José Pio Gurruchaga Castuariense

Appointed coadjutor of the Santa María del Juncal parish in Irún in January 1906, Father Gurruchaga carried out an apostolate of great fruitfulness there. Sensitive to the social issues of his time and guided by Pope Leo XIII's encyclical Rerum Novarum, he became actively involved with the working class. Between 1913 and 1919, he founded several Catholic unions in Irún, notably the Nazareth Women's Workers' Union (1913), the railway workers' union (of which he became the advisor in 1916), as well as a rural savings bank and a Catholic agricultural union.

At the same time, he ardently promoted Eucharistic piety. In 1909, he founded the "Saint Tarcisius shifts" (Los turnos de S. Tarsicio) for young people, as well as the association of the "Maries of the Tabernacles" (Marías de los Sagrarios) and the "Eucharistic Thursdays" initiative.

In 1917-1918, he introduced the Society of Saint Peter the Apostle for the indigenous clergy to Spain (founded in France by Jeanne Bigard and her mother Stéphanie Cottin). His zeal for this cause led the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith to appoint him, on June 27, 1922, as the first national director of this work in Spain. Settled in Madrid, he traveled throughout the country to raise awareness among the faithful of the importance of supporting local vocations in mission territories.

It was during his ministry in Irún that he perceived the lack of consecrated female support to assist priests in parochial apostolate, liturgy, and charitable works. In 1916, with the help of his first collaborators, Clementina Uría and María Echepare (joined by María Asunción Guerendiáin), he founded the "Daughters of the Apostolic Union" (Hijas de la Unión Apostólica). The first members took private vows in 1916 without living in community. In 1926, the Bishop of Vitoria, Mgr Zacarías Martínez Núñez, authorized fraternal life in community, which officially began on February 6, 1927, in Irún under the name "Pia Unión de Hijas de la Unión Apostólica." In 1929, Mgr Mateo Múgica Urrestaruzu approved the association as a pious union of diocesan right.

In 1953, at the request of the first Bishop of Bilbao, Mgr Casimiro Morcillo, he accepted the position of first dean of the chapter of the Cathedral of Bilbao, a post he held until his death.

The exemplary life of Father José Pío Gurruchaga, characterized by his deep love for the priesthood, his devotion to the poor, and his life of intense prayer, quickly sparked a reputation for holiness after his death. The diocesan inquiry process into his life, virtues, and reputation for holiness was officially opened in the Diocese of Bilbao on October 19, 1990, under the presidency of Bishop Luis María Larrea. The diocesan inquiry was closed on March 13, 1993. The validity of this inquiry was recognized by a decree of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on May 7, 1994, thus allowing for the opening of the Roman phase of the cause.

On January 23, 2020, Pope Francis received in audience Cardinal Angelo Becciu, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, and authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the inherited and heroic virtues of the Servant of God José Pío Gurruchaga Castuariense. This decree, officially published on January 24, 2020, confers upon him the title of Venerable. The cause for canonization is currently underway, awaiting the official recognition of a miracle attributed to his intercession to pave the way for his beatification.

The spirituality of the Venerable José Pío Gurruchaga is deeply Eucharistic, Marian, and priestly. It is centered on the figure of Christ, High and Eternal Priest (Jesucristo Sumo y Eterno Sacerdote). He transmitted to his foundation the mission of making every life an offering for the sanctification of priests and of collaborating actively in the liturgical, catechetical, and social life of parishes. His motto for the sisters was to be "missionaries on the outside, anchorites on the inside," combining a deep contemplative life with active and discreet service.

After his death, the institute he founded continued its development. In 1968, the Pía Unión was erected as a congregation of diocesan right under the name of Parochial Auxiliaries of Christ the Priest (Auxiliares Parroquiales de Cristo Sacerdote - A.P.C.S.). It received definitive approval as a congregation of pontifical right on March 14, 1978.

Today, the Parochial Auxiliaries of Christ the Priest are present in Spain, Italy, Mexico, and Argentina. They collaborate actively in numerous parishes and cathedrals, notably at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela and the Cathedral of Toledo.