The bishops of the ecclesiastical province of Madrid, which comprises the dioceses of Madrid, Getafe and Alcalá de Henares, presented on Friday, November 6, the pastoral letter “¡Que más fuerte que muerte es el amor!”, on the occasion of the beatification of Ignacio Aláez Vaquero and ten companion martyrs. The ceremony will take place on Saturday, November 28, at 12:00, in the cathedral of Santa María la Real de la Almudena, in Madrid, as reported by the Archdiocese of Madrid.
The publication of the text coincides with the liturgical memorial of the saints and blessed martyrs of the 20th century in Spain. In the letter, the prelates propose the testimony of the martyrs as a call to hope, forgiveness and reconciliation, and emphasize that “the memory of these martyrs is not merely a historical recollection, but a true force for the present.” The bishops also hope that the beatification will not remain a one-time event, but will strengthen the Christian life of the communities and open paths of fraternity and service.
Nine seminarians, one priest and one layman
The group consists of nine young seminarians, one priest and one layman, murdered in the province of Madrid during the religious persecution of the 1930s, and their testimony is especially linked to the three dioceses. Among them are Cástor Zarco García, subdeacon of Madrid, 24 years old, martyred in Alcalá de Henares, as well as Antonio Moralejo Fernández-Shaw, 19-year-old seminarian, Liberato Moralejo Juan, 60, and Mariano Arrizabalaga Español, 21-year-old seminarian from Barbastro at the Pontifical Seminary of Comillas, the three martyred at the Castillo de Aldovea, according to the Diocese of Alcalá de Henares.
Pope Leo XIV authorized the recognition of their martyrdom on December 18, 2025, a decree that InfoVaticana reported at the time along with other causes of the saints approved that day.
Vigil with young people and thanksgiving Masses
The beatification will be presided over by Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, on behalf of the Pope. The day before, Friday, November 27 at 20:00, a prayer vigil will be held in the Almudena, especially directed at the young people of the three dioceses.
After the ceremony there will be three thanksgiving Eucharists: the one in Madrid, on Sunday, November 29 at 12:00 in the cathedral of the Almudena; the one in Alcalá de Henares, on Friday, December 4 at 20:15 in the monastery of San Bernardo; and the one in Getafe, on Friday, December 11 at 19:30 in the sanctuary of the Cerro de los Ángeles. The full text of the letter can be read on the website of the Archdiocese of Madrid and on that of the Diocese of Alcalá de Henares.