(Spain). On 22 September, the liturgical calendar of the Salesian Family commemorates a group of Spanish martyrs from Barcelona (Blessed Joseph Calasanz Marquéz and 31 companions, beatified in 2011). In this group there are two Daughters of Mary Help of Christians who offered their lives moved by fraternal charity, giving up the opportunity to leave Spain during the civil war to assist a sick sister.
Sr. Carmen Moreno and sr. Amparo Carbonell tried to hide and protect their sister as long as they could. Their effort lasted a little over a month. On 1 September 1936 all three were arrested. Providentially, the sick Sister managed to be freed from the hands of the jailers, while the other two sisters were murdered on September 6, 1936. On that day, the day of their martyrdom, fraternal charity was sealed with blood
The only Community of the FMA Institute , Vellore Katpadi (Province of St. Thomas the Apostle Madras-INM) dedicated to Blessed Sister Carmen Moreno since 2001, after having studied the life of the Patroness of the house, celebrated with the Educating Community the memory of her total donation. This year, despite the pandemic, the annual appointment took place on 5 September 2020.
The two martyrs deserve our grateful remembrance. Their courage in giving their life, modeled on the offering of Christ, will remain forever united to His redemptive death and, therefore, is a source of grace for the Church and for the FMA Institute. Fraternal charity that gives itself to the point of heroism constitutes an eloquent Gospel that even oppressors and non-believers can read.
Among the many martyrs of the twentieth century, victims of the Spanish Civil War, there are two Daughters of Mary Help of Christians and, even if their faces have been disfigured by aggressive violence, they allow us to contemplate the face of Jesus, the most beautiful of human children, who calls to holiness.
The Liturgical memorial is a precious opportunity to become aware that the blood of martyrs pulsates in the Salesian Family and involves all its members. The testimony of Sister Carmen and Sister Amparo gives the key to knowing how to love like Jesus and reminds us that the two FMA intercede with God with their powerful prayer for the needs of the world, the Church, and the FMA Institute.
Canonization will be possible if there is a miracle obtained through their intercession. A miracle is sufficient for the sanctification of both if they are invoked together for a specific grace. The appeal of the Institute is to invoke their intercession in time of need and thus contribute to the progress of the Cause of Canonization.
