The cause of canonization of the attached priest “The Holy of the Bicycle” progresses

With a ceremony at the Major Seminar of Tucumán (Argentina), the Diocesan phase was closed in the cause of canonization of Father Martín Martín-Tereseo, an operator priest they called “The Holy of the Bicycle” and that has inspired generations.

The act, which marks a new step towards beatification, took place on June 19, coinciding with the celebration of Corpus Christi, a date of special meaning in the life of the priest, which died in 2011 on the eve of said solemnity.

The Archbishop of Tucumán, Mons. Carlos Sánchez, headed the act, accompanied by the members of the ecclesiastical court that instructed the cause: the Episcopal delegate, P. Jorge Blunda; the promoter of Justice, Dr. Alberto José Brito; and the Notary, Fabián Sánchez.

During the ceremony, the work of those who were in charge of the collection of documents and testimonies on the life of God’s servant P. Martín, underlining his heroic virtues and his reputation for holiness.

Then the boxes with the documentation were closed and scored, which will be sent to Dicastery for the causes of the Vatican saints, where the following phase will begin.

When taking the floor, the vicepostulator of the cause, P. Marcelo Lorca, referred to the experience of religious persecution suffered by Fr. Martin in Spain during his youth, and how he influenced that experience in his pastoral surrender in Argentina.

The delegate of the Director General of the Brotherhood of Operating Priests in the Southern Cone, P. Ariel Zottola, thanked the support of the secular community and the clergy in the development of the process.

That same afternoon, the archbishop presided over a thanksgiving Mass at the Cathedral Our Lady of the Incarnation. The homily was in charge of the postulator of the cause, P. Carlos Commander, who stressed that “P. Martín sanctified himself in Tucumán”, and urged to imitate his simple and committed model of life.

The cause of canonization began formally on October 5, 2022 and had the work of a historical commission responsible for studying relevant files and rebuilding little known aspects of the life of the priest, both in Spain and in Argentina.

They are also part of the documentation more than 50 testimonies of those who shared their ministry or were touched by their testimony of faith.

With this advance in his cause, the priest of curious name, who was born in Toledo (Spain), lived his holiness in Tucumán and died on the eve of Corpus Christi of 2011, is a step closer to the altars.

“He always was bicycle. Several times they stole it and he said that he had given her, that surely the other needed her more than him,” recalled the Archbishop of Tucumán. His life, he said, was full, austere and simple. “It radiated a lot of presence of God, much tenderness, mercy and compassion,” he said.

His figure has been and is a priesthood model. In 2018, during the Ad Limina visit of the Argentine bishops, Pope Francis said about Fr. Martín: The Church needs referents like him.