Biography
Manuel Galcerá Videllet
About Manuel Galcerá Videllet
Manuel Galcerá Videllet was a Catholic priest whose work took him through seminaries in Spain, Mexico and Rome. A member of the Brotherhood of Diocesan Worker Priests, he served institutions that trained future clergy. The Dicastery for the Causes of Saints records his birth in Caseras, Spain, on July 6, 1877, his ordination on June 1, 1901, and his entry into the brotherhood in August 1906.
In 1911 he went to Cuernavaca, Mexico, to teach theology, biblical interpretation and Hebrew. Isidoro Bover helped him improve the community’s life. Health difficulties led to a move to Querétaro in 1913. The Mexican Revolution brought the closure of both seminaries, and he returned to Spain. Later assignments included administration, teaching and spiritual direction. His last post was at the minor seminary in Baeza, where he worked from 1934 until 1936.
When persecution reached the community, Galcerá and his colleague Aquilino Pastor sought refuge in a private home. They were arrested on July 20, 1936, and held with other prisoners in Baeza. Galcerá was killed on September 3. In its examination of their cause, the Church judged that these priests had been arrested because of their priesthood and recognized their deaths as martyrdom.
The congregation places his execution in the municipality of Ibros, outside Baeza. His remains were later brought to Baeza Cathedral.
The Diocese of Jaén continues to associate Galcerá and Pastor with the seminary where they had served. Its announcement of a thanksgiving celebration in 2021 noted that both had been formators there and that their remains rested in Baeza. This local remembrance preserves their connection with the community’s life before their deaths.
They were beatified with Francisco Cástor Sojo López and Millán Garde Serrano on October 30, 2021, in Tortosa. Cardinal Marcello Semeraro presided. In his homily he emphasized their shared work of encouraging and forming priestly vocations. He distinguished this daily service from a desire to seek martyrdom. Within Catholic remembrance, Galcerá’s significance includes his years of educational service as well as the death the Church recognizes as a witness to faith.
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