Jose Rivera Ramírez

After his ordination, Father José Rivera Ramírez began his ministry as a vicar (coadjutor) at the parish of Santo Tomé in Toledo (1953-1955), then as administrator (ecónomo) and parish priest of the parish of Totanés (1955-1956). Very quickly, his superiors noticed his spiritual and intellectual qualities and directed him toward priestly formation.

In 1957, he was appointed spiritual director and formator at the Colegio Mayor del Salvador and the Colegio Hispano-americano de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (OCSHA) in Salamanca, positions he held until 1963. After a period of rest due to physical exhaustion caused by his intense pastoral activity, he resumed his service as spiritual director at the Major Seminary of Toledo (1965-1970), then at the seminary of Palencia (1970-1975), before returning permanently to Toledo in 1975. There, he also taught spiritual theology and the treatise on Grace and Virtues.

Parallel to his mission as a formator, Father Rivera dedicated himself to the spiritual direction of people of all conditions: priests, seminarians, religious, laypeople, and even those suffering from psychological disorders. He was also one of the spiritual guides for the "Santa Leocadia" seminary for late vocations, founded by Cardinal Marcelo González Martín.

Nicknamed the "Father of the Poor," he lived in radical evangelical poverty. He did not hesitate to become a beggar to provide for the needs of the most destitute, particularly marginalized populations such as the Gypsies of Toledo. He limited his sleep to a few hours a night in order to dedicate himself to prayer, study, and the accompaniment of souls.

Father José Rivera Ramírez died on March 25, 1991, in Toledo, at the age of 65. His funeral bore witness to his popularity and reputation for holiness, as his coffin was carried by the city's gypsies, whom he had loved and served so much. In a final gesture of poverty and charity, he had donated his body to science (to the Faculty of Medicine of the Complutense University of Madrid) in order to avoid funeral expenses and to be useful even after his death. However, due to his great reputation for holiness, the members of the medical faculty did not dare to touch his remains. At the request of Cardinal Marcelo González Martín, Archbishop of Toledo, his body was returned to the diocesan community and buried on March 24, 1994, in the chapel of the Santa Leocadia seminary (San Bartolomé church). On October 23, 2018, in order to facilitate access for the many faithful wishing to pray at his tomb, his mortal remains were solemnly transferred to the parish church of Santo Tomé in Toledo, the site of his baptism and his first pastoral ministry.

The cause for the beatification and canonization of José Rivera Ramírez was officially opened at the diocesan level on November 21, 1998, by the Archbishop of Toledo, Mgr. Francisco Álvarez Martínez, following the receipt of the nihil obstat from the Holy See on July 18, 1998. The diocesan inquiry concluded on October 21, 2000, and its validity was decreed by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on January 18, 2002.

A supplementary diocesan inquiry (Inchiesta Suppletiva) was conducted in Toledo from January 13, 2012, to November 25, 2013, and was validated by a decree on January 17, 2014.

On September 30, 2015, Pope Francis authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic nature of his virtues, thereby officially declaring him Venerable (the decree was published on October 1, 2015). To date, no miracle has yet been officially recognized for his beatification, but the cause continues its course.

The spirituality of the Venerable José Rivera Ramírez is centered on the constant search for the will of God, love for the Church, and configuration to Christ crucified. His life of intense prayer, often nocturnal, nourished his teaching and his ministry of accompaniment. He insisted particularly on priestly holiness, which he considered to flow directly from the Sacrament of Holy Orders and pastoral charity.

He left behind numerous spiritual writings, lecture notes, diaries, and collections of sermons (notably on divine mercy and spiritual theology), largely published after his death by the José Rivera Foundation, created to disseminate his spiritual legacy. His example continues to inspire many priests and seminarians in Spain and Latin America.