Why does the Church continue to recognize new Venerables? Because holiness is not a distant ideal—it is lived, even to the point of martyrdom. On May 22, 2025, Pope Leo XIV reaffirmed this truth by authorizing decrees recognizing the heroic virtue of three Servants of God: Colombian Sister Inés Arango Velásquez, Indian Bishop Matthew Makil, and Spanish Bishop Alejandro Labaka Ugarte. Their lives, spanning three continents, stand as profound witnesses to the Gospel in action.
According to Vatican News, Pope Leo XIV approved the decrees in an audience with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. Two of the newly declared Venerables—Sister Inés and Bishop Labaka—“offered their lives in martyrdom for the faith — a violent death in the Ecuadorian rainforest while defending the rights of Indigenous peoples.”
This recognition speaks to a Church that continues to lift up those who not only preached the Gospel but became living sacrifices for it.
The path to martyrdom began decades before their deaths. Bishop Alejandro Labaka Ugarte, born in 1920 in Beizama, Spain, entered the Capuchin Order in 1937 and took the name Brother Manuel. According to Vatican News, “from a young age, he felt a call to be a missionary.” He was ordained in 1945 and sent to China, but was later expelled by the Maoist regime. He was then assigned to Ecuador, where he served Indigenous communities in the Amazon, particularly the Huaorani and the Tagaeri peoples. In 1984, he was consecrated bishop.
Sister Inés Arango Velásquez was born in Medellín, Colombia in 1937 and entered the Capuchin Tertiary Sisters of the Holy Family in 1955. She dedicated herself to teaching before joining the missionary effort in Ecuador in 1977. There, under the guidance of Bishop Labaka, she helped evangelize remote Indigenous communities.
Together, their mission became one of protection and presence. As oil and logging companies encroached on ancestral lands, both missionaries saw the Church’s role as one of defense for the voiceless. “For Brother Manuel, now Bishop Ugarte — known for his ability to mediate and reconcile — the priority became protecting the rights of the Tagaeri,” Vatican News reported.
On July 21, 1987, they were flown by helicopter into the jungle to meet with the Tagaeri people—despite knowing the danger. The next day, their lifeless bodies were found “pierced with spears and arrows,” the report said. A letter written by Sister Inés before her final journey “read almost like a last testament,” underscoring their full awareness of the risks.
In contrast to their martyrdom, the third Venerable, Bishop Matthew Makil of India, exemplified holiness through pastoral leadership and peacebuilding. Born in 1851 in Manjoor, he was ordained in 1865 and became Vicar General of Kottayam in 1889. His ministry emphasized education, catechesis, and religious vocations. According to Vatican News, he “actively promoted catechetical formation, school education, the creation of religious organizations and associations, and the fight against poverty.”
Bishop Makil also faced significant ecclesial conflict between two Christian communities—those who saw themselves as descendants of St. Thomas the Apostle (“northerners”) and others tracing their lineage to Mesopotamian Christians (“southerners”). Rather than allow this division to fester, Bishop Makil proposed a solution. His recommendation to create two separate vicariates was accepted by Pope Pius X in 1911. “He worked tirelessly to bring peace between these two rival communities,” Vatican News noted, guided by his episcopal motto: “God is my hope.”
What do these new Venerables offer the Church today? They show us that sanctity is not abstract. It is courageous, selfless, and incarnate. Whether by spear or by quiet perseverance, each of these souls lived the Beatitudes. Their stories remind us that missionary zeal, fidelity to the poor, and the pursuit of peace remain central to the Church’s witness.
Their causes now await the next step: the recognition of a miracle for beatification. Until then, the faithful are encouraged to seek their intercession—and to imitate their example.
