Saint Hyacinth Orfanel
Saint Hyacinth Orfanel (born 1578 AD in Las Parras de Martín, Aragon, Spain; died September 10, 1622 AD in Nagasaki, Japan) was a Spanish Dominican friar and missionary who was burned alive at Nagasaki during the Great Martyrdom of 1622 — the largest single mass execution of Christians in the history of Japanese martyrdom. He is one of the Martyrs of Japan canonized by Pope Pius IX in 1867. His feast day is September 10 (shared with the Martyrs of Japan).
Stored in Cargo: Saint Hyacinth Orfanel
| Saint Hyacinth Orfanel | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | September 10 |
| Profession | Dominican friar; missionary; martyr |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Dominican Order (Order of Preachers); missionary to Japan during Tokugawa persecution |
| Patronage | Japan; missionaries under persecution; martyrs of Asia; Dominican missionaries |
| Attributes | Dominican habit; palm (martyr); flames (burned at Nagasaki); Japanese setting |
| Birthplace | Las Parras de Martín, Aragon, Spain |
| Death Place | Nagasaki, Japan |
| Cause of Death | Martyrdom; burned alive at Nagasaki on September 10, 1622 — the Great Martyrdom of Nagasaki, in which 52 Christians were martyred |
| Primary Shrine | Nishizaka Hill (Martyrs' Hill), Nagasaki, Japan — the site of the Great Martyrdom of 1622; marked by the Twenty-Six Martyrs Museum and Monument; also the site of the 1597 martyrdom of Saint Paul Miki and companions; a major pilgrimage site and memorial to Japanese Catholics |
| Liturgical Class | Not in universal Roman Calendar; feast September 10; observed in Japan and within the Dominican Order; grouped with the Martyrs of Japan |
| Historic Class | Not in universal 1962 calendar; observed locally |
Biography
Hyacinth Orfanel was born in 1578 in Las Parras de Martín in Aragon, Spain. He entered the Dominican Order and was trained as a missionary to Asia, passing through the Dominican College of the Holy Rosary in Manila. He worked in Japan for many years as a clandestine priest after the Tokugawa shogunate's prohibition of Christianity (1612 onward), ministering secretly to Japanese Catholic communities at great personal risk.
He was arrested and taken to Nagasaki, where on September 10, 1622 he was burned alive along with 51 other Christians in what became known as the Great Martyrdom of Nagasaki — the largest single mass execution of Christians in Japan's history. The victims included priests, friars, laypeople, women, and children. Hidden Japanese Catholics risked their lives to observe and record the event.
Pope Pius IX beatified the group in 1867. Pope John Paul II canonized them on June 8, 1987 — canonizing them at Nagasaki itself, at the very site of their martyrdom.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Las Parras de Martín, Aragon, Spain
Death location: Nagasaki, Japan
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Shrines
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Known shrines
- Nishizaka Hill (Martyrs' Hill), Nagasaki, Japan — site of the Great Martyrdom of 1622; Twenty-Six Martyrs Museum and Monument nearby; major Catholic pilgrimage site.
Feast day
September 10
Veneration
Saint Hyacinth Orfanel is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church as one of the Martyrs of Japan, canonized in 1987. His feast is observed on September 10 in the Dominican Order and in Japan.
Prayers
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