Augustine Zhao Rong was a Chinese soldier who was so moved by the faith of the Christians he escorted to prison that he asked to be baptized, and he later became a diocesan priest. He was martyred in 1815, and the Church honors him alongside 119 other martyrs of China — priests, religious, catechists, parents, and children — who died for the faith between the 17th and 20th centuries. Pope John Paul II canonized all 120 together in the year 2000.
Augustine met the faith not in a book but in the quiet courage of prisoners, and it changed the whole direction of his life. He and his companions — many of them ordinary lay people and even young children — show that holiness is not reserved for the famous or the powerful, and that gentle, faithful witness can reach hearts that arguments never could. Their example invites us to live our faith so honestly that others are drawn to God simply by watching us.
Lord, through the prayers of Saint Augustine Zhao Rong and his companions, give us the quiet courage to stay faithful to You in every trial, and let our lives draw others gently toward Your love. Amen.Enter today’s Mass → All saints →