Saint Gabriel Taurin Dufresse
Saint Gabriel Taurin Dufresse (born December 8, 1750 AD in Lezoux, Auvergne, France; died September 14, 1815 AD in Chengdu, Sichuan, China) was a French bishop of the Paris Foreign Missions Society (MEP) who was martyred in China during a period of intense persecution of Christianity. He served the underground Catholic mission in Sichuan for over 30 years and was eventually arrested, tried, and beheaded. He is one of the Martyrs of China, beatified in 1900 and canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2000. His feast day is September 14.
Stored in Cargo: Saint Gabriel Taurin Dufresse
| Saint Gabriel Taurin Dufresse | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | September 14 |
| Profession | MEP missionary priest; bishop; martyr |
| Rel. Affiliation | Paris Foreign Missions Society (MEP); Bishop of Tabraca (titular); Vicar Apostolic of Sichuan |
| Patronage | China; Sichuan; missionaries; MEP; martyrs; those persecuted for faith |
| Attributes | Bishop's vestments; palm of martyrdom; sword; Chinese vestments |
| Birthplace | Lezoux, Puy-de-Dôme, Auvergne, France |
| Death Place | Chengdu, Sichuan, China |
| Cause of Death | Martyrdom; beheaded at Chengdu on the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross |
| Primary Shrine | Chengdu, Sichuan — site of his martyrdom; Chinese Catholic community venerates him here |
| Liturgical Class | Feast (July 9 with the Martyrs of China in some calendars; September 14 locally) |
| Historic Class | Not included |
Biography
Gabriel Taurin Dufresse was born on December 8, 1750 — the feast of the Immaculate Conception — in Lezoux in Auvergne, France. He entered the Paris Foreign Missions Society (MEP), the great French missionary congregation, and was ordained a priest. He was sent to China in 1775.
He spent his entire missionary career in the underground Catholic mission in Sichuan province, western China — decades of clandestine ministry to a Catholic community that had to hide its faith from the authorities. Christianity had been periodically tolerated and periodically persecuted in China. The Jiaqing Emperor (reigned 1796–1820) launched a vigorous anti-Christian campaign.
Dufresse had been consecrated a bishop in 1800 as Vicar Apostolic of Sichuan. He was arrested in 1815, transported to Chengdu, and put on trial. He was beheaded on September 14, 1815 — the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross — a date the Catholic community regarded as a martyrological sign.
Pope Leo XIII beatified him in 1900 with a group of Chinese martyrs. Pope John Paul II canonized him on October 1, 2000, with 119 other Martyrs of China (a group of both foreign missionaries and Chinese lay Catholics martyred from the 17th through 20th centuries).
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Lezoux, Puy-de-Dôme, Auvergne, France
Death location: Chengdu, Sichuan, China
Notable location: The capital of Sichuan where he was beheaded; he spent the last decades of his ministry in the underground Catholic mission in Sichuan; his martyrdom took place here on September 14, 1815 (Chengdu, Sichuan, China)
Notable location: His birthplace in the Auvergne region; honored here as a native son and martyr (Lezoux, Puy-de-Dôme, France)
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Feast day
September 14
Veneration
Saint Gabriel Taurin Dufresse is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church with a feast day on September 14.
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