SEPTEMBER 6TH, EXTERNAL SOLEMNITY OF SAINT PETER CLAVER, PRIEST AND CONFESSOR,

Principle PATRON of the Diocese of Lake Charles; Commemoration of the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Month in honor of the Seven Dolours of the BVM.

(The Life of Saint Peter Claver I will save for his feast day. Today, we will hear of:)

Blessed Domitilo Llamas Barrero

Born 3 September 1907 in Ayoó de Vidriales, Zamora, Spain, as a boy of 15 Felipe, a Spaniard, joined the Franciscan Capuchins on 2 August 1923, taking the name Domitilo of Ayoó. After the usual year of noviciate, he made his religious profession on 3 August 1924, followed by studies for the priesthood. Brother Domitilo was ordained a priest on 30 May 1931 and quickly became known as a passionate preacher.

Less than five years later, Father Domitilo was arrested on 3 August 1936, the 12th anniversary of his religious profession, in the early days of the Spanish Civil War for the offense of being a priest and for continuing to preach in the streets after the war started. While in custody, he refused to consent to remove his Capuchin habit, which the Communists hated. He spent his captivity ministering to other prisoners, and he spoke to them of forgiveness instead of revenge. His final acts in the cemetery where he and 22 fellow prisoners were executed was to give sacramental absolution to the other Martyrs. He was put to death for his "crimes" at the age of 29, on the night of 6 September 1936 in Peón cemetery, Gijón, Asturias, Spain, and beatified on 13 October 2013 by authority of Pope Francis.