Japan Martyrs
Feast of the 26 martyrs of Japan who were crucified and speared in Nagasaki on February 5, 1597: Saint Peter the Baptist, a Spanish Franciscan, and five other brothers of his habit, as well as seventeen Japanese, lay Franciscans. Saint Paul Miki and two of his catechists, all three Japanese. The political and religious tensions that arose in that country unleashed persecution against Christians, who had once been welcomed. Pablo Miki was born in Japan, entered the Society of Jesus and preached the Gospel among his fellow citizens with much fruit. And here are the data of the Franciscan friars: San Pedro Bautista was born in San Esteban del Valle (Ávila, Spain) in the year 1542. He wore the Franciscan habit in Arenas de San Pedro (Ávila). In 1581, already a priest, he was assigned to the Philippines. He was on mission in Mexico and then in Manila. With other companions he went to Japan in 1593, sent as Philip II's ambassador to Emperor Taikosama. He worked hard and converted many to the faith.
San Felipe de Jesús was born in Mexico City in 1571. He wore the Franciscan habit in the Philippines and, when he returned to Mexico to receive ordination, the galleon was shipwrecked in the waters of Tosa; He took refuge in the convent of Meaco or Miyako, where he was soon arrested. He is the patron saint of silversmiths and the first Mexican martyr and saint.
Saint Francis Blanco was born in Monterrey (Orense, Spain) around 1567. He entered the Franciscan Province of Santiago (Galicia). On his way to the Philippines, he spent some time in Mexico, where he was ordained as a priest. He arrived in Japan in 1596. San Francisco de La Parrilla, a professed lay brother, was born in 1543 in La Parrilla (Valladolid). He took up the habit at the age of 21. On his way to the Philippines, he stayed in Mexico for a couple of years.
In 1593 he was part of the entourage that accompanied Saint Peter the Baptist when he went to Japan on a peace mission. Saint Gonzalo García, a professed lay brother, was born in the city of Bazaín, in the Eastern India of Portugal, around 1562. He dedicated himself to commerce until, in Manila, he wore the Franciscan habit. When Saint Peter the Baptist was sent to Japan, Gonzalo was included in his entourage as an interpreter. San Martín Aguirre de la Ascensión, priest, born in Vergara (Guipúzcoa, Spain) in 1567, who, while a theology student at the University of Alcalá, wore the Franciscan habit. He later passed through Mexico, on his way to the Philippines, and then arrived in Japan in June 1596.
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