Blessed Maria of the Child Jesus (born Maria Baldillou y Bullit) and her companions were a group of Piarist nuns who were martyred during the Spanish Civil War. Their story is an example of the brutal religious persecution that erupted in Spain between 1936 and 1939. Maria of the Child Jesus (Maria Baldillou y Bullit) was a Piarist nun who, along with four of her fellow nuns, lived and worked in Terrassa, Catalonia. The Piarist nuns dedicated themselves to the education and instruction of girls, but with the outbreak of the civil war and the rise to power of the anticlerical Republican government, their lives and work became extremely dangerous. Forced to leave the convent and disperse, the nuns sought refuge with friends and relatives. Despite being advised to hide and not reveal their religious identity, they remained faithful to their vows and their vocation. They were discovered and arrested by Republican militiamen, who subjected them to harsh interrogation. On July 27, 1936...