He was born (Jose Ferrer Adell) on April 23, 1879, in Albocacer in the Diocese of Tortona and province of Castellon de la Plana. He was baptized on the day of his birth, and was the only son of Jose Ferrer and Antonia Adell.

After completing his first studies in the Capuchin Seraphic seminary he was clothed in the habit at Massamagrell on January 1, 1896 and was professed on January 3, 1897. He studied philosophy at Totana (Murcia) and theology at Orihguela (Alicante). He was ordained priest on December 19, 1903 by the Bishop of Segorbe.

In 1913, he set out as a missionary to Columbia where in 1925, he was appointed regular superior of the Custody of Bogota. On completion of his term of office he returned to Spain and was appointed director of the seraphic seminary at Massamagrell. As director, he tried to instill a missionary spirit into the young aspirants to the religious life. “In the friary of Massamagrell” says Don Jose Piquer, “Fr. Joachim, as seminary director, devoted himself to teaching the seminarians” ” He was tireless in the work of teaching the seminarians and treated them like a good father,” Don Antonio Sales says of him.

He was truly devoted to the salvation of all. His soul was eucharistic: he founded the magazine Vida Eucharistica; perpetual adoration, holy hours, the Eucharistic Thursdays,: where initiatives to which he devoted himself with genuine genorosity.

When the religious persecution broke out, he first thought about getting his seminarians to safety before taking refuge in the Piquer household at Rafelbunol (Valencia). From there he kept an eye on his seminarians, spending the time in prayer with complete trust in divine providence. It was there that he was captured by the militia on August 30, and taken to Albocacer with his family. He was then brought before the president of the committee of Rafaelbunol at 10 in the morning. By 4 p.m. of the same afternoon he was driven in the same car 4 kms along the Puebla Tornesa road to Villafames where he was killed and then buried in the cemetery in that village. It has not been possible to identify his remains.

During the few hours he spent in prison, Blessed Joachim tried to encourage his companions. Some witnesses say that when he was captured his attitude was one of the greater humility and compliance,” and after greeting his family, he said to them, “if we don’t meet again in this world, we’ll meet in glory.”

Blessed Joachim of Albocacer of the Franciscan Capuchin Order from Valencia Spain is one of the thousands of Priests and religious martyred during the Spanish Civil War in 1936 for the hatred of the Faith. He and other Capuchin martyrs were beatified by Pope John Paul II on March 11, 2001 along with 240 other martyrs.