Thaddeus Liu (Chinese name: 劉瑞庭; 1773–1823) was a Chinese priest and martyr of the 19th century.
Saint Thaddeus Liu | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1773 Qionglai, Sichuan, Qing China |
| Died | 1823 (aged 49–50) Qu County, Sichuan, Qing China |
| Cause of death | Martyrdom |
| Beatified | 1900 by Pope Leo XIII |
| Canonized | 2000 by Pope John Paul II |
Life
editHe was born in 1773 in Qionglai, near Chengdu, in Sichuan. His Chinese name was Liu Ruiting. His father died when he was only two years old, and his mother raised him in extreme poverty until she remarried.[1] She then took him to live with them together on her new husband's farm.
After his mother and stepfather died, he became a priest's assistant. He learned Latin from the priest and later joined a seminary. He was ordained at the age of 34 by Louis Gabriel Taurin Dufresse. Following ordination, he served as a priest in Sichuan and Guizhou.
In 1821, Thaddeus and a group of other Catholics were arrested by the authorities. Thaddeus was imprisoned and tortured. He was later executed by strangulation on November 30th 1823. [2]
Canonization
editHe was beatified on May 27, 1900, by Pope Leo XIII and canonized along with other martyrs of China on October 1, 2000, by Pope John Paul II.[3]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ https://articles.asiaharvest.org/china-resources/sichuan/1823-thaddeus-liu-ruiting, Asia Harvest, 1823 - Thaddeus Liu Ruiting, retrieved September 2nd 2024
- ^ https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=3159, 120 Missionaries and Chinese Believers Canonized, Catholic Culture, retrieved September 2nd 2024
- ^ Cappella papale for the canonization of 123 new saints: homily of John Paul II, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1 October 2000, retrieved May 23, 2024