Saint of the Day (February 29) ✠ St. Auguste Chapdelaine ✠ (Holy Priest Martyr)

 Saint of the Day

(February 29)

✠ St. Auguste Chapdelaine ✠ 

(Holy Priest Martyr)

Birth : January 6, 1814 La Rochelle-Normande, Manche, France (First Empire)

Death : February 29, 1856 (at age 42) China, in the province of Kouang- si (Guangxi)

Nationality : French

Beatification : May 27, 1900 Rome by Leo XIII

Canonization : October 1 2000 Rome by John Paul II

Revered by : Roman Catholic Church

Fest of the day : February 28 or 29th to modify

Auguste Chapdelaine was born on February 6, 1814, in the tiny northwestern French village of La Rochelle-Normande. His family was farmers.

He was strong, and for this reason, his parents were reluctant to “lose” him to the priesthood since they needed able-bodied people to work their land, especially as they grew older.

Ironically, it was the sudden death of two of his brothers that made his parents realize God’s calling for their youngest, and so they submitted to His will. Auguste entered the minor seminary at age 20.

He was much older than his fellow students, most of whom were ages 12-13. As a result, they called him, “Pops.” The nickname stuck for the rest of his life.

He received ordination in 1843. His bishop appointed him as a parochial vicar in Boucey, France. Before this appointment, he had told another one of his brothers, “I did not become a priest for those who already know God but for those who don’t.” Nonetheless, he bided his time, and for seven years served the roughly 650 souls in the village.

Finally, around 1851, he was able to join the Foreign Missions of Paris (PIME) to work in one of their mission fields. The people of Boucey had grown to love him so much, they packed the church for his last Mass.

Before leaving for mission territory, he had to be evaluated by his PIME superiors at their seminary in Paris. After about a year in the French capital, he had his evaluation.

Afterward, he wrote his mother, “I am being sent to China. You must treat this as a sacrifice made for God, and He will reward you in eternity. At your death, you shall appear before Him in confidence [and He will remember] your generosity for His greater glory in sacrificing what is dearest to you. Please sign the letter you will send me as soon as possible a sign of your consent and also as a sign of your forgiveness for all the sorrow I have caused you. And as a sign of your blessing, please add a cross after your name.”

He then wrote his brother, Nicolas, “I thank God for the wonderful family He has given me and for the conduct of all its members…. It has been my greatest happiness on earth to have had such an honorable family.”

The journey was arduous. All along the way, storms and hurricanes buffeted their ship. They finally landed in Macau on Christmas Day, and reached Hong Kong on January 10, 1853.

First, he stayed in Hong Kong for a period. Then in October 1853, he took a journey of three days to the west, during which he was beaten and robbed. Finally, he arrived in the village of Yaoshan, Xilin County, Guangxi Province.

He celebrated his first Mass there for 300 souls on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, December 8, 1854. Accompanying him was the lay catechist and future martyr, St. Jerome (aka, Hieronymus) Lu Tingmei († January 28, 1858). Ten days later, authorities arrested him for illegal missionary activities.

The reason was that at this time in China’s history, Christianity was only legal in five open ports. Everywhere else, it was not permitted. Because of the threats he received after his release from jail, he traveled to the neighboring Guizhou Province.

By the end of the year, however, he had returned to minister to his people. His efforts led to several hundred people forswearing paganism, embracing Christ as their Savior, and entering the Church.

In February 1855, the pagan wife of a new convert didn’t like her husband chastising her for not being more like the Christian wives he knew. She complained to her brother and uncle, who denounced Auguste. Thus, he was again arrested, charged with the crime of propagating an illegal religion. Under Chinese law at the time, this was a capital crime.

When the local mandarin attempted to question him, Father, like Christ at His own trial, said very little. Furious at what he considered to be disrespect; the official had him flogged 150 times on the cheeks. The very first lash drew blood. We can only imagine what damage the other 149 blows did. Next, Father received 300 lashes with a cane on his back. They stopped only when they saw he could not move.

But when they went to drag him back to his cell, after only a few steps, he rose and began walking as if in perfect health. The Chinese couldn’t believe their eyes. The saint told them, “It is the good God Who protects and blesses me.”

They next placed him in a custom-made cage. His head fit through a hole in the top, and it was just tall enough for him to barely touch his toes on the ground. Furthermore, the cage was constructed to hold his arms in place so that he could not use them to pull himself up in order to breathe more easily. Thus, he was always hovering between suffocation and barely breathing.

On February 29, 1856, they beheaded him. He had been beaten so badly and his body had been so tortured, he was already dead. He was tortured with and died with Saint Lawrence Pe-Man and Saint Agnes Tsau Kouy.