Blessed Francis Galvez
Blessed Francis Galvez (born c. 1567 AD in Utiel, Valencia, Spain; died December 4, 1623 AD in Omura, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan) was a Spanish Franciscan friar from the Valencia region of Spain who traveled to Japan as a missionary and was martyred by burning at the stake in Omura, near Nagasaki, for refusing to apostatize from his Catholic faith. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on May 18, 1981, as one of the 188 Martyrs of Japan. His feast day is September 10.
Stored in Cargo: Blessed Francis Galvez
| Blessed Francis Galvez | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | September 10 |
| Profession | Spanish Franciscan friar; missionary to Japan via Philippines; Franciscan martyr Japan; burned at stake Omura December 4 1623; one of the 188 Martyrs of Japan beatified JPII May 18 1981; Valencian Franciscan; Japan martyrdom 17th century |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Order of Friars Minor (Franciscans, OFM); Spanish Franciscan missionary tradition; 188 Martyrs of Japan; Nagasaki Catholic tradition; 17th-century Japan Catholic mission; trans-Pacific mission |
| Patronage | Japan; Valencia; Spanish Franciscan missionaries; those who die for the faith by fire; the 188 Martyrs of Japan; martyrs; the Philippines-Japan mission route |
| Attributes | Franciscan habit; palm branch of martyrdom; flames of martyrdom; September 10 feast; Japan landscape; cross; Manila-Nagasaki route |
| Birthplace | Utiel, Valencia, Spain |
| Death Place | Omura, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan |
| Cause of Death | Martyrdom; burned at the stake for refusing to apostatize from the Catholic faith; died December 4, 1623, in Omura (near Nagasaki), Japan; Francis Galvez was a Spanish Franciscan friar who worked as a missionary in Japan during the period of intense anti-Catholic persecution under the Tokugawa shogunate; he was captured, given the opportunity to apostatize (to trample on a sacred image — the practice called fumie), refused, and was executed by burning; his death on December 4, 1623 places him in the great wave of Japanese martyrdoms in the 1620s that followed the initial martyrdoms of the 26 Martyrs of Nagasaki (February 5, 1597); he was beatified by Pope John Paul II on May 18, 1981, as one of the 188 Martyrs of Japan |
| Primary Shrine | Nagasaki, Japan (Martyrs' Hill, Nishizaka); September 10 feast; beatified JPII May 18 1981 |
| Liturgical Class | Not in universal Roman calendar; September 10 feast in Japan and in the Franciscan Order (feast of the Martyrs of Japan in the Franciscan calendar) |
| Historic Class | Not in 1962 calendar |
Biography
Francisco Galvez was born c. 1567 in Utiel, in the Province of Valencia, Spain. He entered the Order of Friars Minor (Franciscans) and was ordained a priest.
He traveled as a missionary from Spain to the Philippines and then to Japan, joining the Franciscan mission to that country. He worked there during the increasingly intense anti-Catholic persecution of the Tokugawa shogunate.
He was captured and given the opportunity to apostatize. He refused and was condemned to death. He was burned at the stake in Omura, Nagasaki Prefecture, on December 4, 1623 — the feast of Saint Barbara in the traditional calendar.
He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on May 18, 1981, as one of the 188 Martyrs of Japan. His feast day is September 10.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Utiel, Valencia, Spain
Death location: Omura, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan
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Feast day
September 10
Veneration
Blessed Francis Galvez (c. 1567–1623) was a Spanish Franciscan friar from Utiel, Valencia, who worked as a missionary in Japan and was burned at the stake in Omura (near Nagasaki) on December 4, 1623, for refusing to apostatize; beatified John Paul II on May 18, 1981, as one of the 188 Martyrs of Japan. Feast September 10.
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