February 6 – St. Paul Miki and 26 Martyrs of Japan
Born: 1562 (Miki)
Died: 1597
Nationality: Japanese
Vocation: lay
Attributes: palm, cross, spear
Patronage: Japan, persecuted Christians
Canonization: 1862 by Pope Pius IX
Thanks to the missionary, St. Francis Xavier, who brought the Catholic faith to Japan in the 16th century, Catholicism continued to spread. By the year 1587, there were around 200,000 Japanese Christians in Japan.
Due to religious tensions and persecution, missionaries were forced to work in secret. But despite the persecution and martyrdoms, the Church in Japan continued to grow.
In 1593, by the command of the Spanish King Philip II, Franciscan missionaries came to Japan from the Philippines and devoted themselves to zealous evangelization. Their presence interfered with the fragile relationship between the Church and the Japanese government, especially when a Spanish ship carrying artillery was discovered off the coast.
An imperial minister of Japan retaliated by sentencing 26 Catholics to death by crucifixion. These were three native Jesuits, six foreign Franciscans, and lay Catholics including children.
Before their execution, the prisoners had to march 600 miles to the city of Nagasaki. There, they were publicly tortured but not deterred from singing the hymn of praise “Te Deum.”
Of the 26 Martyrs, Paul Miki was the best known. Born in 1562 and a Christian convert, he helped many Buddhists convert.
He was in training to become a Jesuit priest at the time of his capture. Paul was a bold witness, preaching to the crowds even while hanging on the Cross, saying,
“The only reason for my being killed is that I have taught the doctrine of Christ. I thank God it is for this reason that I die. I believe that I am telling the truth before I die. After Christ's example, I forgive my persecutors. I do not hate them. I ask God to have pity on all, and I hope my blood will fall on my fellow men as a fruitful rain.”
The Martyrs of Nagasaki were canonized in 1862 by Pope Pius IX.
St. Paul Miki and Companions, pray for us.