At Barbastro, likewise in Spain, Blessed Florentino Asensio Barroso, bishop and martyr, who, as persecution raged against the Church, bore witness with his own blood to the faith he had never ceased to preach to the people committed to him, being shot through with bullets by the militiamen.
Lifespan: 1877–1936
Beatified: 4 May 1997 by Pope John Paul II
Memoria liturgica: 9 August
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Remain in my love.
John 15:9
Florentino Asensio Barroso was born on 16 October 1877 at Villasexmir, in the province of Valladolid, Spain, into a family of small tradespeople.
Throughout his life he remained in the love of Christ. Like Him, he devoted himself to the service of his brethren, above all in the priestly ministry, which he exercised generously for many years, first in Valladolid and then, for a brief period, as Apostolic Administrator of the see of Barbastro — to which he had been appointed just months before the outbreak of the lamentable civil war of 1936.
For a minister of the Lord, love is lived in pastoral charity; and so, faced with the dangers that were gathering, he did not abandon his flock but, as a Good Shepherd, offered his life for them.
The bishop, as teacher and guide in the faith for his people, is called to profess that faith in word and deed. Monsignor Asensio bore his responsibility as shepherd to its ultimate consequence, dying for the faith he lived and preached.
In the final moments of his life, after enduring grievous and harrowing torments, when one of his executioners asked whether he knew what fate awaited him, he replied with serenity and steadfastness: “I am going to Paradise.” He died on 9 August 1936, proclaiming his unshakeable faith in Christ, conqueror of death and giver of eternal life.