Blessed Manuel Martin Sierra

Emanuel Martin Sierra (born October 2, 1892, in Churriana de la Vega, Province of Granada; died July 26, 1936, in Motril) was a Spanish Catholic priest, ascetic, martyr, and blessed of the Catholic Church. After earning his baccalaureate, he entered the diocesan seminary. He was ordained a priest on October 24, 1915, in Granada, and subsequently worked as a seminary lecturer, chaplain, and secretary. In 1929, he arrived in Motril, and from 1930, he served as the parish priest at the Church of Divine Providence. He combined his pastoral work with charitable activities, living in poverty while providing aid to the poor. During the Spanish Civil War, fully aware of the danger, he remained in Motril. On the day of his death, he was led into the church courtyard and executed by firing squad alongside Father Vincent Pinilla, whom he had been sheltering. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II as part of a group of eight martyrs from Motril, victims killed "in hatred of the faith."