Blessed Adilio was a Brazilian teenager who died as a martyr! He was born on 25th October 1908, and was the third child of a big family of 8 kids! He was passionate about spreading the Catholic faith – his young age could not stop him – and so as a teenager, Adilio started to accompany the famous missionary, Blessed Manuel Gómez González, on his long and tiring pastoral visits to the native Indians in the region.

During one of these missionary trips, on 21 May 1924 when Adilio was nearly 16 years old, he and Blessed Manuel were shot and killed by revolutionaries. Blessed Adilio Daronch was beatified as a martyr, along with Blessed Manuel Gómez González, by Pope Benedict XVI in 2006.

Adilio reminds us that we never know when and where we might be challenged to defend our faith. Sure we are not likely to be killed for being Catholic – although that does still happen in some parts of the world – but most of us are likely to be asked to defend particular teachings of the Church at some stage in our lives, or we might need to speak out against an injustice when we see it. This can be so hard at times, especially when the majority does not agree with you. But be adventurous, be rebelious against anti-Christian sentiments that you will be faced with at university, in the work place, what you see in the media! Adilio was only 15 – what an example for us all!

Prayer:

That with the example of your virtues, we may be recieved among the friends of Christ, in this life and the life that is to come! Amen.