The Basics: Their ages varied, and most were born in Japan; died September 10, 1622, in Japan; beatified in 1867 by Pope Pius IX; feast day, September 10. Mothers, wives, laywomen, tertiaries.
The Story: There were more than fifty of them, missionaries and Japanese natives, on the hill that day outside Nagaski. More than half were beheaded; when the rest, including six laypeople, still refused to renounce their faith, they were burned alive. They included Magdalena Sanga, Maria Tanaka, Clara Yamada, and their husbands; Maria Hamanomachi and Thecla Nagaishi and their 
husbands and sons; Maria Murayama, Agnes Takeya, Maria Yoshida, and Isabella Fernandes (and son), all of whose husbands had been martyred nearly three years earlier; Lucia de Freitas, Dominica Ogata, Marina Tanaura, all married; and two married women we know only as Apollonia and Catharina.
More would be martyred the following day in Nagasaki. In all, five priests and 200 companions were killed between May 22, 1617, and September 3, 1632.
I am most in awe of those women like Isabella Fernandes who knew what martyrdom looked like because their husbands had already offered themselves up. Those women knew the grieving that followed for those left behind. They had to have at least for a fleeting second considered sparing themselves, if not for their own sakes then for the sakes of those who loved them. And yet, they bravely stood by Christ.
Womanly Wisdom: Isabella Fernandes’s husband had been martyred for helping a priest. When the priest saw Isabella on September 10, 1622, he asked where the couple’s five-year-old son was. Isabella said: “Father, here is my son. I will offer him to God; he will become a martyr with me.”
What We Can Learn: The belief of these martyrs and others who have died defending the faith is breathtaking. What can you do today, without risking bodily harm, to support Christ? Consider beginning with a conversation with a family member, friend, or neighbor who challenges your beliefs.
To Learn More: You can read a stirring article about the Nagasaki martyrs in the October 1927 issue of The Catholic Historical Review (free subscription required); to learn more about Catholicism’s history in Japan, check out the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Japan’s site.
To Learn More About Other Women Saints and Blesseds: Come back next week, or consider buying my book, Sisterhood of Saints: Daily Guidance and Inspiration.
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