José María Díaz Sanjurjo (+1857)

Biography

He was assigned to the missions in the Far East. He obtained permission from his prior to go to Vietnam. In those lands recently watered by the blood of his brothers, he devoted himself to preaching with many fruits. In 1849 he received the appointment of bishop of Plataea. With a certain grace, he said: "These dignities only have work. I have no mules other than those of our father Saint Francis; and many times I have to go to pastoral visits with mud up to my knees." It didn't take long for the persecution to intensify. In March 1865 he was arrested and taken to prison tied up. On July 20, 1857, loaded with chains and with a heavy load around his neck, he was taken to the place where hundreds of Christians had been sacrificed and beheaded there. John Paul II canonized him on June 19, 1988, with a large group of Dominican and lay martyrs related to the Order of Preachers.