Saint Agatha Lin
Saint Agatha Lin Zhao (Chinese: 凌其真, Líng Qízhēn; also known as Lin Zhao or Agatha Lin; born 1817; died March 3, 1858) was a Chinese Catholic laywoman, catechist, and martyr who was beheaded during the persecution of Christians in Guizhou Province, China. She is one of the 120 Martyrs of China, canonized by Pope John Paul II on October 1, 2000 — the feast of China's martyrs. Her feast day is July 9 (shared with the other martyrs of China in the general calendar) or the individual date of her martyrdom.
Agatha Lin Zhao was born in 1817 in Guizhou Province, China. She became a devout Catholic laywoman and worked as a catechist — a teacher of the Catholic faith to her community, a role of great importance in the Chinese Catholic Church, where the number of ordained priests was severely limited and lay catechists sustained Christian communities between the visits of missionaries. During the anti-Christian persecutions of the mid-nineteenth century in China, she was arrested, refused to apostatize, and was beheaded on March 3, 1858. She is remembered as a model of lay apostolate and martyrial courage.
Stored in Cargo: Saint Agatha Lin
| Saint Agatha Lin | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | July 09 |
| Profession | Catholic laywoman; catechist |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church |
| Patronage | China; Chinese Catholics; catechists; laywomen martyrs |
| Attributes | Palm branch of martyrdom; book (catechist) |
| Birthplace | Guizhou Province, Qing Dynasty China |
| Death Place | Guizhou Province, Qing Dynasty China |
| Cause of Death | Martyrdom — beheaded during the anti-Christian persecutions in China |
| Primary Shrine | Venerated among the 120 Martyrs of China |
| Liturgical Class | Optional Memorial (Martyrs of China, July 9; in China and worldwide) |
| Historic Class | Not included |
Biography
Birth
Agatha Lin Zhao was born in 1817 in Guizhou Province in southwestern China, then under the Qing Dynasty. She came from a Catholic family and was raised in the faith.
Early Life
Agatha Lin Zhao grew up as a Catholic in the mountainous region of Guizhou, where the Catholic faith had been introduced by missionaries and sustained by lay catechists through periods of persecution. The Catholic community in Guizhou was a minority under the Qing government, and Christians were subject to periodic violence.
Occupation
Agatha Lin Zhao served as a catechist — a lay teacher of the Catholic faith. In the Chinese Catholic Church of the nineteenth century, catechists played an indispensable role: they instructed converts, led prayer, administered care for the community, and sustained Catholic life in the intervals between the visits of traveling priests. This role required both knowledge of the faith and courage, as catechists were highly visible to the authorities as leaders of the forbidden Christian community.
Vocation
Saint Agatha Lin Zhao's vocation was that of a lay apostle who gave her life in service to the Catholic community of Guizhou. Her work as a catechist and her martyrdom placed her among the great lay witnesses of the Chinese Church.
Death
Saint Agatha Lin Zhao was arrested during the anti-Christian persecutions in Guizhou Province and refused to renounce her faith. She was beheaded on March 3, 1858.
Significant events
- Born 1817 in Guizhou Province, China.
- Became a Catholic catechist — teacher of the faith to her community.
- Arrested during the anti-Christian persecutions in Guizhou.
- Refused to apostatize; beheaded March 3, 1858.
- Beatified May 2, 1909 by Pope Pius X.
- Canonized October 1, 2000 by Pope John Paul II in Rome — feast of the 120 Martyrs of China.
- Feast day: July 9 (Martyrs of China).
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Guizhou Province, Qing Dynasty China
Death location: Guizhou Province, Qing Dynasty China
Notable location: Province where she lived, ministered as catechist, and was martyred (Guizhou Province, China)
Notable location:
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Dynamic content
Parishes
No parishes dedicated to Saint Agatha Lin have been added to the database yet.
Media
No media found for this saint.
Shrines
Dynamic shrines
No results
No shrines where this saint is the primary saint.
List of shrines
No shrines specifically dedicated to Saint Agatha Lin Zhao have been identified in available sources; she is venerated among the 120 Martyrs of China.
Canonization
Servant of God
Cause introduced in the twentieth century.
Venerable
Declared Venerable before beatification.
Beatification
Beatified May 2, 1909 by Pope Pius X.
Canonization
Canonized October 1, 2000 by Pope John Paul II in Rome, together with the other 120 Martyrs of China.
Miracles
Miracle for beatification
Miracles approved for the beatification in 1909.
Miracle for canonization
Miracles approved for the canonization in 2000.
Patronage
Saint Agatha Lin Zhao is venerated as a patron of China, Chinese Catholics, catechists, and laywomen martyrs.
Feast day
July 9 (feast of the Martyrs of China)
Veneration
Saint Agatha Lin Zhao is venerated in the Catholic Church as one of the 120 Martyrs of China — the first group of Chinese martyrs to be canonized in the modern era.
Prayers
Authored
There are prayers authored by this saint in prayers list yet.
Intercessory
There are no prayers asking for this saint's intercession in prayers list yet.
External links
References
- Acta Apostolicae Sedis, 2000 (canonization decree for the 120 Martyrs of China).
- Mungello, David E. The Catholic Invasion of China: Remaking Chinese Christianity. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2015.