Saint José María Rubio
Priest from Almería who entered the Jesuits at 42 and became the “Apostle of Madrid”
- Rank
- Saint
- Kind
- Priest
- Life
- 1864 – 1929
- Era
- 20th century
- Feast
- 2 May
- Countries
- Spain
Life story
José María Rubio y Peralta was born on 22 July 1864 in Dalías, province of Almería, Spain, into a farming family with many children; the Vatican notes there were twelve and that six died young. He began secondary school in Almería in 1875, entered the diocesan seminary in 1876 and went to Granada in 1878 to study philosophy, theology and canon law.
He was ordained a priest on 24 September 1887. He served as vice-parish priest at Chinchón and then parish priest at Estremera. In 1890 the bishop called him to Madrid, where he was a synodal examiner, taught at the seminary and was chaplain to the Bernardine nuns.
He had felt called to the Jesuits soon after ordination but delayed for nineteen years to care for an elderly priest. After a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1905 he entered the Jesuit novitiate in Granada in 1906 and made his profession on 12 October 1908.
In Madrid the bishop called him the “Apostle of Madrid.” He was known for hearing confessions, spiritual direction and simple preaching, with a special concern for the poor. He guided lay collaborators who opened tuition-free schools, cared for the sick and disabled and helped the unemployed, and he organised popular missions in the poorest districts. He died on 2 May 1929 in Aranjuez. John Paul II beatified him on 6 October 1985 and canonised him on 4 May 2003 in Madrid. His feast day is 2 May.
Works and witness
- Ordained a priest on 24 September 1887
- Taught at the Madrid seminary and served as chaplain to the Bernardine nuns from 1890
- Entered the Jesuits in 1906 after nineteen years caring for an elderly priest
- Heard confessions, gave spiritual direction and organised missions in poor districts
- Beatified in 1985 and canonised on 4 May 2003
Saints from the same country
References
- Vatican, “José María Rubio Peralta (1864-1929), 4 May 2003, biography”, vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/saints/ns_lit_doc_20030504_rubio-peralta_en.html
- CatholicSaints.Info, “Saint José María Rubio y Peralta”
Written by Anawim from documented history. Some details about ancient saints rest on tradition and are marked as such.