FEAST OF THE 120 MARTYRS OF CHINA

On July 9, 2026 the Lorenzo Mission Institute emulates the 120 martyrs saints of China. The celebration recalls the Catholics who defended, manifested, and witnessed the faith before their executors during the Boxer Rebellion of the outset of the 19th century. It was toward the end of the Qing Dynasty that China began to close its doors towards the West and to the missionaries who came to China because of conflicts of interest, government and culture that were transpiring in the Mainland during that time. That movement among the Chinese was called the Yihetuan which was anti-imperialist, anti-foreign, and anti-Christian movement. All LRMS mission stations, parishes, and schools celebrate today this inspiring feast of the great witnesses of the Catholic faith in China. During the homily of John Paul II of the canonization of the martyrs, he said: "the other 85 Chinese men and women of every age and state, priests, religious, and lay people, showed the same conviction and joy, sealing their unfailing fidelity to Christ and the Church with the gift of their lives. This occurred over the course of several centuries and in a complex and difficult era of China's history." However, during the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, Msgr. Noly A. Que, LRMS, rector of the Lorenzo Mission Institute said in the homily that the celebration of the feast should remind us of the great mission that lies ahead of us. The 120 martyrs had already done their part, we should also be prepared to do our own part.

EVENTS

THE 120 MARTYRS OF CHINA AS AN INSPIRATION TO THE LRMS

The members of the Lorenzo Ruiz Mission Society are assigned to important mission stations that demand humility, kenosis, and charity. To die to oneself is needed to advance the missionary thrust of the Church in the Philippines. The rapid changes of culture and the uncontrollable shifting of contexts prompt missionaries today to shift their focus on a strong and sturdy anchor of hope on those who had triumph in their Christian faith in spite of persecution and death. The Chinese martyrs who are always emulated and celebrated both in the seminary and in the priestly ministry of LRMS inspire them to live a life of simplicity, humility, and trust like the 120 martys of China who braved themselves just to plant the seeds of the Christian faith in China. There are three important reminders that the 120 martyr-saints of China can inspire the Lorenzo Ruiz Mission Society.

1) Catholicity- Though the martyrs were persecuted and died for the Christian faith in China, the blood of these martyrs was for the growth of the universal church. It is said: "sanguis martyrum, semen Christianorum." Mission is all about the proclamation of the Gospel and to witness Christ to the nations even to the point of death. Martyrdom is the greatest form of witness. John Paul II said: "Christian martyrs of all times-including our own-have given and continue to give their lives in order to bear witness to this faith, in the conviction that every human being needs Jesus Christ, who has conquered sin and death and reconciled mankind to God." As every member of the Lorenzo Ruiz Mission Society are assigned missio ad gentes, he would find it difficult to be in another country yet any form of witness is always for Christ and the catholicity of the Church.

2) History- As the Catholics in the China suffered matryrdom for the Christian faith, there were also several Chinese who died in the Philippines in the name of Christ and in the name of the Catholic Church during the Spanish period. Aside from Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila, there were Chinese who were forced to defend the faith and fight even against fellow Chinese. During the revolt of the Chinese against the Spaniards in 1639, there were Catholic Chinese who fought in the name of freedom, equality, and justice. Alfonso Felix, Jr. described this revolt: "his revolt was caused by Governor Corcuera’s insistence that the Chinese settle and farm the fertile fields of Calamba, Laguna, as well as by the imposition of a head tax of 25 pesos” The officials assigned to collect the taxes, particularly Luis Arias de Mora, were cruel and extortionate. On November and 19, 1639, the Chinese started the insurrection. reached This the revolt end of their patience spread to as far as Ba- the tangas, San Pedro Makati, Tondo, Cavite and Bulacan.” The Filipino- Spanish forces engaged the rebels on all sides and within the year 1639, Chinese population, which had risen to 30,000, was reduced to a mere 7,000. The natives, generally apathetic, assisted the Spaniards in the total massacre of the Chinese.” Part of the apostolate which the Lorenzo Ruiz Mission Society is a history of persecutions, revolts, massacres and deaths of the Chinese in the Philippines.

3) Word- The Word of God is beyond cultures and races. Thus, the proclamation of the Gospel is also beyond human and cultural boundaries. The 120 Chinese martyr-saints remind us that God's mission is universal and to celebrate this feast beyond the shores of China indicates the universality of martyrdom and the universality of the Word of God. St. Paul clarifies this saying: "no one lives for himself alone. No one dies for himself alone. If we live, it is for the Lord. If we die, it is for the Lord. If we live or die, we belong to the Lord. Christ died and lived again. This is why He is the Lord of the living and of the dead." (Rom 14:7-9) It is because of the universality of the Word that makes mission universal and martyrdom possible and be a universal event in the Church. The 120 Chinese-martyr saints contributes to the universality of the Word of God and the mission of Christ. The Lorenzo Ruiz Mission Society is committed to be the agent that would continue to make both Word and Mission universal.