Domingo Lázaro Castro

Upon returning to Spain after his ordination, Father Domingo Lázaro Castro was appointed chaplain and professor of religion, philosophy, and literature at the Colegio Santa María in San Sebastián in 1906. The following year, in 1907, he became its director, a position he held until 1916. During this period, he was fully committed to youth ministry, actively supporting the liturgical and catechetical renewal movement promoted by Pope Saint Pius X. He developed an innovative pedagogy, emphasizing personalized spiritual accompaniment, regular confession, and the importance of sacred music.

In 1916, at only 39 years of age, he was elected the first Spanish Provincial of the Society of Mary in Spain. In this position, which he held until 1924, he oversaw the spiritual and intellectual formation of the religious, supported young Marianists performing their military service, and encouraged rigorous adherence to the institute's Constitutions. In 1918, he published a reference manual, Doctrina y Vida Cristiana, intended for the religious instruction of high school students. In 1921, he acquired a neo-Gothic building located on Calle Castelló in Madrid, which became the headquarters of the province and housed the prestigious Colegio Nuestra Señora del Pilar. He also promoted the establishment of Marianist communities in disadvantaged areas, such as in the province of Zamora or in Alcazarquivir, Morocco.

In 1924, at the end of his term as provincial, he was appointed director of the Colegio Nuestra Señora del Pilar in Madrid. There, he deployed his talents as an educator and theologian, becoming a major figure in Spanish Catholic education. Among his students and friends was the famous philosopher Xavier Zubiri.

Faced with the political tensions and secular reforms of the Second Spanish Republic proclaimed in 1931, Father Domingo Lázaro actively committed himself to the defense of freedom of education and the renovation of Christian pedagogy. In March 1930, he drafted a foundational memorandum and, in collaboration with the Jesuit Enrique Herrera Oria, presented the project for the creation of the Federation of Friends of Education (FAE) to Cardinal-Primate Pedro Segura. The statutes of the FAE were approved on March 14, 1930. This federation, which brought together teaching congregations, diocesan schools, and laypeople, counted Saint Pedro Poveda and Josefa Segovia among its first administrators. The FAE is the ancestor of the current Escuelas Católicas confederation of Spain. Through the journal Atenas, Father Domingo published numerous articles to guide and encourage Christian educators in the face of secularization laws.

Father Domingo Lázaro Castro was deeply marked by an intense Marian spirituality, considering his consecration to the Virgin Mary a divine gift. Nicknamed by some "Father Truth" (el padre verdades) because of his absolute attachment to righteousness and truth, he led a life of asceticism and constant prayer. In December 1934, he was struck by a severe flu. Although convalescing, he insisted on visiting one of his seriously ill students at the end of January 1935 to administer the last sacraments. Following this visit, he contracted pneumonia. After receiving the anointing of the sick, he passed away peacefully in Madrid on February 22, 1935, at the age of 58. His death caused deep emotion. Many students, families, and former students filed past his body as it lay in state in the college chapel. His funeral, celebrated at the Church of the Conception in Madrid, gathered a huge crowd, testifying to his reputation for holiness. His mortal remains rest in the Gothic chapel of the Colegio Nuestra Señora del Pilar in Madrid.

Due to his solid reputation for holiness, the cause for the beatification of Father Domingo Lázaro Castro was officially introduced in Madrid. The nihil obstat from the Congregation for the Causes of Saints was granted on May 10, 1988. The diocesan inquiry took place in Madrid from September 27, 1988, to December 20, 1995. The decree of validity for the diocesan inquiry was signed on April 26, 1996. The Positio was officially published in 2002. On April 16, 2019, the ordinary session of the cardinals and bishops of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints issued a favorable opinion on the recognition of his heroic virtues. On May 13, 2019, with the authorization of Pope Francis, Cardinal Angelo Becciu, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, promulgated the decree recognizing the heroic nature of his theological and cardinal virtues, officially declaring him venerable.

The spirituality of Father Domingo Lázaro Castro rests on an intimate alliance with the Virgin Mary, faithful to the charism of the founder of the Marianists, Blessed William Joseph Chaminade. He developed a personal mariological synthesis, highlighting the figure of Mary as an educator and model of faith.

His legacy is above all pedagogical. He considered the family as the fundamental educational center of the person and the Catholic school as a privileged instrument for the evangelization of youth. Among his spiritual daughters is Carmen Gayarre, a pioneer of special education in Spain, who testified during his beatification process, describing him as a "true model for Christian educators."

Today, the Fundación Educación Marianista Domingo Lázaro (FEMDL), created by the Marianist province of Spain, perpetuates his memory and ensures the management and pedagogical animation of several Marianist schools in Spain.