Josep Samsó i Elias
Spanish Roman Catholic priest
Feast: 1 September (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Who they were
Josep Samsó i Elias was born at Castellbisbal, Barcelona; his father died early and the family moved to Rubí, where he went to the Marist Brothers' school. He entered the minor seminary at thirteen, finished his studies at Tarragona and was ordained on 12 March 1910.
A zealous parish priest of Santa Maria in Mataró and a model of catechesis and charity to the poor, he was killed in hatred of the faith on 1 September 1936 in the Spanish Civil War, dying as a true witness of Christ, forgiving his persecutors.
The miracles
As a martyr, beatified without a miracle.
Why that counted as sanctity
A parish priest of catechesis and charity who died forgiving those who killed him.
Connected on this site
- John Paul II Saint“Pope John Paul II reactivated all processes later on.” — Wikipedia
- Dicastery for the Causes of Saints - biography: José Samsó i Elías
- Wikidata Q3513656 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Josep Samsó Elías (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.