On 24 October, the Vincentian Family remembers Father Amado García Sánchez, missionary and martyr of the faith, killed in Gijón (Asturias) in 1936, on the eve of the Solemnity of Christ the King. His life, marked by a simple and luminous faith, is the portrait of a heart that was not afraid to remain close to his brothers and sisters, even when the risk meant death.
Born in Moscardón (Teruel) on 29 April 1903, he entered the Congregation of the Mission at a very young age, professing his vows at eighteen and receiving priestly ordination in 1926. He was a popular missionary, close to the poor and small villages, always animated by a discreet smile and a word of peace. Wherever he went, he left a mark of goodness and evangelical consolation.
In 1929, he was sent to Gijón, where he founded a new Vincentian house and, in 1935, became its Superior. There, his apostolate extended to the Daughters of Charity and the groups of the Daughters of Mary, young women whom he accompanied spiritually and who, after his death, were witnesses to his martyrdom.
During the religious persecution that broke out with the Spanish Civil War, Fr. Amado chose to remain with his confreres and the faithful, even though he could have fled. When he learned that an elderly confrere, Brother Paulino Jiménez, had been left alone in the house in Gijón, he wanted to return to him, despite the danger.
Shortly afterwards, they were both arrested. During his days in prison, Fr. Amado confessed, comforted and prayed with those who were about to die. In those dramatic hours, his presence became a light: a living witness to God’s mercy.
On the afternoon of 24 October 1936, he was taken to the cemetery of Ceares de Gijón and shot along with other priests. He was only 33 years old. The young Daughters of Mary, whom he guided spiritually, found his body and reverently preserved a towel soaked with his blood, now kept as a relic in the Museum of Martyrs in Madrid.
Father Amado García Sánchez teaches us that authentic fidelity is not measured by success, but by closeness to our brothers and sisters, even in the darkest hours.
Remaining close to the poor, his confreres and the Daughters of Charity was for him an act of total love. His name, “Amado”, resounds like a prophecy: loved by God, he loved without measure, until the end.
His silent smile and gentle courage reflect the face of Christ the Good Shepherd, who never abandons his sheep. His memory reminds us that true charity is faithful even in the night of fear, and that Christian hope never dies: it is transformed into a gift, into peace, into light that continues to shine.
Almighty and eternal God,
who granted your servant Amado García Sánchez
to bear witness to the Gospel even to the gift of his life,
grant that we too may remain steadfast in faith
and faithful in charity,
finding in you the strength to love without fear.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
