritual director asked her to wait because her younger brother still needed her help, and she agreed. In 1915, she was admitted as a postulant to the Carmel of St. Anne and St. Joseph in Madrid. On December 21, she began her novitiate and received the name Sr. Maria Sagrario of St. Aloysius Gonzaga. She made her temporary profession on December 24, 1916, and her solemn profession on January 6, 1920. Sr. Maria Sagrario excelled in the monastery. Her pharmaceutical skills came in handy. Her devotion to the contemplative life, virtues, and wisdom impressed the sisters. She was elected Prioress in April 1927. In 1930, she became novice mistress and often told her novices of her desire to be a martyr. She was elected prioress again on July 1, 1936, two weeks before the Spanish Civil War broke out with a wave of religious persecution. Mother Maria Sagrario, concerned for her sisters' care, made plans to disband the community and find safe havens for them. On July 20, a mob attacked the monastery. With great heroism and efficiency, Maria Sagrario spirited the nuns to various safe havens and told them to stay hidden until the rage passed. The nuns, though terrified themselves, saw the serenity of their Prioress. They also testified later that Maria Sagrario was completely open to the will of God and was willing to accept death to protect the sisters. Mother Maria took refuge at another sister's family home. Her brother asked her to come and stay with him, but she refused, saying she had to remain where she was. On August 14, the house was raided by Republicans, who arrested the two nuns. They questioned her as Prioress, for after rummaging through the monastery, they had found no valuables. They tried to force her to reveal their whereabouts and those of the other sisters, yet Maria Sagrario remained silent. She was questioned roughly and threatened, yet she remained serene, surrendering to God's will. The next day, on August 15, the Solemnity of the Assumption of Our Lady, she was taken to the Pradera of San Isidro and shot. Following her death, God answered her prayers: the rest of the sisters survived the persecution. On May 10, 1998, she was beatified by Pope St. John Paul II. Prayer: Father, strength of the humble, you sustained in martyrdom the virgins Blessed Maria Pilar, Maria Sagrario, and companions. As they willingly shed their blood for Christ the King, may we, through their intercession, be faithful to You and to your Church until death. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.