Blessed Ceferino Giménez Malla

BL. CEFERINO GIMÉNEZ MALLA
Man of integrity, Good Samaritan, Martyr

EL PELÉ
➤ Ceferino (or Zefferino)
Giménez Malla (1861-1936),
known as “El Pelé” (“the
strong one” or “the brave
one”), was born in Spain of
Roma heritage (commonly
called “gypsies”; also called
Kalòs, Kale, or Gitanos).
➤ He is included among the
Vincentian Saints and Blesseds
because he was an active
member of a conference of the
Society of St. Vincent De Paul.
https://youtu.be/DL7qu9mhAt8

EARLY LIFE
➤ He lived as a nomad for forty
years and then settled in
Barbastro (Spain). He and his
family had the typical Gitano
expertise with animals, and a
passion for bullfighting.
Ceferino was proud of his
heritage and could speak the
gypsy language.

NOMADS
➤ Ceferino's family earned their
living making baskets.
Tradition has it that as a child,
Ceferino accompanied his
uncle and sold his baskets
around the villages. Traveling
families such as his usually
waited out the winter on
farms in places farmers set
aside for them, or else they
rented a cottage for a few
months.

LIVING IN POVERTY
➤ Relatives remember Ceferino
telling them how he often
went hungry as a child: When
he returned home from the
market and saw the chimney
emitting smoke, he was happy
because he knew that he
would be getting something to
eat. When, however, there was
no smoke, that meant that the
women had not cooked
anything. It is very probable
that little Ceferino even went
begging.

NO FORMAL EDUCATION
➤ Ceferino never went to school
and, all his life, never learned
to read or write. At the turn of
the century, however, illiteracy
was not unusual – more than
half the population of Europe
did not have a basic education.

MARRIAGE
➤ According to Roma tradition,
Ceferino's father chose his
son's bride. Teresa Castro and
Ceferino Jiménez Malla were
joined in a traditional Roma
ceremony.
hermandadceferinogimenezmalla.blogspot.com

➤ Shortly after his marriage,
Ceferino began to trade in
donkeys and horses. He
quickly became a master of his
trade.
➤ To this day, a few of his
horseshoeing tools have been
preserved.
➤ Ceferino was very successful
in the horse markets and had a
reputation as an absolutely
honest businessman.
Holy card, origin unknown

➤ Father Fandosa, who wrote a
book* about Blessed Ceferino,
describes his personality:
➤ "In the markets where he traded
in animals, he honed the skills
of his profession, dexterously
using every permitted method
of gaining customers: a good
joke, some made-up story,
colorful comparisons, innocent
tricks. Never swindles or lies.”
*Ángel M. Fandosa: Un Gitano con
madera de Santo. Barcelona 1973.

➤ Fr. Fandosa also tells that
once Ceferino allegedly sold
an animal to a buyer who did
not notice any of its
inadequacies. That night,
Ceferino thought over what he
had done and, in the morning,
he hurried to the man to
whom he had sold the animal
and told him the whole truth.
➤ According to much anecdotal
evidence such as this, Ceferino
had a spotless reputation
around his town.

➤ Tradition has it that Ceferino
never argued. His friends and
relatives praised his diplomatic
ability to resolve disputes that
arose among the Roma. They say
that, to lessen tension, he would
admit that each side had some
right, and so everyone liked and
respected him.
➤ He was able to reconcile day-to-
day problems in the community,
doing what he could to promote a
peaceful coexistence between the
Spanish and the Roma, who were
historically targets of animosity,
fear, and misunderstanding.

➤ One of his best friends
remembered Ceferino this way:
"Very few people understood
friendship the way he did."
Ceferino treated not only friends,
but also strangers, with the utmost
respect. Once a few people were
playing "guiñote" (card game) in
the local bar. His father's group
apparently declared Ceferino the
winner. However, he reacted with
the words: "Here there are neither
winners nor losers; here friends are
having fun." He never used a sharp
word against those with whom he
disagreed.

➤ Although he couldn’t read or write,
Ceferino gathered the children of
Roma families and adult neighbors
to explain the Holy Scriptures to
them and teach them prayers.
➤ Contemporaries also tell us how
Ceferino treated children with great
respect and spoke to them "just as if
they were grown-ups." He often
brought Roma and Spanish children
together and he earned the same
respect and admiration from both
groups. He was apparently very
pleasant and always good-humored,
and it was hard for him to keep a
straight face when he wanted to
appear strict.

AN EXAMPLE OF CEFERINO'S WAY OF
DOING THINGS
➤ The following story dates back to 1919:
➤ An ex-mayor, Rafael Jordán, suffered from
tuberculosis and, on one of his journeys
abroad, he had a seizure, with blood flowing
from his mouth. They say that Ceferino did
not hesitate for a minute. Without fear of
contagion, he put the ex-mayor on his back,
carried him home and, on the way, gave him
words of comfort.
➤ Jordán's brother, Simón, later met with
Ceferino to reward him for his help. He
offered him a trip to France to buy a
wagonload of mules, which Ceferino could
then sell for a profit. So Ceferino set out
with a sizable sum of money and, when he
sold the mules, he hurried back home, not
only to return to Simón the money he had
borrowed, but also to share his profits with
him. Simón Jordán declined his
magnanimous offer.

➤ Ceferino was able to buy the
house which he had been
renting until then, and he
built a stable.
➤ It is said that he willingly and
often lent money to poor
Roma, and would also allow
them to take any animals they
liked most from his stables.
They could pay their debts
when they sold them or at the
end of their seasonal work
when they could afford to do
so.

➤ Ceferino and his wife were
childless. After Ceferino's
father abandoned his family,
his mother died. The couple
then took care of Ceferino's
younger brothers and sisters,
and also Teresa's niece.

➤ Many people also remember that
Ceferino would accompany a
priest on visits to the sick. He
attended funerals and christenings
at which he and his wife would
give generous gifts. He is also said
to have often visited the sick at
the local poor house and prayed
with them. He tried to keep his
membership in the St. Vincent de
Paul Society a secret; he
contributed anonymously. He did
not want to humiliate anyone and
he always gave alms discreetly:
milk to a mother for her child;
clothing or food to beggars, etc.

➤ At the beginning of the 1920's, Ceferino
was thrown into prison by city police after
a certain trader accused him of stealing
some mules.
➤ Immediately, his close friend, Nicolas
Santosa de Otto Escuerda, rushed to his
aid. In court, it was proven that someone
else had stolen the mules from the
market, and Ceferino had bought them
without having any idea that the animals
were stolen. He even presented the court
proof of payment for them.
➤ Eyewitnesses say that, after his return
home, they saw Ceferino, two candles in
his hands, walking on his knees to the
church, a distance of about 700 meters, to
thank the Lord. From that time on, he was
even more devout and began attending
daily Mass.

➤ After the outbreak of the Spanish
Civil War, locals recall it was
dangerous to move freely in the
streets and that day – July 19 – his
wife’s niece and family tried to
discourage Ceferino from walking
to town. His wife’s grand-niece
remembers:
➤ "Ceferino was sitting in front of
the house and I was sitting next to
him. Another Rom was there, too.
We were glad that the weather
outside had cooled off a bit. All of
a sudden, he asked for a cigarette
and left.” Ceferino wanted to
know what was going on in town.
Photo: Donald Press

➤ When he saw soldiers arresting a
priest, he pleaded for him. The soldiers
pounced on Ceferino, beat him with
their fists and, when they found a
pocket knife and a rosary in his pocket,
arrested him, too, and took him away
to the local monastery, which had been
turned into a prison. He was locked up
with 350 other people.
➤ A young anarchist member of the
revolutionary committee, Eugenio
Sapena, knew Ceferino and visited him.
In an attempt to spare him any further
suffering, Sapena tried to talk Ceferino
into letting him take away his rosary.
He said they would then let him go.
Ceferino, refused and, according to
witnesses, began to pray even harder.

➤ Ceferino spent another two
weeks in his cell. Early on the
morning of August 9, he and
nineteen other prisoners were
transported to a cemetery in a
truck.
➤ The driver later stated that
Ceferino, who was about 75
years old at the time, kept
proclaiming during the
journey, "Long live Jesus the
King". Then they placed the
prisoners along the cemetery
wall and shot them.

➤ Forty thousand worshippers
attended the celebrations on
May 4, 1997, during which
Pope Saint John Paul II
beatified Ceferino Jiménez
Malla.

Blessed Ceferino Giménez Malla

Sources:
1. Rombase, a website that offers information on the socio-cultural and socio-
historical situation of the Roma, a European nation without its own state,
whose members are commonly known by the pejorative denomination of
"gypsies". Their mission is to present well-researched material, contributing
to the decrease of prejudice and thus help combat stigmatization and
discrimination.
2. Homily of Pope John Paul II at the Eucharistic Celebration for the
Beatification of Five New Blesseds, May 4, 1997.
3. Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People
presentation by

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