Blessed Juan Gonga Martínez

Juan Gonga Martínez (born March 25, 1912, in Carcaixent; died November 13, 1936) was a Spanish blessed of the Catholic Church and a member of Catholic Action. He was baptized on March 28, 1912, and received his First Holy Communion on May 25, 1922, at the age of 10. He dreamed of becoming a priest, but illness prevented him from doing so. He later became a member of Catholic Action. Following the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, he was arrested on July 25, 1936. Although he was subsequently released and fled to another city, he was arrested again and executed by firing squad. Before his death, he pointed to a cross and addressed his executioners. He is one of the victims of the anti-Catholic religious persecution during the Spanish Civil War. Juan Gonga Martínez was beatified by Pope John Paul II on March 11, 2001, as a martyr killed in hatred of the faith (Latin: odium fidei) among a group of 232 companions of José Aparicio Sanz.