Ángel Francisco Bocos Hernández

Who they were

Brother Ángel F. Bocos was born at Ruijas (Cantabria), diocese of Santander, on 27 January 1883; his father is unknown on the baptismal record, and after his mother's death he was raised by his uncle, a parish priest. At seventeen he entered the Oblate novitiate, taking first vows in 1901 and perpetual vows in 1907. Over 35 years of religious life he served in Oblate communities in Madrid, Aosta and San Giorgio Canavese in Italy, and Notre-Dame de Lumières in France, returning to Spain in 1925 and working mainly as the cook at the scholasticate of Pozuelo (Madrid).

Taken prisoner with his community on 22 July 1936, he was released, recaptured in October and held with other Oblates of Pozuelo, and was finally taken from prison and executed with twelve other Oblates at Paracuellos de Jarama on 28 November 1936, the oldest of the martyrs at 53. Witnesses described him as calm, humble and devoted to his kitchen work, which he offered up 'for the greater glory of God'. He was beatified on 28 October 2007.

The miracles

As a martyr he was raised to the altars without a miracle.

Why that counted as sanctity

Oblate lay brother, cook at the Pozuelo scholasticate, martyred with twelve confreres at Paracuellos de Jarama on 28 November 1936; beatified 28 October 2007.

The cause