The ‘Martyrs of Damascus’ are canonized. Who are they?
Pope Pius XI praised the ‘glorious’ martyrs of Damascus, whose steadfast clinging to the Catholic faith earned them the crown of martyrdom at the hands of Muslim persecutors
VATICAN CITY (PerMariam) — Among the 14 Blesseds who were newly canonized as saints on October 20 at the Vatican, are the group of 11 martyrs known as the “Martyrs of Damascus.”
The life of any martyr for the Catholic faith is always of great import for the Church and can serve as an inspiration for many, but these eleven new saints are perhaps barely known outside of their native land.
However their lives are deserving of much study and imitation, both in the manner of their heroic death but also in their Christ-centered lives prior to martyrdom.
Who are the 11 martyrs?
The group consists of 8 Franciscan friars from the Custody of the Holy Land, of whom 6 were priests and 2 were religious brothers. All of the friars were from Spain, apart from one Austrian.
There names are:
Fr Manuel Ruiz López.
Fr Carmelo Bolta Bañuls.
Fr Engelbert Kolland.
Fr Nicanor Ascanio Soria.
Fr Nicolás María Alberca Torres.
Fr Pedro Nolasco Soler Méndez.
Br Francisco Pinazo Peñalver.
Br Juan Jacob Fernández.
The religious friars’ qualities are well documented by Holy Mother Church, especially by Pope Pius XI who beatified the 11 martyrs on October 10, 1926. The superior, Fr. Ruiz, Pius XI described as being imbibed with a true missionary spirit:
“perceiving himself called to preach Christ’s word to unbelievers, [Ruiz] had come to the Missions of the Holy Land, and after exhausting years, through further apostolic labors with the richest fruit, governed the monastery at Damascus with singular prudence, and with a reputation of holiness.”
To their number are added three brothers of the same family, the Massabki family, who were Maronite laymen.
Francis Massabki, a father of eight children and a prosperous silk merchant.
Mooti Massabki, a husband and a teacher in the school run by the Holy Land Franciscans..
Raphael Massabki, the youngest brother who was single and served as the Franciscan’s sacristan.
They had another sibling also, a priest, though he did not join his brothers in martyrdom.
The three Massabki brothers were regular attendees of the Franciscan convent and assisted greatly with the spiritual and community life centered around it. Their personal spirituality is documented as being impressive, with the brothers widely respected for their knowledge of the faith and pious conduct.
Their lives were marked by prayers, sacrifices and regular devotions and the Maronites write that the three martyr brothers had a piety “similar to that of the Holy Family: a humble, discreet life, yet marked by intense faith.”
“Their dedication to prayer, the sacraments, and charity toward the poor reflects a spirituality accessible to all Christians, based on a living and active faith.”
Muslim persecution and new martyrs for the Church
On the night of July 9, 1860, all 11 men were killed by Shiite Druze Muslims, who were then part of the Ottoman Empire. Their killing was part of wider violence in the region as the Shiite’s were persecuting Christians throughout Lebanon and Syria. Angered by the Sultan’s official declaration of equality between Christians and Muslims at the end of the Crimean war, Muslim tensions rose. When it was heard in that Shiite Druzes had attacked Christians in Lebanon with support from authorities, similar violence broke out in Damascus.
According to the account provided by the Franciscans of the Custos of the Holy Land, “thousands of Christians are believed to have lost their lives” during the persecution.
On July 9, a force of the Shiite Druze were pointed to a hidden door “by a traitor” and so entered the Franciscan convent in Bab-Touma. The militants were motivated by “a deep-rooted religious hatred,” document the Franciscans.
The Franciscan community were aware of the raging violence taking place around them, and the possibly of losing their lives in the anti-Catholic persecution. Fr. Ruiz and his brethren – recounts Pius XI in his letter of beatification Contingit ex auspicato – prepared themselves by the Sacrament of Confession. Ruiz then entered the church in order to consume the Host and spare the Sacred Species from the fury of the persecutors “lest he give up the heavenly members to rabid dogs.”
The Shiite force entered the convent, and finding the community there, demanded they renounce the Catholic faith. All refused.
Fr. Ruiz was beheaded while kneeling in prayer in front of the altar.
Pius XI continues:
Carmelo Volta, himself also invited again and again to embrace the Mohammedan religion, is killed by being beaten with a club.
Pedro Soler, as he professed that he was a Christian, is transfixed by a sword.
Nicolás Alberca, after he had declared openly that he would rather die a thousand times than defect from the Faith, is killed by a shot from a fiery crossbow.
Engelbert Kolland, who had fled from the religious house and had been able to escape from the first moment of slaughter, was caught by pursuers. Tempted to apostasy without success, he was struck with a hatchet and lay dead.
At length, Nicanor Ascanio was detected and slain on the upper floor of the monastery, and he himself gained an equal share of martyrdom with his companions.
The two lay brothers, Francisco Pinazo and Juan Jacob Fernández, who had fled into the bell tower, were sought by accomplices with cudgels and a sword. They prayed with hands raised to heaven until they were thrown headfirst from the top of the tower and acquired the glorious palms of Martyrs.
As for the three Massabki brothers, they had rejoined themselves to the Franciscan church upon the instigation of the violence that night, in order to continue to supported the friars who they assisted so ably in daily life.
Pius XI recounts that the brothers had attended Mass shortly before they died, and the eldest also prayed before the statue of Our Lady of Sorrows.
Shortly before, Mooti had instructed his students at the school about the importance of martyrdom and clinging to the Catholic faith.
Francis was owed a large sum of money by some Muslims, and the attackers told him that he and his brothers lives would be spared if they renounced Christ and became Muslim.
The Maronite account records Francis replying:
“Sheikh Abdallah can take the money I lent him; he can also take my life, but no one can make me renounce my faith. I am a Maronite Christian, and I will die in the faith of Christ. As our Lord Jesus commanded, we do not fear those who can kill the body.”
The three brothers were then beaten to death in the church.
Pius XI wrote:
“In the year 1860, in the monastery in Damascus joined by spiritual bond to the Custody of the Holy Land, the unconquered heroes, killed in hatred of the Faith by barbaric crowds of Turks, themselves accomplished a martyrdom glorious in the sight of the Lord…
After this horrendous slaughter, the Servants of God began to be considered to be Martyrs of Christ, slain as victims by the ferocity of Mohammedans in hatred of the Faith.”
Pope Leo XIII approved the introduction of the cause for canonization of the eight friars in 1885, and Pius XI beatified the 8 friars and 3 Massabki brothers in 1926.
A renewed request was made in 2022 to Pope Francis that the martyrs be canonized. In a consistory of cardinals this July, the Church approved the decision to include the 11 in the list of saints.
“May these martyrs be an example for all of us, friars of the Custody, never to spare ourselves in our mission,” exclaimed Friar Patton, current Custos of the Holy Land, welcoming news of the martyrs’ canonization.
Their feast is kept on July 10 by the Custos of the Holy Land.
A Maronite prayer to the Massabki brothers reads:
Lord Jesus, Son of the living God, with Your holy martyrs Francis, Abde-el-Mooti, and Raphael Massabki, we wish to love and adore You at this moment. Look upon us with mercy and grant us, through the power of Your Holy Spirit, the courage to love You as they did, the gentleness to witness Your name as they freely bore witness to their faith, and the will to forgive as they forgave those who took their lives. May their example inspire and guide us on the path of faith, for the glory of Your Holy Name, forever and ever. Amen.
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