Paul Miki was a Japanese Jesuit seminarian, born around 1562 to a noble family, who became a gifted preacher of the Gospel in his homeland. In 1597, during a persecution of Christians, he and twenty-five companions were arrested, marched to Nagasaki, and crucified on a hill overlooking the city. From his cross, Paul forgave his executioners and continued preaching Christ until the end.
Paul Miki shows that faith can stay gentle and forgiving even in the face of death, and that love for others outlasts every suffering. He and his companions, some of them young boys, sang praises as they died, teaching us that hope in heaven can steady the heart through any trial.
Saint Paul Miki and your holy companions, who met suffering with songs of praise, pray for us and for all we love, that we may hold fast to Christ with peaceful and forgiving hearts. Amen.Enter today’s Mass → All saints →