January 1
Andrés Gómez Sáez (1894–1937)
Priest and martyr
Roman Martyrology
At the cliffs of Santander in Spain, Blessed Andrés Gómez Sáez, Salesian priest and martyr, who was thrown into the sea because of his faith.
Practical advice
Perform a work of mercy for Christians who live under persecution.
Biography
He was born at Bicorp in Valencia. From the Salesian aspirantate at Sarrià in Barcelona he went to the novitiate at Carabanchel Alto in Madrid, where he made his profession in 1914. He was ordained a priest at Ourense in 1925. During the six-year period from 1925 to 1931, Father Andrés does not appear in the catalogue of the Salesian Society except for the academic year 1927–28, when he is listed as a priest in the community at Barakaldo, although most likely he was not there that year because from the time of his ordination he formed part of the clergy of the Diocese of Ourense. He returned to the congregation in 1931 and remained at the María Auxiliadora school in Santander from that year until 1936, except for the academic year 1933–34, when he was in A Coruña.
After the director authorized the dissolution of the community, Father Andrés lodged at a boardinghouse on Calle Atarazanas, near the cathedral. During the first months of the war he frequently went up to the school. He exchanged impressions with the Salesians who had remained there caring for the children’s colony and discussed events in the city. When the colony was evacuated and the Salesians dispersed throughout the city, he still maintained contact with some of them; he visited them in their lodgings and they in turn visited him. It appears that his residence near the cathedral gave him opportunities to exercise his ministry, at least occasionally.
The only thing known for certain is that after lunch on New Year’s Day 1937 Father Andrés went for a walk along the quay. As he watched the boats making the crossing to Pedreña, two militiamen approached and arrested him. No further details of his disappearance have been discovered. Most likely that same night, 1 January 1937, they took him to the lighthouse and cast him over the cliff. This was the form of martyrdom most commonly used in Santander. For some victims, bloody torture or death preceded the fall; others were thrown over alive with their hands tied. Benedict XVI beatified him on 28 October 2007.