Blessed San Juan Jacobo Fernandez

The Martyrs of Damascus were eleven Catholic saints martyred while praying inside a Franciscan-run parish in Damascus by Druze during the 1860 civil conflict in Mount Lebanon and Damascus. They consist of The Massabki Brothers (Arabic: الأخوة المسابكيين) (Abdel Moati Massabki, Francis Massabki, and Raphael Massabki) and Manuel Ruiz Lopez and Companions (Manuel Ruiz López, Carmelo Bolta Bañuls, Nicanor Ascanio Soria, Nicolás María Alberca Torres, Pedro Nolasco Soler Méndez, Engelbert Kolland, Francisco Pinazo Peñalver, and Juan Jacob Fernández). The Massabki Brothers were three Maronite Catholics from Damascus, in present-day Syria and sons of Nehme Massabki. Emmanuel Ruiz and the seven other martyrs were Franciscans, seven from Spain and one from Austria. Their martyrdom took place in the night between 9-10 July 1860 and they were beatified in 1926. All eleven were canonized on 20 October 2024. Francis Massabki was a silk merchant, married man, and father. Because of his business skills, he was the representative of the Maronite Patriarch in Syria and acted on behalf of the Franciscans. Abdel Moati Massabki was also married and was martyred in front of two of his children. Raphael Massabki, as he was unmarried, was known for the help he gave to the friars. All three were known for their devotion to prayer. Reportedly, it was Francis who refused to deny the faith to the Druze. Because of his good standing, those who martyred him offered to spare his life if he converted to Islam; Francis refused. Manuel Ruiz López was the guardian of the friary and was martyred at the age of 56. When the Druze who murdered these martyrs entered the friary, Father Ruiz López ran to the tabernacle to consume the Eucharist. Carmelo Bolta Bañuls was the pastor and was martyred at the age of 57. Nicanor Ascanio Soria was ordained as a diocesan priest but rejoined the Franciscans two years before his martyrdom at age 46. His spirituality always was oriented toward martyrdom.