Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Feast Day - St. Paul Miki and Companions

Holy Card Nagasaki Martyrs Holy card courtesy of Nagasaki Martyrs

The following is also from there:

Twenty-six missionaries and Japanese converts crucified together on 5 February 1597. They include:

Antony Deynan

Bonaventure of Miyako (Meaco) OFM Tertiary a Japanese native who became a Franciscan tertiary and catechist. (He may only have been beatified and isn't included in the group of 26 who were canonized).

Caius Francis OFM Tertiary, Japanese soldier who had only recently been baptized and received as a Franciscan tertiary. He insisted on being arrested with the friars.

Cosmas Takeya (Tachegia, Zaquira) OFM Tertiary, lay Franciscan from Owari, Japan, who served the Franciscan missionaries as interpreter and preached in Osaka.

Diego (James) Kisai (Kizayemon) SJ, a Japanese layman who was the temporal coadjutor of the Jesuits and a catechist in Osaka. Like John Gotto, he was admitted to the Society of Jesus while he was imprisoned, just before his death at age 64.

Francis Blanco

Francis Falename

Francis of Nagasaki

Francis of Saint Michael

Gabriel de Duisco

Gundisalvus Garcia

James Kisai

John Kisaka (Kimoia) OFM tertiary, Japanese silk-weaver, born at Miyako. He was baptized and received into the third order shortly before his crucifixion.

Joachim Sakakibara (Saccachibara) OFM Tertiary, Japanese lay cook (another source says the physician) for the Franciscans at Osaka, who also served as a catechist.

John Soan de Goto Jesuit, 19-year-old native Japanese who was admitted to the Jesuits in prison shortly before his martyrdom. Prior to that he was a temporal-coadjutor of the Society of Jesus and catechist at Osaka.

Leo Karasumaru (Carasuma) Korean; pagan priest prior to his conversion to Christianity. He was baptized by the Jesuits in Japan in 1589. He became the first Korean Franciscan tertiary and was the chief catechist for the friars. With him was crucified his brother Paul Ibaraki and their 12-year-old nephew Louis Ibaraki.

Louis Ibaraki (Ibarki) 12-year-old nephew of Paul Ibaraki and Leo Karasumaru, who served as acolyte for the Franciscans.

Martin Loynaz (de Aguirre) of the Ascension OFM, a native of Vergara near Pamplona, Spain. He studied in Alcala and became a Franciscan in 1586. He first worked as a missionary in Mexico, then Manila in the Philippines, and finally in Japan.

Matthias of Miyako OFM Tertiary, Japanese native, became a Franciscan tertiary.

Michael Cozaki Japanese catechist and hospital nurse to the Franciscan missionaries. He was martyred with his own son, Thomas.

Paul Miki

Paul Ibaraki (Yuanki, Yuaniqui) Franciscan teriary, brother of Leo Karasumaru and a lay tertiary, interpreter, and catechist.

Paul Suzuki OFM Tertiary, born 1563, a native of Owari, Japan, was baptized by the Jesuits in 1584, became a Franciscan tertiary, and was an outstanding catechist until he, too, was crucified near Nagasaki.

Peter Baptist

Peter Sukejiroo, Peter Sukejiro, Peter Xukexico OFM tertiary, Japanese Franciscan tertiary who served as a catechist, house servant, and sacristan to the Franciscan missionaries. He was sent by a Jesuit priest to help the prisoners, and was then arrested.

Philip de las Casas OFM

Philip of Jesus

Thomas Kozaki, Thomas Cozaki, Thomas Kasaki

15-year-old Japanese native, who served as acolyte and was martyred with his father, Michael.
Thomas Xico (Dauki) OFM Tertiary, a Japanese Franciscan tertiary, catechist, and interpreter to the missionaries.

Ventura
a Japanese layman from Miyako who was baptized by the Jesuits, gave up his Catholicism on the death of his father, and brought back to the Church by the Franciscans.
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For children: The Daughters of St. Paul have a lovely little page where they can learn more about these Catholic hereos:

Saint in the Spotlight

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

http://www.baobab.or.jp/~stranger/mypage/pulpit.htm

http://www.cst-phl.com/050331/prayer.html

These are two different accounts of the holy deaths of St Paul Miki and companions. Young Louis Ibakari asked which cross was his, and ran to it, embraced it and kissed it before his death upon it.

EC Gefroh said...

Oh, I'll have to look into that.