Blessed Ceferino Gimenez Malla

BCI logóCeferino Jiminez Malla, also known as “El Pelé”, “the Strong One” or “the Brave One” was killed in Barbastro (Spain) with many priests, brothers and Catholic lay people during the religious persecution during the Spanish civil war.

Ceferino was born in Benavent de Lrida in 1861 to Catholic gypsies. He was baptized in Fraga and lived as a nomad for 40 years, then he settled in Barbastro. He was married at a young age, according to the custom of the gypsies, but he had no children. He did however take in a niece and raised her. In 1912 he decided to be married in church and a little while later he began attending mass every Sunday and also on the weekdays, always receiving Holy Communion.

He never attended school as a child and remained illiterate, yet he knew to keep alive a true friendship with a university professor. He would gather the youngsters, gypsies and non-gypsies alike, to teach them some stories from the Bible and the basic prayers.

He kept peace among the kalos and resolved their disputes with the others. He became a widow in 1922, married off his then grown niece and began to pray more and more. In his work as a merchant of animals he conducted himself honestly. He became a Third Order Franciscan and also was member of the Society of St Vincent de Paul. In 1931 started attending nocturnal Eucharistic Adoration.

When the civil war erupted in July of 1936, he defended a priest that had been imprisoned. He was also arrested. After a few days an anarchist tried to free him, asking him however to surrender his rosary and to not pray openly as he had done before. El Pelé thanked him but did not accept the offer. On 9th of August he was shot in the cemetery. He died cluthching his rosary and shouting: “Long live Chirst the King!” His body was tossed in a common grave and never recovered.

On May 4, 1997 Ceferino Giménez Malla was beatified by Pope John Paul II.

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