16 Martyrs of Japan (1633-1637)
Lawrence Ruiz, Dominic Ibáñez de Erquicia OP, James Kyushei Tomonaga OP and 13 Companions
All connected to Order of Preachers in the missionary Province of St Rosary. Of the 16 blesseds, 9 Japanese, 4 Spanish, 1 Italian, 1 French & 1 Filipino. 9 were Dominican priests, 2 cooperating brothers, 2 tertiaries & 3 other lay people.
Martyred between 1633-1637; all except Marina di Omura & Antonio Gonzàlez martyred on Nishizaka hill in Nagasaki, where the 26 proto-martyr saints of Japan were crucified in 1597 & where many of the 205 blesseds were martyred between 1617 & 1632
Beatified on 18 February 1981 in Manila (first beatification in history to be celebrated outside Rome)
Canonized on 18 October 1987 by Pope St John Paul II
Pope St John Paul II's homily at Holy Mass with the Canonization of 16 Martyrs of Japan
St Peter's Basilica, World Day of Missions, Sunday 18th October 1987 - JPII spoke in English, French, Italian & Spanish
“Mi è stato dato ogni potere in cielo e in terra. Andate... ammaestrate tutte le nazioni” (Mt 28, 18-19).
1. Oggi la Chiesa ascolta ancora una volta queste parole di Cristo riferite dall’evangelista Matteo. Sono state pronunciate da Gesù in Galilea, sulla montagna, dove erano riuniti gli apostoli. Non sono semplicemente parole di congedo. Sono parole che contengono l'affidamento di una missione. Cristo se ne va dopo aver compiuto il suo compito messianico sulla terra. E nello stesso tempo egli rimane: “Io sono con voi tutti i giorni, fino alla fine del mondo” (Mt 28, 20).
La terza domenica d’ottobre è chiamata Giornata missionaria. In tale domenica tutta la Chiesa ascolta queste parole di Gesù con una particolare emozione. Essa si rende conto di essere tutta intera missionaria, di essere tutta intera “in statu missionis”. E non può essere diversamente. Proprio questo fatto è messo in rilievo dall’ultimo Concilio.
2. Oggi, qui in Piazza San Pietro, i vescovi, riuniti nel Sinodo ascoltano con particolare attenzione queste parole del mandato missionario. Il Sinodo riguarda la missione dei laici nella Chiesa. Alla Giornata missionaria sono stati invitati i rappresentanti dei catechisti di tutti i Paesi e Continenti. Prima di tutto dei Paesi missionari.
Insieme con tutti i pastori della Chiesa qui presenti, vi saluto, cari fratelli e sorelle. Il messaggio missionario di Cristo pronunziato sulla montagna in Galilea è giunto e continua a giungere in modo speciale a voi. Siete proprio voi che realizzate, in grande misura, il carattere missionario della Chiesa. Uniti ai vostri vescovi e sacerdoti, partecipate alla grande, attuale e sempre rinnovata opera di evangelizzazione del mondo.
A voi si riferiscono le parole del Salmo che l’apostolo Paolo ha applicato agli operai del Vangelo della prima generazione: “Per tutta la terra è corsa la loro voce, fino ai confini del mondo le loro parole” (Rm 10, 18).
3. Le sentirono come rivolte a sé, tre secoli fa, i missionari martiri, che stamani la Chiesa iscrive solennemente nell’albo dei santi. Fra di loro c’erano anche dei laici: un filippino e due giapponesi. Con coraggio seppero dare il loro contributo perché l’annuncio del Vangelo giungesse “fino ai confini del mondo”.
Queste parole risuonano oggi per tutti voi che servite la causa del Vangelo in terra di missione. In particolare per voi laici, della cui vocazione e missione nella Chiesa si sta interessando il Sinodo nel corso di queste settimane. L’apostolato missionario dei laici è frutto di una fede aperta alla testimonianza della parola:
“Se confesserai con la tua bocca che Gesù è il Signore e crederai con il tuo cuore che Dio lo ha risuscitato dai morti sarai salvo” (Rm 10, 9).
Sarai salvo forse solamente tu? No certamente.
Ecco, Dio “è il Signore di tutti, ricco verso tutti quelli che l’invocano . . . Chiunque invocherà il nome del Signore sarà salvato” (Rm 10, 12-13).
Chiunque! . . .
La salvezza è per tutti. “Dio vuole la salvezza di tutti gli uomini” (cf. 1 Tm 2, 4).
La messe è veramente grande. È sconfinata. Voi, cari fratelli e sorelle, siete chiamati dai Signore della messe.
E la vostra vocazione e il servizio sono senza prezzo. Insostituibili.
Ascoltiamo ancora una volta l’incalzare delle domande che l’Apostolo ci pone nella Lettera ai Romani in relazione all’opera missionaria della prima generazione della Chiesa:
“Come potranno invocarlo senza aver prima creduto in lui? E come potranno credere senza averne sentito parlare? E come potranno sentirne parlare senza uno che lo annunzi? E come lo annunzieranno, senza essere prima inviati?” (Rm 10, 14-15).
4. Ascoltiamo tutti le parole dell’Apostolo. Ascoltatele specialmente voi, missionari e missionarie, religiosi e laici. Ascoltatele voi catechisti e catechiste.
Queste domande dell’apostolo Paolo si riferiscono direttamente a voi. Parlano di voi. La Chiesa dei nostri tempi fa totalmente sue le domande contenute in questo brano della Lettera ai Romani. L’attuale vescovo di Roma le porta nel suo cuore secondo l’esempio dell’Apostolo.
E facendosi eco delle parole apostoliche, proclama insieme con i vescovi sinodali, qui presenti, la lode della vostra missione, lode che troviamo già nell’Antico Testamento, nel libro del profeta Isaia (Is 52, 7): “Come sono belli sui monti i piedi del messaggero di lieti annunzi!”.
5. “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good tidings” (Is. 52, 7).
Today’s canonization of Blessed Lorenzo Ruiz and his companions, martyred in and around Nagasaki between 1633 and 1637, constitutes an eloquent confirmation of these words. Sixteen men and women bore witness, by their heroic sufferings and death, to their belief in the message of salvation in Christ which had reached them after being proclaimed from generation to generation since the time of the Apostles.
In their sufferings, their love and imitation of Jesus reached its fulfilment, and their sacramental configuration with Jesus, the one Mediator, was brought to perfection. "For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his" (Rom. 6, 5).
These holy martyrs, different in origin, language, race and social condition, are united with each other and with the entire People of God in the saving mystery of Christ, the Redeemer. Together with them, we too, gathered here with the Synod Fathers from almost every country of the world, sing to the Lamb the new song of the Book of Revelation:
“Worthy are you to receive the scroll and to break open its seals, for you were slain and with your blood you purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue, people and nation. You made them a kingdom and priests for our God, and they will reign on earth” (Apoc. 5, 9-10).
The martyrs’ message of supreme fidelity to Christ speaks to Europe, with its common Christian foundation laid by the Apostles Peter and Paul - Europe, which has been a seedbed of missionaries for two thousand years.
It speaks to the Philippines, which was the place of immediate preparation and strengthening in faith for eleven of the new Saints - the Philippines which, as I remarked on the occasion of the martyrs’ Beatification in Manila in 1981, from being evangelized is called to become an evangelizer in the great work of bringing the Gospel to the peoples of Asia. May this task of evangelization begin in Philippine families, following the example of Lorenzo Ruiz, husband and father of three children, who first collaborated with the Dominican Fathers in Manila, and then shared their martyrdom in Nagasaki, and who is now the first canonized Filipino saint. The Holy martyrs speak to the Church in Japan, particularly to the Archdiocese of Nagasaki, to the Church in Taiwan and in Macao and to all Christ’s followers in Asia: may the example and intercession of the new Saints help to extend Christian truth and love throughout the length and breadth of this vast continent!
6. En cette Journée mondiale des Missions, l’Eglise proclame solennellement la sainteté de ces prêtres dominicains missionnaires, de leurs coopérateurs, de deux jeunes femmes membres du tiers ordre dominicain, qui ont été arrêtés et mis à mort en raison de leur œuvre d’évangélisation.
Au cours du Synode des Evêques sur le rôle et la mission des laïcs dans l’Eglise et dans le monde, un père de famille philippin, deux laïcs japonais, tous engagés dans la catéchèse, sont honorés pour leur fidélité totale à la grâce de leur baptême, en même temps que des religieux dominicains, dont fait partie le Français Guillaume Courtet.
Toute l’Eglise de Dieu se réjouit de leur victoire. L’Eglise en Italie, en France, en Espagne, à Taiwan, à Macao, aux Philippines et au Japon est remplie d’admiration et de joie pour la Bonne Nouvelle annoncée par la passion et la mort de ces vaillants disciples de Jésus-Christ, “le témoin fidèle, le premier - né d’entre les morts” (Apoc. 1, 5).
Par le témoignage de leur vie généreusement offerte par amour pour le Christ, les nouveaux saints parlent aujourd’hui à toute l’Eglise: ils l’entraînent et la stimulent dans sa mission évangélisatrice. En effet, selon le décret conciliaire Ad Gentes, pour accomplir sa mission, l’Eglise, “obéissant à l’ordre du Christ, mue par la grâce de l’Esprit Saint et par la charité, devient pleinement présente à tous les hommes et à tous les peuples pour les amener, par l’exemple de sa vie, par la prédication, par les sacrements et les autres moyens de grâce, à la foi, à la liberté, à la paix du Christ”.
Un cordiale e speciale saluto alla Chiesa che è in Giappone fondata sulla testimonianza dei martiri.
7. Los nuevos Santos hablan también hoy a todos los misioneros que, urgidos por el mandato de Cristo “id y enseñad a todas las gentes”, han salido por los caminos del mundo a anunciar la Buena Nueva de la salvación a todos los hombres, particularmente a los más necesitados.
Ellos, con su mensaje y su martirio, hablan a los catequistas, a los agentes de pastoral, a los laicos, a quienes la Iglesia, está dedicando particular atención y solicitud en el presente Sínodo de los Obispos. Ellos nos recuerdan que “morir por la fe es un don que se concede a algunos; pero vivir la fe es una llamada dirigida a todos”.
La gran familia dominica, y en particular la Provincia del Santo Rosario que celebra el cuarto centenario de su creación, recibe hoy, con legítimo orgullo, entre sus Santos a estos mártires, algunos de los cuales estuvieron especialmente ligados al Colegio de Santo Tomás de Manila. Este centro, convertido hoy en Universidad, así como otras beneméritas instituciones eclesiales, han contribuído de modo notable a la implantación y desarrollo de la Iglesia en el lejano oriente.
Los misioneros que hoy son canonizados hablan a todos los fieles cristianos, en esta Jornada de oración por las misiones, y les exhortan a reavivar su conciencia misionera. “Todos los cristianos -nos dice el Concilio-, dondequiera que vivan, estan obligados a manifestar con el ejemplo de su vida y el testimonio de la palabra el hombre nuevo de que se revistieron por el bautismo”. Todo bautizado debe sentirse, pues, urgido por su vocación a la santidad. En esto los nuevos Santos han de servirnos de modelo a seguir con una entrega sin límites a la llamada de Dios. Uno de ellos, el Padre Lucas del Espíritu Santo escribía: “El beneficio que yo estimo más, es haberme enviado a esta tierra en compañía de tan grandes siervos de Dios, de los cuales, unos ya le están gozando, y otros tienen adquirido un gran tesoro delante de su divina Majestad”.
8. “Venite, saliamo sul monte del Signore... perché ci indichi le sue vie” (Is 2, 3).
Così parla il profeta Isaia nella sua visione.
E questa visione si realizza quando Cristo risorto sale insieme con gli apostoli sul monte in Galilea. Dice loro: “Andate... ammaestrate tutte le nazioni, battezzandole nel nome del Padre e del Figlio e dello Spirito Santo, insegnando loro ad osservare tutto ciò che vi ho comandato” (Mt 28, 19-20).
Questo “tutto”, è il Vangelo dell’amore e della pace.
Isaia non profetava forse sul mutamento delle spade in vomeri e delle lance in falci, perché gli uomini non si esercitino più nell’arte della guerra? (cf. Is 2, 4).
Egli annunciava le vie di un vero progresso dei popoli, già qui sulla terra, e nello stesso tempo le vie della salvezza eterna che è il futuro e definitivo destino dell’uomo in Dio.
9. A voi tutti, quindi, mi rivolgo, a voi che mi ascoltate qui oggi, e a tutti voi che faticate nel campo della Chiesa missionaria in tutto il mondo: la vostra consolazione e speranza sia il Vangelo dell’amore e della pace.
“Venite... Casa di Giacobbe, vieni, camminiamo nella luce del Signore” (Is 2, 3.5).
Sì. Camminiamo infaticabilmente! Cristo cammina con noi!"
Pope St John Paul II's homily at Holy Mass with the Beatification of Lawrence Ruiz Dominic Ibáñez de Erquicia OP, James Kyushei Tomonaga OP & 13 Companions
Manila, Wednesday 18th February 1981 - also in Italian, Portuguese & Spanish
“Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,
1. The City of Manila and all the Philippines are filled with joy on this day as they sing a hymn of glory to Jesus Christ. For, according to his Gospel promise, Christ is truly acknowledging, in the presence of his Father in heaven, those faithful martyrs who acknowledged him before men [cf Mt, 10, 32]. And because of the nearness of Luneta Park to old Manila "intra muros", the hymn of glory to God which has just been sung by numberless voices is an echo of the Te Deum sung in the Church of Santo Domingo on the evening of December 27, 1637, when the news arrived of the martyrdom at Nagasaki of a group of six Christians. Among them were the head of the mission, Father Antonio González, a Spanish Dominican from León, and Lorenzo Ruiz, a married man with a family, born in Manila "extra muros" : in the suburb of Binondo.
These witnesses had also in their turn sung psalms to the Lord of mercy and power, both while they were in prison and during their execution by the gallows and the pit, which lasted three days. The song of these "designated" martyrs—to use a definition made by my predecessor Benedict XIV — was followed in Manila, then as now, by the song of thanksgiving for the martyrs nοw "consummated" and "glorified". Te martyrum candidatus laudat exercitus: they belonged indeed to a white-robed throng, whose members included those of the white legion of the Order of Preachers.
2. Our hymn is at same time a hymn of faith that conquers the world [1 Jn 5, 4]. The preaching of this faith enlightens like the sun all who wish to attain the knowledge of truth. Indeed, although there are different languages in the world, the power of the Christian tradition is the same. And so, as Saint Irenaeus explains, the Churches founded in Germany or in Spain believe and teach no differently from the Churches founded in the East or in the central parts of the world.
I therefore greet with deep affection in Christ Jesus the European Churches in Italy, France and Spain, and the Asian Churches in Taiwan, Macau, the Philippines and Japan, represented here or at least spiritually united to this ceremony of the beatification of sixteen martyrs who belong to them by birth, apostolic work or martyrdom.
3. The Lord Jesus by his blood truly redeemed his servants, gathered from every race, tongue, people and nation, to make them a royal priesthood for our God [cf Apoc 5, 9-10]. The sixteen blessed martyrs, by the exercise of their priesthood—that of baptism or of Holy Orders — performed the greatest act of worship and love of God by the sacrifice of their blood united with Christ's own Sacrifice of the Cross. In this way they imitated Christ the priest and victim in the most perfect way possible for human creatures [cf S Th 11-11, q124 a3]. It was at the same time an act of the greatest possible love for their brethren, for whose sake we are all called to sacrifice ourselves, following the example of the Son of God who sacrificed himself for us [cf Jn 3, 16].
4. This is what Lorenzo Ruiz did. Guided by the Holy Spirit to an unexpected goal after an adventurous journey, he told the court that he was a Christian, and must die for God, and wοuld give his life for him a thousand times [cf Positio, p47].
Kahit maging sanglibo man
Ang buhay n'yaring katawan
Pawa kong ipapapatay,
Kung inyong pagpipilitang
Si Kristo'y aking talikdan.
(Had I many thousands of lives I would offer them all for him. Never shall I apostatize. You may kill me if that is what you want. To die for God — such is my will.)
Here we have him summed up ; here we have a description of his faith and the reason fοr his death. It was at this moment that this young father of a family professed and brought to completion the Christian catechesis that he had received in the Dominican Friars' school in Binondo: a catechesis that cannot be other than Christ-centered, by reason both of the mystery it contains and the fact that it is Christ who teaches through the lips of his messenger [cf Catechesi Tradendae, 5-6].
This is the Christian essence of the first Beatus of the Philippine nation, today exalted as a fitting climax to the fourth centenary of the Archdiocese of Manila. Just as the young Church in Jerusalem brought forth its first martyr for Christ in the person of the deacon Stephen, sο the young Church in Manila, founded in 1579, brought forth its first martyr in the person of Lorenzo Ruiz, who had served in the parish church of Saint Gabriel in Binondo. The local parish and the family, the domestic church, are indeed the center of faith that is lived, taught and witnessed to.
5. The example of Lorenzo Ruiz, the son of a Chinese father and Tagala mother, reminds us that everyone's life and the whole of one's life must be at Christ's disposal. Christianity means daily giving, in response to the gift of Christ who came into the world so that all might have life and have it to the full [cf Jn 10,10]. Or, as so aptly expressed in the theme of my visit to this country : To die for the faith is a gift to some; to live the faith is a call for all.
I too have come from the city of the martyrs Peter and Paul to this capital city to speak to you about the meaning of our existence, about the value of living and dying for Christ. And that is what I wish to affirm by this act of beatification, desired by myself and by my predecessor Paul VI, and requested by the various local Churches and by the Dominican Order.
6. But the attractive figure of the first Filipino martyr would not be fully explained in its historical context without extolling the witness given by fifteen companions, who suffered in 1633, 1634 and 1637. They form the group led by two men : Domingo Ibáñez de Erquicia, the vicar provincial of the Japanese mission and a native of Régil in the Spanish Diocese of San Sebastián; and Jacobo Kyuhei Tomonaga, a native of Kyudetsu in the Diocese of Nagasaki.
Both of these belonged to the Dominican Province of the Holy Rosary in the Philippines, established in 1587 for the evangelization of the Far East. The whole group of Lorenzo's companions was composed of nine priests, two professed brothers, two members of the Third Order, and a catechist and a guide-interpreter. Nine were Japanese, four were Spaniards, one a Frenchman, and one an Italian. They had one reason for their evangelical witness: the reason of Saint Paul, baptized by Ananias to carry the name of Christ to all peoples [cf Acts 9,15]: "We have come to Japan only to preach faith in God and to teach salvation to little ones and to the innocent and to all the rest of the people". Thus did the martyr Guillaume Courtet sum up their mission before the judges at Nagasaki [cf Positio, p412-414].
7. I shall have the joy of speaking again about these brave apostles in a few days' time, in Nagasaki, near that holy hill called Nishizaka, where they suffered martyrdom. By their place of death they are all Japanese. That archipelago was the land of their true and definitive birth, the birth that brings the adopted children of God to eternal light.
8. Fοr the moment, as we consider the place where they are being beatified, I would dwell upon the fact that the city of Manila, the island of Luzón and the island of Formosa, which at time came under a single civil gοvernment, were the wide and providential starting-point of the nine priests who later sailed for Nagasaki. There was a ministry among the Chinese of the suburb of Bínondo, among the Japanese colony in Manila, among the peoples of the regions of Bataán, Pangasinán, Cagayán, and, further north, in Formosa. For some of them there was a teaching assignment in the College of Santo Tomás in Manila, which in 1645 became the present Pontifical University, the oldest and the largest Catholic university in the Far East.
Four of the new Beati were professors in the College, one was also the Rector, and a fifth had studied there. In the first century of the evangelization of the Far East, begun by the preaching of Saint Francis Xavier, the Philippine Islands had already, in this university institution, a further means of carrying out the mission of evangelization [cf Sapientia Christiana]. A fruitful program aimed at imparting theological knowledge and propagating the faith, which still today is enhanced by the cultural heritage of the Philippines and vivified by the Christian spirit, is a fitting instrument for assisting the spread of the Gospel.
The harmonious mingling of faith and culture is spoken of by the Filipino poet and national hero José Rizal, in these verses :
Tal la Educación estrecha alianza
Con alma Religión une sincera:
Por ella Educación renombre alcanza ;
Y ay ! del ser que ciego desechando
De santa Religión sabias doctrinas,
De su puro raudal huye nefando.
All the more therefore, it is my duty and the object of my apostolic ministry to confirm my brethren in the truth [cf Lk 22,32], and to repeat to the missionaries, to the students of theological and human sciences, as well as to all the Catholics of East Asia, the words of Christ : "You shall be my witnesses ... to the ends of the earth" [Acts 1,8].
9. Let us endeavor to imitate the commitment to faith and the fidelity to commitment of those who, through their difficult missionary task, accepted with joy and steadfastness hard journeys, difficulties of climate, betrayal even by their friends, privations of every kind and terrible tortures. They were so much in love with Christ's Passion that they could cry out, like Miguel de Aozaraza contemplating Christ's wounds : "What beautiful carnations, what bloodred roses shed for love of you, my God!" [cf Positio, p446]. They asked Mary, as did Giordano Ansalone, to enable them to recover their health, sο that they could die only as victims for Christ.
I entrust all this to Mary, who, with her rosary, helped our martyrs to imitate and to proclaim her Son ; to be intrepid guardians of his word, like the courageous women Magdalena of Nagasaki and Marina of Omura. I entrust the destiny of the Philippines and of all Asia to Mary, Queen of the Rosary, who with the title of "La Naval" is venerated as the guardian of freedom for the Catholic faith.
10. This is the full meaning of this beatification : to animate all the Christians of the Far East and to spread the word of the Lord [cf 2 Thess 3,1]. In a special way I say this to you Filipinos, who form the only predominantly Catholic nation in the eastern part of the continent of Asia. It is an invitation that I also extend to the other Christians of the nearby lands that border the Pacific Ocean like a symbol of the search for God described by Saint Catherine of Siena : "A deep sea, in which the further I enter it the more I find ; and the mοre I find the more I look fοr you. You are insatiable, for as the soul becomes satiated in your abyss, it is not satiated, because it always remains hungry for you, thirsty for yοu, desiring to see you by the light of your light" [Dialogue, ch167].
Dearly beloved : amidst the efforts needed for our own Christian lives, and for spreading the light of Christ thoughout Asia and the whole world, let us look today to these zealous martyrs who give us deep assurance and fresh hope when they tell us : "In all this we are more than conquerors because of him who has loved us" [Rom 8,37]. And this is the mystery we celebrate today : the love of Jesus Christ, who is the light of the world. Amen."
Biography by the Vatican
- also in Italian & Spanish
Lawrence Ruiz, layman, Dominic Ibáñez de Erquicia, O.P., James Kyushei Tomonaga, O.P. and 13 companions, Philippines, martyrs in Japan
1633, (August and October)
DOMINIC IBANEZ DE ERQUICIA: Spanish Dominican priest, born in Regil (San Sebastian) member of the Province of Spain at first, and afterwards of the Holy Rosary Province. Taught at St. Tomas College (Manila) and preached in various parts of the Philippines. In 1623 he went to Japan where he worked incognito. Denounced to the authorities by a Christian apostate, he was subsequently imprisoned and put to death. He played a very important role as Vicar Provincial to the missions. Part of his letters have been conserved. Age 44.
FRANCIS SHOYEMON: Japanese, Dominican Cooperator Brother. He was a companion of Domingo Ibanez in his apostolate. Arrested in 1633, he received the Dominican habit while in prison. He was killed together with this spiritual father.
JAMES KYUSHEI TOMONAGA OF ST. MARY: Japanese, Dominican priest. Born of a noble Christian family of Kyudetsu, he studied at the Jesuits' College at Nagasaki. He was expelled from Japan in 1614, because he was working as a catechist. He preached in Manila and Taiwan, but in 1632 he returned to his native land to help his fellow Christians. He was arrested, tortured and later killed, "because he was a religious and propagated the faith". He was 51 years, the oldest of the group.
MICHAEL KUROBIOYE: Japanese, lay catechist. He was a companion of Fr. James of St. Mary. When he was imprisoned and tortured, he revealed the hiding place of Fr. James. Soon repenting of what he had done, he joined his companion in his martyrdom, confessing his faith.
LUCAS ALONSO OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: Spanish, Dominican priest, born in Carracedo (Astorga) a son of the Spanish Dominican Province, he joined the Holy Rosary Province in 1617, thus becoming a missionary. After teaching at St. Tomas in Manila and preaching in Cagayan, he went to Japan in 1623 and worked there, encountering great risks and hardships for ten years. He was arrested while in Osaka (1633) and killed in Nagasaki after being tortured. Age 39.
MATTHEW KOHIOYE OF THE ROSARY: Japanese of Arima, Brother of the Dominican Order. Catechist and helper of Blessed Lucas Alonso, he became a Dominican novice. He was arrested at Osaka in 1633, endured horrible torture but remained faithful to Christ until his death. Age 18.
1634, (October-November)
MAGDALENE OF NAGASAKI: Japanese, Augustinian and Dominican tertiary. Daughter of a martyred Christian couple, she consecrated herself to God. Her spiritual director was Fr. Ansalone. When the latter was arrested, she presented herself to the guards, declaring that she was a Christian. She was tortured in a cruel manner, but remained firm in her faith until she was hung on the gibbet where she died after thirteen days.
MARINA OF OMURA: Japanese, Dominican tertiary. Entered the Third Order in 1626 and was very helpful to the missionaries. She was arrested in 1634 and submitted to shameful humiliations, after which she was burned alive.
HYACINTH JORDAN ANSALONE: Italian, Dominican priest. Born at S. Stefano Quisquina (Agrigento), son of the Dominican Province of Sicily, afterwards joining the Holy Rosary Province. In the Philippines, he worked among the poor and the sick. He went to Japan in 1632 and worked there for two years. He was arrested in 1634 and had to undergo various tortures before dying on the gibbet. Age 36.
THOMAS HIOLI NISM OF ST. HYACINTH: Japanese, Dominican priest. Son of martyred Christians of Hirado, student at the Jesuits' college at Nagasaki. He emigrated to Manila in 1614 after being expelled on account of the persecution. Studied at St. Tomas College, then became a Dominican missionary in Taiwan. He returned later to Japan, where he preached for 5 years among great perils. He was then arrested, tortured and put to death. Age 44.
1637, September
In 1636, the Dominicans of Manila organized a missionary expedition with the intention of helping the Christians in Japan. As soon as they arrived in the island of Okinawa they were arrested and kept in prison for a year, after which they were transferred and condemned to death by the tribunal of Nagasaki.
ANTHONY GONZALEZ: Spanish, Dominican priest. Born in Leon (Spain), he became a Dominican in his native country, but, moving to Manila (1631) he joined the Holy Rosary Province. He taught at St. Tomas and later became its rector. In 1636 he led the group of missionaries going to Japan, but was soon arrested with the rest. He was a man of much prayer and penance. After a year he died in prison having endured the tortures inflicted upon him by the persecutors. Age 45.
WILLIAM COURTET OR THOMAS OF ST. DOMINIC: Born of noble parents in Serignan (France). He was a member of the Dominican Reformed Congregation of St. Louis but then joined the Holy Rosary Province and went to the Philippines where he taught at St. Tomas and later went to Japan. He also ended up on the gibbet, after a year of imprisonment, during which he endured horrible tortures. He died singing praise to the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary and psalms in the midst of torture. Age 47.
MICHAEL DE AOZARAZA: Spanish, Dominican priest. He was born in Onate (Spain) and became a member of the Province of Spain, but later joined the Holy Rosary Province. He worked in the mission of Bataan (Luzon - Philippines). He refused to give up his faith and accepted with joy tremendous suffering. Age 39.
VINCENT SCHIWOZUKA OF THE CROSS: Japanese, Dominican priest. Son of a Christian family, he was a student at the Jesuits' College and a catechist. He was expelled from Japan in 1614. He later became a priest in Manila and worked among the Japanese exiles. Before returning to his native land (1636) he received the Dominican habit. After a year of imprisonment the tortures induced him to apostatize, but he soon returned to the faith and died as a martyr on the gibbet.
LAZARO OF KYOTO: Japanese, layman. He contracted leprosy and was deported to the Philippines with other lepers. In 1636 he joined Gonzalez as his guide and interpreter. Not resisting to the tortures Lazaro apostatized for a few hours but then repented and died for Christ together with the others.
LAWRENCE Ruiz: Filipino, layman. Born in Binondo (Manila) of a Chinese Father and a Filipino mother, he received his education from the Dominicans, becoming a member of the Rosary Confraternity. He married and fathered three children. Becoming involved in some obscure incident with bloodshed, he joined the missionary expedition in order to escape. He was arrested and endured all kinds of tortures until his death. He thus becomes the Protomartyr of the Philippines.
Miracle proposed for the Canonization
Occurred in Manila in the year 1983 through the intercession of the group in favour of Cecilia Alegria Policarpio, child - 2 years old, cured completely of brain's paralysis without any effective therapy. The miracle was recognized by John Paul II on 1st June, 1987.
The reason why Christians were persecuted
"The followers of Christ, arriving unexpectedly in Japan, not only came here carrying their goods, but also, without any permission, have spread and propagated their wicked law, destroying the good and legitimate one and plotting to overthrow authority in the country. This is the beginning of great calamity, which we should avoid by all means. Japan is a Shintoist and Buddhist country, which venerates the gods, honours Buddha, and respects the 'way of benevolence' (Confucius).
The followers of the Fathers (the Christians) have all disobeyed the orders already given by the government despising religion ... and destroying the good. They are overjoyed when they see those about to be executed; they run after them wherever they go and adore them ... Such is the supreme ideal of this religion. Unless it is suppressed immediately, endless misfortunes will fall on the State. In all the regions of Japan, all these Christians should be eliminated without any delay ... If anyone dares contravene this order, he will be put to death ......
(Extracts of the 1614 Edict, substantially alike those of 1633, 1636).