The Lasallian Family celebrates the feast of St. Marciano Jose, the patron of the College of Tourism and Hospitality Management every October 9.
Life and Journey
Today, the Church recognizes the holiness of nine Brothers of the Christian Schools and of a Passionist Father. Eight of these Brothers formed a community which ran a school in Turon in the centre of a mining valley of the Asturias, in the north-east of Spain; they were martyred in 1934.
The ninth Brother was from Catalonia and was martyred in 1937 near Tarragona. The Passionist Father had come to the school in Turon in order to hear the children's confessions. The Church is glorifying the whole ten because they remained faithful to their consecration even as far as giving their life for the faith and their evangelizing mission. The official recognition of their holiness exalts at the same time their mission - one that we know is delicate and difficult - as Christian educators of youth. And the fact that the eight Brothers of Turon will be the canonized members of a community may be a powerful stimulus for our educational communities.
They were in the main young religious: four were under twenty-six years, and the eldest was hardly 46. Below are their names and some information on each of them.
Brother Marciano Jose (Filimeno Lopez Lopez) was born on November 17th 1900 at El Pedregal (Guadalajara). As one of a family of ordinary working people he learnt from his youth to endure the fatigue of work and to face up with courage to the difficulties of life. He was hardly 12 when he entered the Brother's juniorate at Bujedo, where he found one of his uncles, but a premature deafness obliged him to return to his family. As he insisted on being taken back into the Institute, he was admitted as a serving Brother. He made his first vows on July 9th 1919 and his final profession on July 9th, 1925. He was at Mieres in 1934 when he offered to take the place of a Brother who was frightened to go to Turon because of the social and political tensions that were far from promising. He had not been long in his new post when the Lord united his destiny in martyrdom with that of the other members of the community.
St. Marciano Jose. Pray for us. St. John Baptist de La Salle. Pray for us. Live Jesus in our hearts. Forever.
- Born in El Pedregal (Guadalajara), Spain, November 15, 1900
- Entered the novitiate on September 20, 1916
- Martyred in Spain on October 9, 1934
- Beatified April 29, 1990
- Canonized November 21, 1999