Ordo Praedicatorum

Among the martyrs of the Spanish Civil War recently beatified, the list included a former Master of the Order, Bonaventure García Paredes. Below is an excerpt of his biography (translated from Spanish) and prepared by the postulators of his cause for beatification: Fr. Vito T. Gómez, OP, Postulator General, and Fr Francesco Ricci, OP, Secretary of the Postulation.

A brief history of the life of Bl. Bonaventura and an account of his martyrdom:

Brother Bonaventure of St Louis Bertrand García Paredes2 was born and baptized on 19 April 1866 in Castañedo de Valdés, Luarca (Asturias) of very pious parents, Serapio García Paredes and Maria Pallasá, whose father came from French Navarre; he received an excellent formation in his family, and while young he showed signs of his future ecclesiastical vocation: he had a brother who was a priest and for a time a sister who was a Dominican in the monastery of the Annunciation at Avila. He received the habit on the feast of St Rose of Lima, 30 August 1883. On 22 May 1926 he was elected Master of the Order. A few years later, in 1929, he resigned as Master for reasons of health.

In mid-July 1936, he was in the priory of the Most Holy Rosary in Madrid. This house was attacked on Sunday 19 July 1936. The community comprised 15 religious, some assigned there others visiting, of whom 11 were beatified on 28 October 2007. Blessed Bonaventure had left the priory on the eve of the attack, invited by Don Pedro Errazquin, who offered shelter to other friars also. A month earlier, he had written to the Errazquin-Garmendía family, whom he had been in contact with since 1915 during his time in the Philippines: ‘Already I cannot oppose the sad reality which we suffer. Only by hoping in the mercy of God can we glimpse some hope’. This family volunteered to obtain for him a passport and a travel ticket to the Philippines, but he, elderly and unwell, had great difficulty in undertaking the journey and confided that he would travel only if his superiors in Rome allowed him. In fact he wrote to Rome and obtained permission for the journey. His friend Pedro Errazquin requested the passport, which was denied him because he was a religious.

While he was being sheltered in the house of Don Pedro Errazquin, he went to celebrate Mass in a chapel, but he was under police surveillance, and so, towards the end of July they found him a place at the Hotel of the Carmel in Saint Barbara’s square. In the end even this truly noble lay catholic, Don Pedro, would be put to death in the Pradera de San Isidro in Madrid because in searching his house they found the chalice belonging to Blessed Bonaventure. As the latter became convinced that the police kept him under strict observation, he took refuge in a boarding house called the Infante Don Juan. Here he administered the sacrament of confession to some of the residents, led a life of recollection and prayer, recited the breviary, and also celebrated Mass. A witness has testified: ‘Br Bonaventure stood in front of a small table with a small piece of bread and a glass and I believe he was celebrating Holy Mass’.

He was arrested on 11 August by armed men. He had identified himself as a religious and a priest, and said bravely: ‘I have committed no crime except that of being a priest and a religious; Divine Providence so wants’. Witnesses assure us that this is what he declared. They led him away to a place of torture called checa, situated in a Madrid street named García de Paredes. The following day, 12 August 1936, they took him to the small town of Fuencarral where at about 10 o’clock they shot him in the area known as Valdesenderín del Encinar, between Fuencarral and Alcobendas. He kept to the end his rosary and the breviary. They buried him in the cemetery of Fuencarral, a place where for centuries the Order had a priory and whose church was dedicated to ‘Nuestra Señora de Valverde’.

His remains were exhumed on 24 October 1940 and transferred to the crypt of the church of the Most Holy Rosary in Madrid. In 1967 they were again transferred to the pantheon-chapel of the priory of St Thomas Aquinas in Avila, where they still are.

All the witnesses in the process who knew the new Blessed, Bonaventura García Paredes, emphasize unanimously his virtues. He was a man with a rooted and deep faith who manifested his recollection and union with God. He had humane and good feelings towards everyone, always willing to forgive. His closeness to the world of workers and those who were lowly, simple and poor was noticed. Very prudent and wise, patient, just with everyone. He was constant in carrying out his duty, compassionate and firm in his decisions. He ate, drank and behaved with moderation, and was edifying in his deep humility.

Bl. Bonaventura, worthy successor to St. Dominic, pray for us!

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