Blessed Antonio Arribas Hortigüela

Antonio Arribas Hortigüela (born April 29, 1908, in Cardeñadijo; died September 29, 1936, in Serinyà) was a Spanish religious of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, a martyr for the faith, and a blessed of the Catholic Church. Antonio Arribas Hortigüela was born on April 29, 1908, in Cardeñadijo, Burgos. He attended secondary school at the Minor Seminary of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart in Canet de Mar. He subsequently entered the novitiate and made his perpetual vows on September 30, 1928. He continued his theological studies in Barcelona and Logroño and was ordained a priest on April 6, 1935. On September 29, 1936, while on the way to Serinyà, he was murdered for his faith along with six other companions. Due to the political situation in Catalonia, Spain, the beatification process for Antonio and his companions began relatively late, in 1995. On July 8, 2016, Pope Francis signed a decree recognizing the martyrdom of Antonio Arribas and his companions. Their beatification took place on May 6, 2017, in Girona. His liturgical memorial, along with that of his companions, is celebrated on September 29 (dies natalis).