Fernando de Ia Fuente de la Fuente

He was born on 16th December 1943 in Burgos in Spain where his parents, Sigismundo and Primitiva, were living at that time. He has one sister, María Milagros. In September 1956 he entered the Juniorate of the Marist Brothers in Valladolid. He made his novitiate in Liéganes (Spain) in 1960. He took his first vows on 2nd July 1962. He continued his formation in Chile where he accomplished important work in education and catechesis as teacher and principal in several Marist Colleges in that country of the Andes from 1982 to 1995. He was also a Provincial Councillor.

Following the appeal that Brother Benito Arbués, Superior General, addressed to all the Brothers of the congregation, to aid the mission of the Rwandan Brothers, Brother Fernando offered to participate as a expression of missionary solidarity. He was accepted and left in December 1995 to serve the mission. After two months in Belgium, at the Centre for the Formation of French-speaking Missionaries, he went to Zaire, to the refugee camp of Nyamirangwe (Bugobe), in February 1996. He was in the community composed of Brothers Servando Mayor, Miguel Angel Isla and Julio Rodriguez. All four were assassinated in this mission on 31st October 1996.

Julio Rodríguez Jorge

Brother Julio Rodriguez Jorge was born on 20 October 1956 in Piñel de Arriba (Valladolid), the son of Edesio and Maria Angeles. He has two brothers: Celso and Frede.
He studied at the Marist Juniorate of Villalba (Madrid) and that of Sigüenza (Guadalajara). He entered the Novitiate of Maïmon (Córdoba) on 9th September 1975. He made his first religious profession there on 8th September 1976 and his perpetual profession in Madrid at San José del Parque College on 27th September 1981.

After a short time in the colleges of this Marist Province, he left for Kisangani, Zaire in August 1982. He came back to Spain in September 1986 to complete his formation and then returned to Zaire in September 1988.

He offered his services to the Superiors to go to help the Brothers working in the refugee camps. His request was accepted and in September 1996 he joined the community of the refugee camp in Nyamirangwe, near Bugobe, where he met his death together with his Brothers on 31st October 1996.

Miguel Angel Isla Lucio

He was born on 8th March 1943 in Villalain (Burgos). His parents, Agustin and Amilia, died several years ago. He has three brothers: Cipriano, Gerardo and Agustin who is a Marist Brother. He entered the Hispano-American Juniorate of Valladolid on 3rd September 1955. He made his novitiate at Liéganes in 1960 and then left for Argentina where he remained until 1973. He spent some time in Rome, then, in August 1974, he asked to be allowed to leave for the Marist Missions in Ivory Coast where he remained until 1995. He had worked as catechist, teacher and principal in Dimbokro, and then in Korhogo as Superior of the District.

In 1995, in response to the appeal of the Brother Superior General, he volunteered to go and work in the refugee camps in Zaire. He was in community with some Rwandan Brothers and later with Servando, Julio and Fernando. They worked heroically, providing material aid to the refugees and teaching catechism. They were assassinated on 31st October 1996.

Servando Mayor García

He was born on 20th July 1952 in Hormillos del Camino (Burgos). His parents, Servando and Otilia, Brothers: Elia, María Cruz, Jerónimo, Angel, Aurora, Evelio, J. Amado and the Marist Brothers: Serafín, Fernando and Servando.

He entered the novitiate in Maïmon (Códoba) on 29th June 1971. He devoted himself to teaching and the formation of the young in several colleges of the Province as teacher and principal. He was Superior of the community of Bugobe for a year. These four Brothers carried out a very considerable amount of aid work for the refugees. They faced the difficult and dangerous situation of the mission and the camps in a truly evangelical spirit. They were assassinated on 31st October 1996.