Martín Serna Jurado a colombian Consolata missionary, died on April 28. Since 2022 he was novice master at the Continental Novitiate of Saint Oscar Romero in Manaus (Brazil). He was 57 years old, 31 years of religious profession and 26 years of priesthood.
By Jaime C. Patias *
Discreet and generous, he was fully identified with the charisma and spirituality of the Founder, Saint Joseph Allamano, as attested by various testimonies about his life and mission.
“Father José Martín was a brother, a missionary and a friend. Those who really knew him realized that they were in the presence of a person who was an expert in the mission. A brother who was always expected to teach like a true master,” said in his message Father Paulo da Conceição, the Regional Superior of the IMC in Brazil.
“Your passing leaves a void among us. In the certainty of the resurrection, we want to convey our heartfelt thanks for sharing the most precious gift, which is the gift of life. On behalf of all the Consolata missionaries in Brazil, heartfelt thanks to you and your family for this gift to the Institute. Rest in peace!” added the Superior.
Before the burial in the São Francisco cemetery in Manaus, on Tuesday, April 29, two Masses were celebrated in the Chapel of São José in the Holy Family of Nazareth Mission Area, where the priest served as vicar. One Mass was presided over by Msgr. Samuel Ferreira, OFM, Auxiliary Bishop of Manaus, and the other by Msgr. Zenildo Lima and Msgr. Hudson Ribeiro, also Auxiliary Bishops of Manaus. There were 15 concelebrating priests, several religious sisters and a crowd of moved and grateful faithful from the Mission Area, the parish of Santa Luzia and the Archdiocese of Manaus. Maria Nelly, the mother of Father Martín Serna, his brothers, relatives and friends followed the live broadcast of the celebrations from Manizales, Colombia.
“Still animated by the joys of Easter, we are challenged to understand the depth of Easter through the mystery of death. We have gathered as a trusting and Easter celebrating community of faith. The silence of Father José Martín has left a deep impression. Today we are silent to admire his silence, which remains and is even deeper,” said Monsignor Zenildo Lima at the beginning of the celebration. The bishop conveyed to those present and to the family the solidarity of Cardinal Leonardo Steiner, Archbishop of Manaus, currently in Rome for the Conclave.
“Every time a missionary reaches heaven, the mission becomes fruitful. With this Eucharist we hope that the missionary life of Father José Martín generates fruitfulness in these communities and in this Church. May it also serve to console us, because it is not right that a Consolata missionary leaves us disconsolate,” the bishop reflected.
Father José Martín, who had a precarious health, a few days before Holy Week had serious relapses. He had recovered enough to be able to celebrate the Passion, Death and Resurrection of the Lord with the communities. In the following days, his health conditions worsened. Admitted to the hospital in the intensive care unit despite treatment, he died in the same hospital.
On March 13, 2024, Father Martín Serna celebrated his 25th anniversary of priestly ordination with a Eucharist.
Words of the General Councilor during the homily
“He believed and proclaimed that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life. This strengthens the firm hope that the resurrection begins here, with life, until it reaches its fulfillment at the moment prepared by God. It comforts us to know that Father Martín’s resurrection began when he decided to dedicate his life to the proclamation of the Gospel,” observed Father Juan Pablo de los Ríos, General Councilor, during the homily of the funeral Mass. He also recalled the peasant origins of Father Martín and that he was a cousin of Father Ariel Granada Serna, another Consolata missionary killed in Mozambique during the civil war of 1991, which, according to Fr. Martin, motivated his vocation.
After his priestly ordination, Fr. Martin lived his mission ad gentes in Ivory Coast for 19 years, then in Italy and Colombia for a short time, and since 2022 he was in Manaus. “Father Martín was a man characterized by humility, simplicity, closeness, availability and service; in addition to being a calm, serene and silent person. He certainly understood well the words of St. Joseph Allamano, that ‘good must be done in silence’,” emphasized Father Juan Pablo.
“The life of Father José Martin was like that of a seed, which today will finally be planted in the earth. Believing that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life encourages us to trust that from this planted seed a new life will sprout; the seed he planted will continue to generate life,” testified the General Councilor. “Thank you from the heart, dear novice master, because today you have already given the best of all the lessons of your life, the best of all your teachings: a life lived and dedicated to the mission.”
In September 2024, Father Martín Serna participated in the ongoing formation course for formators held in Rome and left his testimony. Read also: Novitiate of Manaus, Father José Martín Serna
Testimony of a novice
One of his novices describes him as follows: “He was a simple man, available and accessible, who knew how to accompany, motivate and embrace our missionary goals and dreams. A heart full of love for people, always willing to serve selflessly, dedicating himself without reserve to the mission and fraternal life. Thank you for everything, especially for his missionary zeal, his example of generosity and his unshakable faith”.
Message from the Colombian family
Johanna Serna, one of his granddaughters, sent the following message on the occasion of the funeral: “On behalf of our family, I would like to express our most sincere thanks for all the love, respect and support you have given to Father Martín over the years.
From day one, you welcomed him not only as your spiritual pastor, but also in your lives and hearts. He always felt at home among you and often spoke to us of the affect, shared faith and experiences of the community.
Today, as we say goodbye to him, we are comforted to know that he was not alone, that he lived his vocation surrounded by people who appreciated him and accompanied him until his last breath. Thank you for being there, for your prayers, for your love and for being his extended family. May God reward you for everything. His memory lives among you. With gratitude and affection”.
Father Armando Olaya, missionary colleague
Father Armando Olaya, who was one of his formators, superior and companion in life and mission, said: “There are people with whom you feel good and you wonder what makes you feel that way. I believe it is a wellness that comes from a clean, simple heart, with no other pretension than that of serving, especially the poorest.
I always felt comfortable with José Martín. I was struck by the way he presented himself: a humble person. A shy smile, a slight nod. His figure denoted a person full of inner strength that attracted. He generated trust, an open human space, like the sun at dawn or dusk.
I shared with Martin the most beautiful moments of the mission in Ivory Coast, especially on the outskirts of the city of San Pedro. The poor helped us to love the Lord of the Mission, to be brothers, to live in our little house with open doors, to sleep in the villages, to dance and sing. I did not feel any resistance, criticism or rejection from Father Martin. Muslims, Christians of all faiths, men and women with traditional rites. He welcomed all these spiritual expressions and helped me to appreciate them with all my heart.
He lived all this and then shared it in formation. He faced this last phase of his long and painful illness without complaining or refusing, convinced that his life and his ministry were totally for the Lord, at the service of the people and the Institute”.
Message from REPAM
The executive secretary of the Pan-Amazonian Ecclesial Network (REPAM), Brother João Gutemberg Sampaio, sent a note to the Consolata family. “We received the news of the death of Father José Martín with great sorrow. He was committed to transmitting the Christian faith and the Charism of the Congregation through pastoral work and formation. We will always treasure his testimony of dedication and simplicity. May the good God and Our Lady welcome him in a happy eternity! Receive the solidarity of the friends of REPAM”.
Biography
Jose Martin Serna Jurado , IMC, was born in Marulanda, Caldas, Colombia, on January 11, 1968. Son of Luiz Eduardo Serna (deceased) and Maria Nelly Jurado, he had eight siblings. He was baptized in Marulanda, where he served as an altar boy, attended catechism and received the sacraments.
He completed his studies at the school of Fray Cardona in Marulanda and, inspired by the example of his mother and his cousin, Father Ariel Granada Serna, IMC, killed in Mozambique, he entered the IMC Propaedeutic at the age of 19, later studying philosophy in Bogotá (Colombia) and did his novitiate in Bucaramanga, where he made his first religious profession on January 9, 1994. From 1995 to 1998 he studied theology in Rome (Italy) and then worked in pastoral care in Pirané, Argentina. He was ordained a priest on March 13, 1999 in the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Manizales (Colombia).
In the year 2000 he was sent to Ivory Coast, Africa, where he worked for 19 years in the missions, formation, management, as a IMC counselor and vice superior (from 2011 to 2013 he studied missiology in Rome). In 2019 he returned to Colombia where he was a formator at the philosophical seminary (2020-2021). He was appointed novice master of the San Oscar Romero Continental Novitiate in Manaus, in the Brazilian Amazon where he arrived in 2022. He was also vicar of the Missionary Area Famiglia de Nazaret, on the outskirts of the city.
* Father Jaime C. Patias, IMC, Communications Office, and Father Júlio Caldeira in Manaus.
