Tomorrow is the Memorial of Paul Miki and 25 companions, martyred in Nagasaki, Japan in 1597 for their Christian faith. Christianity came to Japan in 1549 with St. Francis Xavier, who established a small community there. Other Jesuit missionaries followed, and by the end of the century there were tens of thousands of Catholics in Japan. However, the rapid growth of the faith made some of the rulers anxious about foreign colonialism and in 1587 all missionaries were expelled from the country. Not all complied, and in 1597 a young Japanese Jesuit named Paul Miki, who was a popular preacher, was condemned to death, along with six Franciscans and seventeen laymen. They were publically crucified. During the next century, persecution increased and thousands of Christians were executed . By the middle of the 1600s, Christianity had disappeared from Japan. When Westerners were allowed back into Japan in the late 1800s, a French missionary priest was approached by a group of Japanese men and women who revealed that the faith had persevered in secret. Over 10,000 Catholics had passed on the prayers, the rituals and the sacrament of Baptism despite not seeing a priest or any representative of the Church for 200 years!
This story of the faithfulness of our Catholic brothers and sisters in Japan amidst terrible suffering and terrible isolation. It’s a real challenge to the strength of our faith. Would we choose death over the desecration of holy images? Are we confident enough in our faith and traditions to ensure the survival of the Church even when there is no church to speak of? It’s definitely a call to be an active believer! ~ Karen
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Karen Soos
Associate Chaplain and Catholic Campus Minister
Davidson College
Campus Box 7196
Davidson NC 28035
704. 894. 2423
Associate Chaplain and Catholic Campus Minister
Davidson College
Campus Box 7196
Davidson NC 28035
704. 894. 2423
