Homily: July 9 - Saint Augustine Zhao Rong and companions, martyrs

Today we celebrate the heroic St. Augustine Zhao Rong and companions, you may not be that familiar with them, as they were only canonized in the year 2000.  They are 120 Catholics who were martyred between the years 1648 and 1930.  They were lay people and clergy and religious ranging in age from 9 to 72.  87 of them were native born chinese, and the rest were foreign born missionaries.

The story of the Church in china is a long and often troubled one.  Christianity arrived in China by way of Syria in the 600s. Depending on China's political situation, Christianity over the centuries was free to grow or was forced to operate secretly during times of persecution.

St. Augustine Zhao Rong was not born to Catholic parents.  As a Chinese soldier he became familiar with the Catholic faith when he was ordered to escort a bishop to his martyrdom in Beijing.  Augustine was so impressed and moved by the bishop’s faith, Augustine was asked to be baptized.  He entered the seminary and was ordained a diocesan priest.  In 1815, he was arrested, tortured, and martyred.

The other martyrs we remember today include parents, catechists, laborers, and priests.  33 of the martyred, among them Jesuits, Franciscans, and Dominicans, were missionary men and women born in other lands who had traveled to the far-east to help plant the Christian faith in China. 

At the canonization of St. Augustine Zhao and his companions in October 2000, Pope John Paul II praises them for showing “unfailing fidelity to Christ and the Church” with the gift of their lives.  Among their number was an eighteen year old boy, who cried out to those who had just cut off his right arm and were preparing to flay him alive: "Every piece of my flesh, every drop of my blood will tell you that I am Christian."

May the prayerful intercession of St. Augustine Zhao Rong and his companions may we witness to the salvation that comes through Jesus Christ in our speech, in our conduct, and in our prayers, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

We pray for the Church in China as she continues to be persecuted by the Chinese government, that her faith may be strong, and in Christ they may find freedom and peace.