Bl. Julio Junyer Padern

A native of Vilamaniscle, Spain, Father Julio Junyer Padern was a Salesian priest known for his zealous and energetic dedication to his priestly duties. He provided spiritual direction to numerous religious of the various congregations dispersed by the Spanish Civil War. It was Father Junyer's very active apostolate that exposed him to the danger of being arrested by the forces of the anti-Catholic Popular Front. For a time, he took refuge with two other Catholic "fugitives" in the home of a sympathetic Catholic woman in Gerona. Eventually, Father Junyer was captured and condemned to death under the false charges of espionage and high treason. He was brought to a fortress at Montjuic to be executed there. Just before dying on April 26, 1938, Father Junyer blessed the marriage of a couple condemned to die with him.