Saints of Asia: 1500 to the Present

Have you heard about the Thai Bloods? They were a group of Buddhists, who, in the year 1939, bonded together to attack Catholicism. They saw to it that "Catholic schools, hospitals, and churches were closed, and many staff members were imprisoned and tortured" (p 21). Nicholas Kitbamrung, a Thai priest, died from the ill treatment in prison. All across Asia, people were murdered for their Catholic faith. In Japan, from 1597 to 1650, Japanese Catholics suffered martyrdom virtually every year...ten of thousands of Catholics died" (p 35). St Miki died calling on God to pardon those who were killing him. The faith of new converts is breathtaking to read about. Little Paul Chong Ha-sang was only six when his father and older brother were martyred. Bravely, when he turned twenty, Paul set out to "re-invigorate the country's scattered, frighted, and priestless Catholics" (p 145). He even wrote to the Pope, begging for new priests. And some did come, and began instructing Paul to become a priest. Soon after the Korean officials began a fierce persecution. Paul was singled out for especially brutal torture because he was considered a leader among the Catholics. An interesting collection of stories about saints we know little about in the west.