Antonio Repiso Martínez

Attracted by Ignatian spirituality, he entered the Society of Jesus in 1893 and pronounced his vows in 1895. Sent on a mission to Oaxaca, he was moved by the distress of abandoned children and poverty. On November 15, 1898, he received the inspiration to found a work dedicated to the education and assistance of the poorest. In collaboration with Concepción Grandison Vda. de Morán and with the approval of Father José Alzola, he founded the Congregation of the Sisters of the Divino Pastor on January 14, 1900. Later, he was sent to Chihuahua and led intense missionary work in Nonoava among the indigenous populations. In 1923, appointed superior in León, he faced religious persecution under Plutarco Elías Calles, clandestinely distributing the Eucharist.

The life of Father Repiso is marked by a profound union with the Passion of Christ. For twenty-seven years, he endured with heroic patience the sufferings caused by a painful cancerous wound on his back. To perform penance, he frequently slept on the floor. His apostolic zeal was manifested through the promotion of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Eucharistic worship, the Apostleship of Prayer, and the Marian Congregations. He was also a highly sought-after confessor and spiritual director.

The cause for canonization officially began after obtaining the nihil obstat decree on June 16, 1983. The diocesan inquiry into his life, virtues, and reputation for holiness took place between 1992 and 1994 in Mexico City, León, and Chihuahua. Its validity was recognized by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on May 5, 1995. After a positive examination by the theological consultants in December 2014, Pope Francis authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing his heroic virtues on February 27, 2017, thereby proclaiming him Venerable.

Father Repiso's spirituality is based on the imitation of Jesus, meek and humble of heart, contemplated as the Good Shepherd. Today, the Congregation of the Sisters of the Divino Pastor continues his work of evangelization, education, and social assistance, particularly among indigenous communities in Mexico (such as the Tsotsil in Chiapas) and in Angola. Numerous educational institutions in Mexico bear the name of the venerable founder, perpetuating his memory.