Blesseds Ignatius Delgado, Bishop; Francis de Capillas, Alfonso Navarrete, Priests; and Companions, Martyrs in the East
Obligatory Memorial
On this day, in a single celebration, we commemorate all the martyrs of the Order of Preachers in the East, whom nothing could separate from the love of Christ: those, namely, who in Japan, China and the kingdom of Annam, now Vietnam, shed their blood for the faith of Christ in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.
1. In Japan
From 1614 to 1632, a great company of martyrs suffered, among whom were Alfonso Navarrete in 1617, Angelo Orsucci and Louis Flores in 1622, and nine other Spanish brothers, together with about 100 native Christians: novices, cooperator brothers, tertiaries or members of the Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary. All of these, together with others who suffered there at the same time, were solemnly numbered among the blesseds by Pius IX in 1867.
From 1633 to 1637, another company of 16 martyrs belonging to our Order is recorded there. Among them were Dominic Ibáñez de Erquicia and James Kyushei Tomonaga in 1633, Jordan Ansalone of Sicily in 1634, and William Courtet in 1637, together with five other priests, two cooperator brothers, two women tertiaries and three laypeople, among whom was Lawrence Ruiz, the protomartyr of the Philippine Islands. John Paul II solemnly enrolled all of them among the blesseds in the East in 1981.
2. In China
From 1648 to 1748, the following suffered gloriously: Francis de Capillas in 1648, the “protomartyr” of that region, who was numbered among the blesseds by Pius X in 1909; and two bishops, Peter Sanz in 1747 and Francis Serrano, together with the priests John Alcober, Joachim Royo and Francis Diaz in 1748. Leo XIII enrolled all of them among the blesseds on May 14, 1893.
3. In Tonkin, Vietnam
From 1745 to 1862, the following were crowned with martyrdom: Francis Gil de Federich and Matthew Alonso Leziniana in 1745; Hyacinth Castañeda and Vincent Liem, a native Vietnamese priest, in 1773. All of them were enrolled among the blesseds by Pius X in 1906.
In the following century, another glorious group of martyrs appeared from 1838 to 1840: Ignatius Delgado and Dominic Henares, bishops; Joseph Fernandez, priest; and 23 native Christians belonging to our Order, either priests or tertiaries, together with their other companions. Leo XIII numbered all of them among the blesseds on May 27, 1900.
Still later, Jerome Hermosilla and Valentine Berrio Ochoa, bishops, together with the native catechist Joseph Khang and the Spanish priest Peter Almato, were killed for the faith in 1861 and were enrolled among the blesseds by Pius X in 1906.
Finally, Joseph M. Díaz Sanjurjo and Melchior García Sampedro, bishops, together with 23 companions, five of whom belonged to our Order in one way or another, suffered martyrdom there between 1857 and 1862. Pius XII enrolled them among the blesseds on April 29, 1951.
Proprium Officiorum Ordinis Praedicatorum ad Normam Decretorum Sacrosancti Oecumenici Concilii Vaticani II Instauratum Vincentii Couesnongle iussu editum, Editio typica, Sanctae Sabinae, Romae 1982.
