Saint Augustine Zhao Rong and Companions

Augustine Zhao Rong was a Chinese soldier in Sichuan. In 1815 he was among the guards escorting the French missionary bishop Jean-Gabriel Taurin Dufresse to his execution in Chengdu. Deeply moved by the bishop's patience and faith, he asked to be instructed, was baptized and later ordained a priest. During a new persecution he was arrested, cruelly beaten and tortured, and he died in prison in 1815.

He is remembered together with 119 other martyrs who died in China between 1648 and 1930: Chinese bishops, priests and catechists, foreign missionaries, and many lay men, women and children, some killed during the Boxer Rebellion of 1900. Pope Saint John Paul II canonized all 120 on October 1, 2000. Their memorial reminds the Church of the courage of Chinese Catholics who have kept the faith through centuries of hardship.

Chinese Catholic communities in Taiwan, Hong Kong and around the world honor the martyrs with Masses and prayers for the Church in China. Many parishes use the day to pray for religious freedom and for persecuted Christians everywhere.