Augustine Zhao Rong and 119 Companions, Chinese Martyrs (†1648–1930)

Biography

This group represents Chinese laypeople, priests, bishops, missionaries, children, parents, and catechists who gave their lives for Christ during several periods of persecution from the seventeenth to the twentieth century. Augustine Zhao Rong had first served as a soldier and was moved by the witness of Christians; he was baptized, became a priest, and later died under persecution. The 120 martyrs came from different nations and states of life, but were united by the same faith and the same refusal to deny Christ. Their witness reveals the deep roots and universality of the Church in China.