Blessed John Mary of the Cross celebrated in Puente la Reina (Spain)

25 years after the beatification of the Dehonian martyr, Father John Mary of the Cross, the Spanish Province celebrated this anniversary with gratitude from April 10 to 12, 2026.

On March 11, 2001, Pope Saint John Paul II proclaimed 233 Spanish martyrs blessed, including Father John Mary of the Cross, a member of the Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart. On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of his beatification, celebrated by the Spanish Province, more than twenty members of the family of the Dehonian Blessed went on a pilgrimage to Puente la Reina. They were able to participate in this tribute and remember “their uncle Mariano, the saint,” as they affectionately call him.

The scheduled events, which were also attended by the residents of Puente la Reina and the SCJ religious, were organized around several highlights:

The blessing of the new image of Blessed John Mary of the Cross;
Eucharistic Adoration;
A conference by the Postulator General, Fr. Ramón Domínguez;
The Saturday and Sunday Eucharists, presided over respectively by the Superior General, Fr. Carlos Luis Suárez, and by the Provincial Superior, Fr. Juan José Arnaiz.

Nearly 100 years after the martyrdom of Fr. Juan María de la Cruz, his memory remains alive. His testimony of forgiveness and fidelity to Christ and the Church continues to inspire all those who know the story of the Protector of Dehonian vocations.