Biographical notes on St. Ezekiel Moreno

Patron of cancer patients

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES

God chooses the humble to do great things. Humble indeed were the origins of the man who was to become God's agent for the restoration of the Order of Augustinian Recollects in Colombia, the future bishop of Pasto and the defender of the Church in those difficult times through which the Church was to pass at the end of the century.

Ezekiel Moreno was born on April 9, 1848, in Alfaro, Lorgoño, Spain. He was the third child of a pious couple, poor in material goods but rich in virtue. His father, Felix, a tailor by trade, and his mother, Josefa Díaz, were models of simple dignity and Christian customs. They raised their five children with these very same principles of Christian life. Young Ezekiel from his childhood sensed a call from God to become a religious. He wanted to become a missionary to the Philippines. At an early age, he already knew about the labors of the Augustinian Recollects in those far-off lands.

Following the example of his older brother, Eustaquio, he received the habit of the Augustinian Recollects in the monastery of Monteagudo, Navarra, Spain, on September 21, 1864. He took as his name in religion Friar Ezekiel of Our Lady of the Rosary, a name that he was always to prefer. One year later, on the 22nd of September, he made his profession of vows at the feet of Our Lady of the Way, a patroness to whom he was particularly devoted. In 1866, while in the theologate of Marcilla, he professed his final vows.

TO THE MISSIONS

On October 4, 1869, Friar Ezekiel was among 17 religious who embarked from Cadiz, Spain, destined for the Philippines, the land of his youthful dreams. After his arrival in Manila on February 10, 1870, he prepared for his ordination to the priesthood, which took place on June 3, 1871. Shortly afterward, he was sent to the island of Mindoro to begin his life as a missionary in the company of his brother, Eustaquio.

His exemplary conduct, his kindness toward the sick, and his tireless missionary efforts won the respect of his superiors, and he was soon given an especially delicate assignment as missionary and military chaplain with an expedition to the island of Palawan, sponsored by the Spanish government. His missionary zeal found a ready field for activity in the military colony as well as in his extensive travels throughout the island. At the end of nine months, however, he became ill as a result of fatigue and malaria and was obliged to return to Manila. With his health scarcely recovered, he was named pastor of the church of Calapan and vicar provincial of the Augustinian Recollects on the island of Mindoro, a large island with many opportunities for exploration and for outlets for his missionary spirit.

From 1876 to 1880, he served successively as pastor of Las Piñas and Sto. Tomas in Batangas; and in 1880 he was chosen by the provincial chapter to become the prior of Monteagudo where his task would be that of forming the consciences of future missionaries until 1885. Who better than he, an experienced missionary with a reputation for sanctity, could inspire an apostolic spirit in the hearts of the young? Wherever he had served during his fifteen years in the Philippines, he had left behind him a reputation of profound piety, apostolic zeal, and love for the sick. The same reputation of holiness accompanied him during his three years as prior of Monteagudo.

RESTORATION OF THE ORDER IN COLOMBIA

When Ezekiel finished his term of office as prior of Monteagudo, divine providence opened a new horizon for his restless missionary energies. The Order had fallen upon hard times in Colombia, and the religious of that nation had called upon those of the Order in Spain for assistance. Friar Ezekiel was among the first to volunteer. In November of 1888, he was placed in charge of seven missionary companions who left Spain in response to the need of the Order in Colombia.

His first task in Colombia was to restore religious observance in the communities of that nation, weakened by years of persecution. Regular discipline in his mind was a prerequisite for anyone who was to become an authentic missionary. His dream was to reactivate the mission of Casanare, which, in former times, had been an area evangelized by the Augustinian Recollects of Colombia. Thus, he ventured with pioneer spirit to the sparse and distant settlements of this region known for its vast plains and rugged mountains. His letters, written from the mission, brought enthusiastic responses from government and church officials and encouraged a zealous interest among his fellow religious.

VICAR APOSTOLIC OF CASANARE AND BISHOP OF PASTO

In 1893 Friar Ezekiel, well known for both his missionary spirit and personal virtues, was named titular bishop of Pinara and Vicar Apostolic of Casanare. His Episcopal ordination took place on May 1, 1894. As he indicated in one of his letters, he would have preferred to remain for the rest of his days in the midst of the deprivations and hardships of Casanare, but God had destined him for an even more difficult and delicate mission. In 1895, he was named bishop of Pasto. When he received word of his appointment, he asked himself, "Have we become unworthy to suffer for the Lord, our God?"

Little did he know what awaited him. In his new mission, he was to encounter humiliations, rejections, calumnies, persecutions, and even a feeling of being abandoned by the authorities of the Church. It was to be an authentic "dark night" by which God purifies the souls called to great sanctity.

His own profound interior life was always directed towards God, and his love of contemplation attracted a group of like-minded souls around him. These he directed with charity and wisdom along the path of sanctity.

Bishop Moreno was a friend both of the truth and of his flock. At times, his sincerity in exposing what was less than edifying in the lives of some caused him to become the target of insults and persecutions by those who wished to undermine the authority of the Church. Opposition to him as a result of his vigorous defense of the faith was so strong that, on the occasion of his pastoral visit to Pope Leo XIII in 1898, he submitted his resignation as the bishop of Pasto. This he did, not for lack of courage, but in order to avoid conflict and problems for the Holy See and in order not to question the good name of a fellow bishop. His resignation was not accepted, and he returned to his diocese to face new opposition and the agonies of a civil war.

FINAL ILLNESS AND DEATH

In the year 1905 he was afflicted with a terminal cancer of the nose; it was to become an agonizing illness, a chalice of suffering. The physicians recommended that he travel to Europe for an operation but he resisted, saying that he "would rest gently in the arms of Jesus." The pleas of the faithful and priests and religious of the diocese finally convinced him to make the journey to Spain, where he arrived early in the year 1906. In the month of February, he underwent a painful operation performed almost entirely without anesthesia. According to the surgeon, he withstood the pain with the heroism of a saint. The same operation was repeated in March of the same year but was also unsuccessful.

Aware of the fact that his days were coming to an end, Friar Ezekiel returned to the monastery of Monteagudo, where, in a friaršs cell near the image of our Lady of the Way, his beloved Mother, he spent his final hours offering his life to God. He was to suffer intense physical pain until, with admirable courage and with his eyes fixed upon a crucifix, he breathed his last and gave his soul to God on August 19, 1906.

Bishop Ezekiel was buried in the church of the monastery of Our Lady of the Way in Monteagudo. His remains later were placed in a chapel of the church especially constructed for that purpose. His reputation for holiness spread far and wide, particularly in Colombia. Many cures have been attributed to his intercession, especially among victims of cancer. In fact, two outstanding miracles were used as evidence of his holiness during the process of his beatification and canonization. He was himself a victim of cancer and is considered by the faithful to be especially close to those who suffer from this disease.

Friar Ezekiel Moreno, the humble religious, was beatified by Pope Paul VI on November 1, 1975, and canonized by Pope John Paul II on October 11, 1992.

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