Inocencio of Mary Immaculate (March 10, 1887–October 9, 1934), born Manuel Canoura Arnau, was a priest and member of the Passionist Congregation and was killed during the

Asturias revolt The Asturian miners' strike of 1934 was a major strike action undertaken by regional miners against the 1933 Spanish general election, which redistributed political power from the leftists to conservatives in the Second Spanish Republic. The str ...

. He and his companions are known collectively as the Martyrs of Turon. He was canonised by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

in 1999.

Life

He was born on March 10, 1887, at

Santa Cilla do Valadouro Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a Legend, legendary figure originating in Western Christianity, Western Christian culture who is said to Christmas gift-bringer, bring ...

(

Foz Foz () is a town and municipality in the A Mariña Central comarca in the Galician province of Lugo. It has been historically linked to the Ancient Province of Mondoñedo and also linked to the arrival of Briton immigrants during the Dark Age ...

), near the Cantabrian coast in the province of Lugo (Galicia) and joined the Passionist seminary at the age of 14 at Peñafiel, near Valladolid. Mercurio, R: "The Passionists", page 176. The Liturgical Press, 1991 He joined the Passionist Congregation at Deusto (

Biscay Biscay (; eu, Bizkaia ; es, Vizcaya ) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lordship of Biscay, lying on the south shore of the eponymous bay. The capital and largest city is Bilbao. B ...

) and then continued his philosophy and theology. At

Mieres Mieres is a municipality of Asturias, northern Spain, with approximately 38,000 inhabitants. The municipality of Mieres is made up of the capital, Mieres del Camino and the villages of Baiña, Figaredo, Cenera, Loredo, La Peña, La Rebollada, S ...

, not far from

Turón Turón is a municipality in the province of Granada, Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyon ...

, he was given the sub-diaconate in 1910, the diaconate in 1912 and was ordained priest in 1920.Mercurio, R: "The Passionists", page 37. The Liturgical Press, 1991 As a priest he preached missions and also taught in various schools. Whilst he was in Mieres he had been asked by the Brothers of the Christian Schools (De La Salle) to hear the confessions of the children on their school as they prepared for their First Communion. This was at the time of the

, when communists and anti-clericalists had risen up against the

Second Spanish Republic The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931, after the deposition of Alfonso XIII, King Alfonso XIII, and was di ...

Martyrdom

On Friday October 5, 1934, a group of

strikers Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...

forced their way into the

Lasallian french: Frères des Écoles Chrétiennes , image = Signum Fidei.jpg , image_size = 175px , caption = , abbreviation = FSC , nickname = Lasallians , named_after = , formation ...

school in Turón, where Father Inocencio was exercising his priestly ministry. He was imprisoned alongside the eight Brothers in the so-called "House of the People" to await the judgment of the Republican committee. They were condemned to death and, in the early hours of October 9, 1934, were executed by a firing squad. Their bodies were buried in a common grave. Inocencio is regarded by the Catholic church as one of the

Martyrs of the Spanish Civil War During the Spanish Civil War Catholic people faced persecution from the Republican faction of the war, in part due to their support of the nationalists and the recently abolished monarchy. The Catholic Church venerates them as martyrs. More t ...

. Although his death occurred some two years prior to the outbreak of the war, his death was part of the same violence and anti-clerical feeling of that period in Spain's history.

Canonization

Inocencio and his eight fellow martyrs were declared venerable in 1989, beatified on April 19, 1990, then canonized on November 21, 1999, by Pope John Paul II.

External links

Vatican Biography of Father Innocencio and his companions

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Immaculate, Innocencio Of Mary 1887 births 1934 deaths Passionists Spanish Roman Catholic saints Martyred Roman Catholic priests 20th-century Christian saints 20th-century Roman Catholic martyrs Executed Spanish people Beatifications by Pope John Paul II

Life

Martyrdom

Canonization

External links

See also

References