Cesáreo Gabaráin Azurmendi

Cesáreo Gabaráin Azurmendi was a Spanish Roman Catholic priest, composer, and liturgical songwriter born in Hernani in the Basque Country in 1936. He entered seminary in Zaragoza as a boy, continued his formation in San Sebastián, and was ordained in 1959. His ministry included chaplaincies in Marist schools and a nursing home, parish work in Madrid, religious education, and extensive workshops. He also studied journalism and musicology and became known for pastoral work with athletes, especially cyclists.

Gabaráin began composing during the years of liturgical renewal following the Second Vatican Council and eventually produced hundreds of songs and dozens of recorded or published collections. His other widely circulated works include “Sois la Semilla,” “Vienen con Alegría,” “Id y Enseñad,” and “La Muerte No Es el Final.” For “Pescador de Hombres,” first published on the 1974 collection “Dios con Nosotros,” he wrote both the Spanish text and the melody now called PESCADOR DE HOMBRES.

In 2021 accusations of sexual abuse during earlier ministry became public. OCP states that an Archdiocese of Madrid investigation later closed without finding substantial evidence sufficient to confirm the accusations; some church bodies have nevertheless restricted or discouraged use of his music. Gabaráin died of cancer in 1991.