Mateo Santiago was born in Malaga, Spain, to Carlos and Lucia Santiago. Malaga is the birthplace of Pablo Picasso. He was the youngest of three boys. The Spanish Civil War officially ended in 1939, but fighting did not stop. Armed guerrilla groups, called maquis, continued to battle the nationalist troops until the early 1950s. Mateo’s father was a Republican guerrilla who continued fighting from the hills outside Madrid. He was killed in battle. Mateo’s mother was arrested for “Moral Offenses,” committed against Franco’s regime. A moral offense was any word, action, or deed that opposed the regime. She died in prison. Mateo was four years old. After his mother’s death, his grandmother, Valencia, took in the four boys, raising them as her own in the small town of Usera, Spain. Valencia’s husband was deceased.

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As a child, his grandmother made sure he attended catholic mass regularly. The other boys were required to go. They attended reluctantly. Not Mateo. He seemed to enjoy it. At age six, with no prompting from an adult, he wrote a letter to Pope John XXII, asking if the pope could perform one miracle; what would it be? To everyone’s surprise, the pope responded. He said he would heal every child from suffering. This reply ignited in young Mateo a fire to become a priest. The fire never went out.

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Life was difficult for their family. Money was scarce. Job opportunities were grim. Franco’s government called for an industrialization-based economy, which decimated the farming communities. Pressed for money, the older boys left the confines of sleepy Usera for the bright lights of Madrid. Mateo remained at home. The older boys soon found that Madrid was rife with crime and violence for those who lived on the streets. For protection, they joined a newly formed gang known as “Ojitos Negro” or Black Eyes. There were rival groups like the Bandas Latinos, who hung out on street corners and committed petty crimes. The Ojitos took it to another level. They were not purse-snatchers. They were armed thieves who robbed wine bodegas and small stores. At age twelve, Mateo was heavily recruited by his brothers to join their gang. He resisted. It was plain to him that the road his brothers were on led nowhere. His grandmother agreed.

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    Instead, he remained in Usera, where he attended elementary and high school. At age six, he entered catechism, proving to be an excellent student. He began serving as an altar boy in the fourth grade at the Parish of Christ the King Usera. At age fourteen, he was selected as a Lector to read scripture during service. He felt comfortable in the church, with its ritual and solemnity. He had a tender heart and a good mind. Girls were attracted to him, and he liked that, but his love for the church took precedence.

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He attended Madrid Conciliary Seminary, earning his degree in philosophy, followed by an advanced degree in Canon Law and Theology at the Universidad Pontificia Comillas. After he was ordained, Mateo served for ten years at San Antonio de los Alemanes, often called the "Sistine Chapel" of Madrid due to its incredible ceiling frescoes. While there, he gained a reputation for piety, leadership, and a miracle.

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This is the miracle: One day, a young priest stopped by the church and asked to meet Father Santiago. His name was Father Stephen Makris. He was on an extended sabbatical of sorts from the monastery of Saint Markos in southern Israel. The young priest explained he was traveling across Europe, spending time in various churches learning what he could from the local parishioners. Father Santiago immediately liked his visitor and invited him in. Makris stayed for three weeks.

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     While he was there, Santiago’s beloved grandmother Valencia grew seriously ill. Doctors were unable to diagnose her ailment. Santiago went to visit her on what he thought might be her last night on earth. Father Makris asked if he could come along. In her bedroom, the two men prayed over Valencia, asking God to comfort her. Santiago prayed first. When Makris prayed, however, it was in a language Santiago had never heard before. Afterward, Santiago asked his friend what he had said. With a smile, Santiago explained that it was an ancient Aramaic prayer of healing known as the Alpha-Omega Prayer. He didn’t elaborate. The next day, Valencia miraculously left her bed and lived another ten years. Santiago was convinced it was a miracle. His church agreed. On the day they parted ways, Santiago presented Makris with a cross on a silver chain. On the back, he had inscribed AO (alpha and omega) and his initials MS (Mateo Santiago). It was the beginning of a lifelong friendship.

 

​The local church leaders were very pleased with Santiago’s performance as their parish priest and nominated him for the position of Auxiliary Bishop. The senior bishop approved their nomination and passed it along to the Vatican’s ambassador. He, in turn, presented his name to the pope, who approved it immediately. Santiago was thirty-five—one of the youngest bishops in recent memory.

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He served as a bishop with distinction. Another ten years passed, and he was nominated for diplomatic service at the Vatican. He was approved and stationed at the Catholic embassy in Rome, where he impressed both his peers and the pope with his service in both El Salvador and Panama. His tenure, plus his years of tireless work on behalf of the Catholic Church, helped launch him into the role of the archbishop of Barcelona.

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The ecclesiastical province of Barcelona included 214 parishes, 153 missions, and 826 priests. In total, it served over 2.5 million Catholics. Santiago governed this massive archdiocese with the same candor and honesty that he brought to his first church. He was revered not only by his entire congregation but also by his peers. Some considered him a viable candidate for Cardinal and ultimately the papal