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As Bishop of Malaga
On December 6th of 1915, Pope Benedict XV appointed him auxiliary bishop and apostolic administrator of Malaga, after the death of the residential bishop. He was ordained bishop on January 16, 1916. In 1920 he decided to hold an event for poor children, rather than to the authorities and these, together with the priests and seminarians, served food to three thousand poor children. As pastor of the diocese of Malaga, he began his mission making contact with the flock entrusted to him. In Huelva, he enhanced the parish catechetical schools, and even street preaching, talking to everyone who was on his way ... and he found out that the most urgent need for priests. This problem should be solved from the situation of the seminar, which was unfortunate. With unbounded confidence in the Heart of Jesus, He began the
construction of a new seminary that would satisfy the conditions necessary to
form healthy human, spiritual, pastoral and intellectual priests. On the night of May 11, 1931, a mass of people, burned the
Malaga Palacio Episcopal in ashes and the archival treasures, art and
documentaries, as well as those of most of the temples and monasteries of
Malaga were burned. Together with his companions they left the burning
Episcopal Palace. After the night at a residence of diocesan priest, the bishop
left the city and after being a refugee in two cottages of friends, He traveled
to Gibraltar on May 13 on the same year, where he hosted the local bishop,
Richard Fitzgerald. He remained seven months in Gibraltar, until December 26,
1931, he traveled to Ronda and then to Madrid, which governed the diocese since
1932.
As Bishop of Palencia
On August 5, 1935, Pope Pius XI appointed him as bishop of Palencia. It is there that he met at the Monastery of San Isidro de Dueñas , St. Rafael Arnaiz a Holy Cistercian Monk. He still found time to create his latest journal, called Reine , from his new diocesan headquarters.
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"I want to make my death a trail of peace and joy" |