Blessed Lucy de Freitas
Blessed Lucy de Freitas (Portuguese: Lúcia de Freitas; died September 10, 1622 AD in Nagasaki, Japan) was a Japanese Catholic widow, the widow of a Portuguese man, and a Franciscan tertiary, who was burned alive for the faith in the Great Martyrdom of Nagasaki during the Tokugawa persecution of Christians in Japan. She is honored among the Martyrs of Japan. Her feast day is September 10.
An elderly woman noted for her charity and her sheltering of missionaries, Lucy de Freitas was condemned for harboring priests and for her Christian faith. She was among the fifty and more martyrs put to death together on the day of the Great Martyrdom. She was beatified in 1867.
Stored in Cargo: Blessed Lucy de Freitas
| Blessed Lucy de Freitas | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | September 10 |
| Profession | Widow; Franciscan tertiary; laywoman |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Third Order of Saint Francis; Martyrs of Japan |
| Patronage | Widows; those who shelter persecuted missionaries; Japanese Catholics |
| Attributes | Palm of martyrdom; flames of the stake; Japanese dress; Franciscan tertiary cord |
| Birthplace | Japan |
| Death Place | Nagasaki, Japan |
| Cause of Death | Martyrdom; burned alive in the Great Martyrdom of Nagasaki during the Tokugawa persecution of Christians; Japanese widow and Franciscan tertiary condemned for sheltering missionaries |
| Primary Shrine | Nagasaki, Japan |
Biography
Lucy de Freitas was a Japanese Catholic woman who had married a Portuguese man resident in Japan, from whom she took her name, and who was left a widow. She lived at Nagasaki, the great center of Japanese Christianity, and was known for her piety and charity; she belonged to the Third Order of Saint Francis.
During the intensifying persecution of Christianity under the Tokugawa shogunate, when missionaries had to work in hiding and it was a capital crime to shelter them, Lucy de Freitas gave refuge and support to priests and religious. For this, and for her steadfast Christian faith, she was arrested, though she was by then an elderly woman.
On September 10, 1622, in what became known as the Great Martyrdom of Nagasaki, a large company of Christians—European and Japanese, priests, religious, and laypeople—were put to death together. The priests and religious and some others were burned at the stake, while others were beheaded. Lucy de Freitas was among those burned alive, dying steadfast for the faith.
She was beatified on July 7, 1867, by Pope Pius IX, among the Martyrs of Japan. Her feast is kept on September 10.
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Feast day
September 10
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