JUAN BAUTISTA FERRERES. Jesuit, moralist and canonist, born at Olleris (diocese of Valencia) on 28 November 1861, died in prison at Valencia on 28 December 1936. After completing his studies, from 1900 until his death he taught moral theology and canon law at the College of Sarrià (Barcelona), except for the period 1918–24, which he spent in Rome. When the anarchist-communist revolution broke out, he believed his native village offered safer refuge; but once discovered, he had to present himself in Valencia, where he was immediately thrown into prison and left to languish until the end, since he could not be conveyed by cart to the place of execution.
Endowed with singular talents and untiring energy, he kept abreast of every innovation in his field and vigorously addressed modern questions—medical, social and economic—illuminating them with the light of Catholic morality. He wrote extensively: first his Compendium theologiae moralis (2 vols., Barcelona 1904), a revised edition of Gury’s text, which he progressively updated and revised (160th ed., ibid. 1939); Cosm. conscientiae (2 vols., 5th ed., ibid. 1926); Institutiones canonicae (2 vols., ibid. 1918); the first and third of these works were also issued in Spanish for the convenience of physicians and professionals. Many other questions, often treated first in the canon-law bulletin of Rueda y Pa, later appeared separately and met with a favourable reception: for example, La que debe hacerse y lo que hai que evitar en la celebración de las misas manuales (3rd ed., Madrid 1906); La muerte real y la muerte aparente con relación a los Santos Sacramentos (4th ed., ibid. 1910); La Comunión frecuente y diaria y la primera Comunión (Barcelona 1911); Las cofradías y Congregaciones eclesiásticas según la disciplina vigente (ibid. 1907); Las religiosas según la disciplina vigente (Madrid 1908); Las espansales y el matrimonio según la novísima disciplina (Madrid 1908); Las misas manuales según la disciplina vigente (ibid. 1924), etc.