THE MARTYRS OF THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR IV

THE MARTYRS OF THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR IV


BLESSED JOSEPHINE SAULEDA PAULIS OP
NUN, VIRGIN AND MARTYR
(1885-1936)

Among the beatified martyrs of the Spanish Civil War, we have the first Contemplative Dominican Nun who offered her life for Christ and for the reconciliation of her people.

Sant Pol de Mar, 30 July 1885 – Barcelona, 1 September 1936] Dominican Nun of the Monastery of Notre Dame of Mount Sion, Buried at the Monastery of Esplugues de Llobregat.

Sister Mary Josephine (alias Ventureta) was born in San Pol de Mar (Barcelona, Spain) on 30 July, 1885. She was the tenth daughter of the couple Victorià Sauleda i Roura and Josepa Paulís i Roura –who were first cousins-, they were married on 5 January, 1867 at the Chapel of Saint Francis de Paul, of La Havana (Cuba). From this matrimony there were 12 children: the first six were born in La Havana and the others in San Pol de Mar. She was baptized at the Parroquial Church of San Jaume, of San Pol de Mar, on 5 August, six days after her birth. She was christened with the name of Ventureta Martha Francisca. She was confirmed in her native town on 14 June, 1887, at two years of age, from the hands of Msgr. Tomás Sivilla, the Lord Bishop of Girona. She made her first communion on 23 May, 1897, at age 12.

Born to a family that is deeply Christian, it was in her home that she began to know nad love Jesus. Her mother taught all her children the sign of the cross and the basic prayers and to speak with the Lord. Upon reaching school age, her parents brought her to the school run by the Dominican Anunciata Sisters who had a College in San Pol. She was a good student. As she grew she was receiving an education in accordance to her family’s social position. She also made notable progress in music. She found herself happy and contented with the sisters, and more than once she thought of joining them.

Then came the moment when she clearly heard the call of God to the religious life and her spiritual director animated her to decide for herself with great confidence and with generosity. But that decision was not easy for her. Ventureta thought of entering the Institute of Fr. Palau, of active life . On the other hand, her eldest sister, who had enterd the Monastery of Contemplative Nuns of Mount Sion, also proposed to her that she could embrace this way of life. Ventureta decided to do spiritual exercises. In the end, she informed her sister. Sor Merce her decision: to be a contemplative and a Dominican. On 19 January, 1905, at age 19, she entered the Monastery of Mount Sion, of Barcelona. After two months and completing the spiritual exercises, she was clothed with the Dominican habit. It was on 12 March, 1905. A year later, on 24 March, 1906, she made her first vows. Three years later, on 12 April, 1909 she emitted her Solemn Vows. She was elected prioress on 21 June, 1929 and was reelected in 1932. She was appointed Mistress of Novices in 1935.

Then came 19 July, 1936. The air was already filled with rage against the Church and the religious. By that time, Mother Josephine had well assumed the mysticism of martyrdom. The chronicles of the House says this: It was the 19 July, a Sunday. The community met at choir at the end of Matins and Lauds. It was 5 o clock at dawn. The nuns continued their personal prayer when about a quarter of an hour, sounds of ricochette were heard around the convent… Silent and fearful we looked at one another without known what was the reason of that sound…the revolution had began and General Goded lost. Barcelona was left into the hands of the Popular Front. The Church was opened for the Sunday mass, but nobody came. Hours later, the communist triumph arrived... At night as we went to our cells, a warning came from the neighbours who were protecting us and obliged us to leave immediately”. That night carrying the Blessed Sacrament and passing from the monastery to a nearby house through the balconies via some wooden passage way the nuns abandoned the monastery. The neighbors gave them refuge . The following day they returned to the monastery. The chaplain celebrated the Eucharist.

It was Monday, 20 July. The assassination of clerics and the burning of temples had already begun the previous day. The chaplain ordered the nuns to leave the house and seek a friendly home to take refuge. Mother Prioress and some nuns took residence in a vacant house near the monastery. A few days earlier as a precaution, they had already moved of their belongings there.

Tuesday, 21 July at midday, a multitude of men and women militias congregated in front of the monastery doors, the assaulted and began the destruction and the burning of the monastery. The Mother Prioress and the other nuns who were nearby were able to witness the horrible scene from the apartment where were hiding: Rambla de Catalunya, 119, first floor.

After a few days there was a police check on the apartment, Thanks to the perspicacy of the chaplain who presented himself as the owner, they were able to lie. But there was a need to find a safer place. They were able to convince the Prioress who was already of a certain age to leave for her village, Sant Pol. Mother Josephine was left in Barcelona and would take charge of the community.

With the help of the porter and the sacristan of the monastery, Mother Josephine had rented s living space to let the nuns who do not have families or fixed residence nearby. On Monday, 31 August, accompanied by Sister Carmen Carretero, they left their new refuge to get some of their belongings which they had left in their previous apartment. The two nuns passed in front of their monastery which is not burned to the grounded and pillaged. They were not able to contain a look of pity and a silent tear. A group of men who was around the property took note of their reaction and suspected that they were nuns. They immediately contacted the Commitee which had been installed inside the monastery. While the two nuns were inside the apartment collecting their belongings, a retinue of eight armed militia entered the building to make a check. Mother Josephine was not aware of this,. She went down the first floor and rang the bell to bade farewell to the lady of the house, Doña Ballester, who was one of the benefactors of the community. Knowing that it was one of the nuns who had gone to the upper floor said with a loud voice to the servant girl: “Tell the lady not to enter because I cannot attend to her”. But the militia who were keeping guard replied: “Yes , enter, enter it is she whom we are looking for”.. This was about 8 in the morning of 31 August.

They detained her and threatened her with arms and took her away. Immediately began the long questioning which was uninterrupted for twelve hours. They thought that she was the Prioress of the monastery and therefore should know where the treasure was kept and knew the refuge of the resident chaplain and of the other nuns of the community. Mother Josephine, during the long questioning did not say anything which would put anyone in danger. The militia of that improvised "tribunal" were not relevant or important persons. The only one who throughout these long hours, and questioning her without end, and who acted as the head was an educated man, though she was treated harshly. Faced with the silence of Mother Josephine, the militiamen said: "How headstrong, but she will pay for it". Around eight in the evening, in desperation since they could not get a single word from her, the militia obliged her to follow them. They went down the stairs and upon reaching the door, Mother Josephine saw the waiting car. She felt the hairs in her body raised. She felt fear in going with those men. And said to them: "If you want to kill me, why don’t you do it here now?". The militia made her to keep quiet and obliged her to enter the car. The doors were close shut and it began to move. Nothing more was known of her whereabouts.

The following day, 1 September, her cadáver appeared in the hippodrome. Over the cadaver they had placed placard which reads thus: “This is the prioress of the Dominican Nuns of Mount Sion and her surname is Sauleda" The placard enabled that the body be identified . The body was brought to the judicial morgue of the Hospital Clinic. There her body was found and recognized by the poster and the sacristan of the monastery. He was horrified to contemplate it. A few days later, this man was persecuted and would also die a martyr’s death.

After her family was notified, the made all the procedures to bury the body of Mother Josephine. Her uncle, Antonio, when seeing the cadaver declared: What was mnost disfigured was her face, the factions of the face was completely massacred, it was a “mound of flesh” . It was a clear sign that she had been cruelly tortured.

Her uncle was able to recognize her with the clothes she was wearing, for it was the very same one she wore to take a photograph for personal documentation. The family placed the cadaver of Mother Josephine inside a niche at the old cemetery of Barcelona.

Years later more details of the last moments of Mother Josephine came to light. The cadaver showed that there was a bullet which punctured the head and had completely destroyed it. That is why they placed a placard on her so that she could be identified. The upper mandible was dislocated and her face was torn and shredded. These wounds would not have been provoked by the bullet which passed through her head and made her cranial cavity explode, these wounds had been caused by other instruments of torture.

At the end of the civil war, an article appeared on the martyrs of the Marxist revolution in Spain. And a person declared himself the author of many killings, among them that of Josephine. He explained that he cannot take out from his memory that night when Mother Josephine was lengthily and cruelly tortured. When the torturer was detained, he repented of all his crimes and sincerely asked forgiveness from God and from everyone before he was executed. According to his declaration, Mother Josephine The torturer who also headed the tribunal was the one who ended with suffered a cruel martyrdom: she expired at dawn; throughout the tortures she prayed for Spain and for his executioners. The torturer who was also the head of the tribunal, was the one who ended the life of Mother Josephine.

Source: C. Febrero Grimalt, OP "Memoirs of an adventure in faith and love”.