Special Postal Cancellation of the Vatican Postal and Philatelic Service
The Apostle of Popular Missions
The Postal and Philatelic Service of the Directorate of Telecommunications and Information Systems of the Governorate of the Vatican City State has issued a special postal cancellation on the 225th anniversary of the dies natalis of Blessed Diego José de Cádiz, on Tuesday, March 24.
In the cancellation, Blessed Diego José is depicted contemplating the Crucifix, to which he was particularly devoted and which he always carried with him during his missionary preaching activity. Surrounding his image is also a crown of twelve stars, symbolizing his deep devotion to the Virgin Mary. Such was his devotion to her that he wished to be buried at the foot of the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Peace, Patroness of Ronda in Spain, the city where he died. The cancellation is completed by the inscriptions: “225° Anniversario del dies natalis del Beato Diego Giuseppe da Cadice” and “Poste Vaticane – 24.03.2026”.
Blessed Diego José de Cádiz was a great apostle of popular parochial missions, through which he engaged hundreds of people. He had the ability to adapt his missionary preaching according to his audience, in order to touch their hearts and lead them back to God.
The Blessed was born on March 30, 1743, in Cádiz, Spain. On November 12, 1757, he entered the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin in Seville, and on March 31, 1759 he made his religious profession. He was ordained a priest in Cardona on May 24, 1766, and began public preaching throughout Andalusia. He traveled all over Spain proclaiming the Word of God to the people. However, such zeal aroused the hostility of many, to the point that, after defending the poor who had been deceived by certain wealthy individuals during a sermon in the Cathedral of Seville on Good Friday in 1784, he was exiled from the city. He resumed public preaching, first in various locations in Andalusia and later throughout Spain. He also wrote several works on apologetics and spirituality. His enemies forced him once again into exile in the convent of Casares until 1792, when he was able to dedicate himself once more to preaching. After a mission in Málaga, in 1799 he moved to Ceuta, on the opposite shore of the Strait of Gibraltar. Having later settled in Ronda, he died there on March 24, 1801. He was beatified by Pope Leo XIII on April 22, 1894.