From: rich <
richarra@gmail.com>
October 9th - Bl. Cyril Tejedor and Company
(Died 1934)
Spain in the 1930s produced not only many an anti-Christian villain
but many a Christian hero. Among the latter were Blessed Cyril
Bertrand Tejedor and seven other Brothers of the Christian Schools,
and with them their chaplain, Fr. Innocencio Amau, a Passionist
priest. They were martyred together at Turon in northern Spain in
1934.
Brother Cyril Bertrand was a native of Lerma, born in the Spanish
diocese of Burgos, in March 1888. Baptized Jose Sanz Tejedor, he took
the religious name of Brother Cyril Bertrand in 1907 when he entered
the Brothers of the Christian Schools, the well-known teaching
brotherhood founded by St. John Baptist de la Salle.
At the end of his training, Cyril was appointed to teach in a very
difficult school. Observing the counsels given by de la Salle in his
book =E2=80=9CThe Conduct of Schools=E2=80=9D, Br. Cyril achieved by patien=
ce and
fortitude a genuine skill in the classroom. That skill he took with
him to a number of other schools, and when these schools were closed
by the civil authorities because they were operated by religious, he
was appointed superior of the Brothers' school at Santander. During
the six years he spent at Santander, the school achieved such a good
reputation that many pupils in other schools transferred there, hoping
that Brother Cyril might become their teacher.
In 1933 Brother Cyril Bertrand's abilities were given the acid test=
..
He was invited to take over a school at Turon in the Asturias region.
The Brothers conducted 14 schools in the Asturias. The schools at
Turon was attended largely by the sons of local miners who, like the industrialists of the area, were in those days highly politicized.
Within a few months after his arrival at Turon, Tejedor made a 30-day
retreat, in which he placed himself totally in God's hands.
He had good reason to commit himself totally to God. In 1931, when the
Spanish monarchy was replaced by the Second Republic, there had been
an upsurge of political and social unrest in the Asturias. Several
left-wing parties supporting the Republic had combined to introduce anticlerical legislation, intent particularly on wresting from the
Church its control of education. In the elections of 1933, however,
rightist parties won out. Would the monarchy now be restored? Not so,
swore the leftists. They launched a local rebellion on October 4,
1934. The revolt lasted only 15 days, but it took heavy military force
to suppress, and during that fortnight over a thousand people were
killed and thousands more wounded.
It was on the second hectic day of this rebellion, October 5, a First
Friday, that the anticlerical insurgents arrested Brother Cyril and
the seven others, along with their Passionist chaplain. They were
jailed along with other religious, with local priests, and a number of
civic leaders. On October 9, early in the morning, the eight Brothers
and the chaplain and two officers of the government forces were led
out to the cemetery and told that they were to die. A large pit had
been opened in the middle of the graveyard. The victims were lined up
on its edge and shot to death; their bodies fell into this common
grave.
The rebel leader who ordered the execution, long afterward recalled, =E2=80=9CThe Brothers and the priest quietly listened to the sentence and t= hen
walked to the center of the cemetery at a leisurely yet firm pace.
They knew where they were going and went like lambs to the slaughter.
It was so impressive that I, hardened as I am, could not help being moved=E2=80=A6. I think that while walking, and while waiting at the gate,
they prayed in a subdued voice.=E2=80=9D
The seven Brothers who died with Cyril were young men. Marciano Jose
was a nonteaching brother, owing to deafness and health problems;.
Vittoriano Pio, an able musician, had been at Turon only 20 days;
Julian Alfredo had been assigned there because of his known strength
of character; Benjamino Julian, because of his good judgment and his
sense of joy. Oldest of the men was the Passionist Fr. Innocencio. He
just happened to be at the house on the day of the arrest because he
had come there on October 4 to hear the Brothers' confessions for
First Friday.
The Passionist and the eight teaching brothers were not the only
victims of this anticlerical revolt. There were also ten diocesan
priests, two other Passionists, three Vincentians, two Jesuits, a
Carmelite, and six seminarians. They, too, had not known the day nor
the hour when they would be tested for their faith. But the Brothers
of the Christian Schools were appropriately beatified in a special
group in 1990.
=E2=80=93Father Robert
Saint Quote:
Suppose an evil person would offend you, or one whom you judge to be
evil or even imagine so. Would you abandon so many others who are
good?
-- St. Augustine
Bible Quote:
"The people served Yahweh throughout the lifetime of Joshua and
throughout the lifetime of those elders who outlived Joshua and had
known all the great deeds which Yahweh had done for the sake of
Israel. [..] And when that whole generation had been gathered to its
ancestors, another generation followed it which knew neither Yahweh
nor the deeds which he had done for the sake of Israel."=C2 Judges
2:7-10
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On Offering Ourselves wholly to God [V]
I offer Thee also all the holy aspirations of devout persons; the
needs of my parents, friends, brothers, sisters, and all who are dear
to me; and the needs of all who have desired or asked me to pray and
offer the Eucharist for them and theirs, whether living or departed. I
pray that all these may enjoy the assistance of Thy grace, the aid of
Thy comfort, protection from dangers, and deliverance from pains to
come; and that, freed from all evils, they may offer glad praise and
thanks to Thee.
--Thomas =C3 Kempis--Imitation of Christ Book 4 Ch.9
--- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2
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