On the occasion of the 225th anniversary of his death
VATICAN — The Vatican Post Office and the Philatelic Office of the Vatican City State have issued a commemorative postmark to mark the 225th anniversary of the death of Blessed Diego José de Cádiz, a Capuchin friar who died in Ronda, Spain, on March 24, 1801, and was beatified by Pope Leo XII on April 22, 1894.
With this initiative, the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin sought to honor the renowned preacher for his dedication to spreading the Word of God. He himself wrote: “In my ministry, I shun every contrivance, for it constitutes an obstacle to the attentiveness, sincerity, and simplicity with which God wants us to present his divine word to everyone, while he is committed to accompanying with his grace what we cannot do.”
The postmark features the figure of the blessed holding a crucifix, a classic icon of how he is depicted. It evokes the traditional gesture of popular missions, which began with the placement of the cross in a spot clearly visible to all. The twelve stars, meanwhile, symbolize the Virgin Mary, Queen of Peace and patroness of the city of Ronda, at whose feet the blessed asked to be buried.