BLESSED OTILIA ALONSO GONZALEZ OP
Among the Dominican martyrs of the Spanish Civil war were women religious: the Dominican Teaching Sisters of Anunciata and the Teaching Sisters of the Beaterio of Barcelona.
It is my pleasure to present to you the valiant Dominican Sister, Blessed Otilia Alonso Gonzalez of the Anunciata Congregation. She was the youngest among the women martyrs and continued her passion even after being fatally wounded.
BLESSED OTILIA ALONSO GONZÁLEZ, VIRGIN AND MARTYR
Blessed Otilia Alonso Gonzalez OP was born on 31 December, 1916 in Enfistiella, Nembra (Asturias, Spain), She was baptized on 2 January, 1917 and made her confirmation on the 11 November, 1925. At age 2 her mother died. Her father Hermenegildo (Gildo) remarried and with his new wife, Esperanza, and became a loving mother to Otilia and gave him more sons.
She began her education in the public school and completed her formation at the College of the Dominican Sisters of the Anunciata in Caborana. She entered the Congregation in Vic on 10 April, 1932; and made her profession on 15 October, 1933. When she renewed her vows in 1935 she was assigned to Barcelona-Horta to begin her studies as a school teacher.
As the clouds of war became rife in the whole of Spain, on July of 1936, she transferred to the community of Barcelona-Trafalgar hoping to find passage and a refuge in her native Asturias. Her convent, as in all religious houses and Churches were attacked and harassed by the militias, and not being able to find anything of worth, They arrested the five religious amidst the insults and the laughter of the people waiting on the streets. They were brought to various committees out of contempts for these women and as a diversion from their activities.
The militia had fixed their interest on the young Sister Otilia, they tried to win her by feigning attraction to her beauty and youth. But they had to give up their insidious plans for the intelligence, dignity, bearing, constancy and courage these women who defended their consecrated virginity. All were admirable and supported one another as they felt that the time to end their lives in martyrdom was near.
On 27 July, nine days after the outbreak of the war, and seeing that none of them were interested to enjoy their lives further, they were herded into a truck of the FAI to bring them back to their convents. But when the sisters found out that the truck was going to the direction of Tibidabo, they realized that the final hour had come and prepared themselves for martyrdom which they gladly accept with heroic serenity.
A militia woman accompanied the convoy. The head of the militia did not take his eyes off the young Otilia as he was captivated by her beauty. He wanted to win her over and became to speak to her trying to save her and bring her back home. “If you come with me?” Otilia’s response was a tacit no and sought refuge in the Mother Superior, preferring martyrdom a thousand times.
In the place next to Vallvidrera, around five kilometers from this village, the truck was ordered to make a turn to a place called «El Fero». They were already impatient to kill them. They separated the three old sisters who died instantly. The woman militia asked that the younger ones be left for her and shot them on their stomachs so that they would suffer more. Two of them, Sisters Otilia and Ramona, were seriously wounded and lay beside the three cadavers. Their agony was to be long and painful. The truck got lost in the dead of the night.
Since it was a preferred place to perpetuate assassinations, a group of medics decided to put up a provisional blood hospital in order to help the victims who were badly hurt. This was in the quinta de San Salvador, a property of Doctor don Luis Vilar, where he worked as staff of the Red Cross. When they heard gunshots on the night of 27 July, they immediately localized the victoms and brought them to the clinic for first aid. While Doctor Serra was helping Sister Otilia and Doctor Luis Vilar on Sister Ramona, Mr. Fernández took note of what the two martyrs would want to say. It was through his personal account that we were able to know the details of their martyrdom.
The medics on feeling helpless to heal her would heard the account of all their tragedies. Of Sister Otilia, Doctor Serra said: «On seeing me helpless and in despair, she looked at me with gratefulness and said. Do not suffer, for I die for God and I am contented. She died forgiving: She forgave them with all her heart ». She expired like a saint, praying and conforming herself with the Will of God. She gave me the address of her home so that I can go and visit her parents and to tell them that she died conformed and totally pure ». She survived for two hours more and the doctor remembered that «she died like a little saint, kissing her rosary and a medal». She was only 19 years old.
It is my pleasure to present to you the valiant Dominican Sister, Blessed Otilia Alonso Gonzalez of the Anunciata Congregation. She was the youngest among the women martyrs and continued her passion even after being fatally wounded.
BLESSED OTILIA ALONSO GONZÁLEZ, VIRGIN AND MARTYR
Blessed Otilia Alonso Gonzalez OP was born on 31 December, 1916 in Enfistiella, Nembra (Asturias, Spain), She was baptized on 2 January, 1917 and made her confirmation on the 11 November, 1925. At age 2 her mother died. Her father Hermenegildo (Gildo) remarried and with his new wife, Esperanza, and became a loving mother to Otilia and gave him more sons.
She began her education in the public school and completed her formation at the College of the Dominican Sisters of the Anunciata in Caborana. She entered the Congregation in Vic on 10 April, 1932; and made her profession on 15 October, 1933. When she renewed her vows in 1935 she was assigned to Barcelona-Horta to begin her studies as a school teacher.
As the clouds of war became rife in the whole of Spain, on July of 1936, she transferred to the community of Barcelona-Trafalgar hoping to find passage and a refuge in her native Asturias. Her convent, as in all religious houses and Churches were attacked and harassed by the militias, and not being able to find anything of worth, They arrested the five religious amidst the insults and the laughter of the people waiting on the streets. They were brought to various committees out of contempts for these women and as a diversion from their activities.
The militia had fixed their interest on the young Sister Otilia, they tried to win her by feigning attraction to her beauty and youth. But they had to give up their insidious plans for the intelligence, dignity, bearing, constancy and courage these women who defended their consecrated virginity. All were admirable and supported one another as they felt that the time to end their lives in martyrdom was near.
On 27 July, nine days after the outbreak of the war, and seeing that none of them were interested to enjoy their lives further, they were herded into a truck of the FAI to bring them back to their convents. But when the sisters found out that the truck was going to the direction of Tibidabo, they realized that the final hour had come and prepared themselves for martyrdom which they gladly accept with heroic serenity.
A militia woman accompanied the convoy. The head of the militia did not take his eyes off the young Otilia as he was captivated by her beauty. He wanted to win her over and became to speak to her trying to save her and bring her back home. “If you come with me?” Otilia’s response was a tacit no and sought refuge in the Mother Superior, preferring martyrdom a thousand times.
In the place next to Vallvidrera, around five kilometers from this village, the truck was ordered to make a turn to a place called «El Fero». They were already impatient to kill them. They separated the three old sisters who died instantly. The woman militia asked that the younger ones be left for her and shot them on their stomachs so that they would suffer more. Two of them, Sisters Otilia and Ramona, were seriously wounded and lay beside the three cadavers. Their agony was to be long and painful. The truck got lost in the dead of the night.
Since it was a preferred place to perpetuate assassinations, a group of medics decided to put up a provisional blood hospital in order to help the victims who were badly hurt. This was in the quinta de San Salvador, a property of Doctor don Luis Vilar, where he worked as staff of the Red Cross. When they heard gunshots on the night of 27 July, they immediately localized the victoms and brought them to the clinic for first aid. While Doctor Serra was helping Sister Otilia and Doctor Luis Vilar on Sister Ramona, Mr. Fernández took note of what the two martyrs would want to say. It was through his personal account that we were able to know the details of their martyrdom.
The medics on feeling helpless to heal her would heard the account of all their tragedies. Of Sister Otilia, Doctor Serra said: «On seeing me helpless and in despair, she looked at me with gratefulness and said. Do not suffer, for I die for God and I am contented. She died forgiving: She forgave them with all her heart ». She expired like a saint, praying and conforming herself with the Will of God. She gave me the address of her home so that I can go and visit her parents and to tell them that she died conformed and totally pure ». She survived for two hours more and the doctor remembered that «she died like a little saint, kissing her rosary and a medal». She was only 19 years old.
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