Chinese Martyrs

During the “Great Jubilee” of 2000, on October 1, Pope John Paul II canonized 120 martyrs, who had been killed for the Faith in China between the years 1648 and 1930. Most of these martyrs were Chinese laypersons, but the group also included clergy and 

 

 

Saint Augustine Zhao Rong, a native of Wuchuan, Guizhou, China, was born in 1746 and entered the imperial army of the Qing dynasty at the age of 20. During anti-Christian persecutions, he found himself guarding Christian prisoners. In 1785, he was tasked with escorting one of these, a French missionary named Gabriel Taurin Dufresse, to Beijing, (where he was eventually beheaded in 1815). As a result of these contacts, the Chinese soldier was converted to the Catholic Faith, taking the name Augustine at his baptism. He was subsequently ordained a priest and brought many Chinese souls to Christ. During a renewed outbreak of persecution, though he was imprisoned and tortured, he remained faithful. He died because of beatings in 1815, the first Chinese priest-martyr.

 

Another martyr commemorated in this group is St. Mark Ji Tianxiang, who was born in Hengshui, Hebei, China, in 1834. He was a medical doctor and a devout Catholic. After contracting a severe stomach ailment, he treated himself with opium, as was common at the time. However, he became addicted to the drug. He had frequent recourse to the Sacrament of Penance, much prayer, and regular attendance at Mass. However, his priest-confessor came to the conclusion that the continued addiction was a sign of insufficient contrition, was causing scandal in the community, and concluded that it was necessary to deny absolution to the doctor until he was free of his addiction. As a result, he was not able to receive Holy Communion for 30 years, during which time he struggled to gain sobriety. Eventually, he gained his freedom from the addiction and was able to once again receive the Sacraments. In 1900, during the Boxer Rebellion, he and over 100 other Christians, including many members of St. Mark’s family, were rounded up and threatened with death if they refused to renounce their Catholic faith, which all of them refused to do. St. Mark asked to be executed last so that he could encourage each one facing martyrdom and to ensure that no member of his family nor the others with them would die alone. Finally, he was beheaded, the last of all.

 

Let us pray to these great witnesses of Faith, for ourselves, for soldiers, for addicts, and for Catholics who still suffer for the Faith in China and elsewhere, today.

 

Saints Augustine and Mark, martyrs of China, pray for us!