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Saint Augustine Zhao Rong & Companions

Saint Augustine Zhao Rong & Companions: Feast Day July 9th 

"Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven..."(Matthew 5:10)

Writing this blog today, I cannot help but feel sad. As I reflect upon Saint Augustine Zhao Rong and his 120 companions, who were martyred for their Catholic faith in China between 1648-1930, I am acutely aware of the persecuted Church in China that is still occurring today. Just as recent as May 2021, officials of the Chinese communist party arrested a Vatican appointed bishop, priests, and seminarians who were not adhering to their "government sanctioned church." So yes, today we celebrate and remember Saint Augustine Zhao Rong and his fellow martyred companions, but I ask you to also remember our brothers and sisters in Christ and the Holy Church that continues to be persecuted today in China. Various scripture verses come to mind as I contemplate the Chinese martyrs: "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first..." (John 15:18), "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me..." (Matthew 5:11),  "But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you..." (Matthew 5:44). Living the Christian faith is not an easy life to lead, yet keeping the faith, and having the courage to profess your faith even up to the point of death, is one of the boldest statements of truth there is. Unfortunately, even in modern times, those who are Christian are still persecuted throughout the world, yet in my heart I hear the whispered words,"be not afraid," and let your light shine, for the Lord has already won. 

I offer this prayer for you and your family to say together today: 

In times of difficulty, Lord, please help us stay faithful to you. Give us the courage to love you, and proclaim your goodness and your Holy Name, even when we are persecuted. Fill us with love for our enemies and compassion, even when we have been wronged or mistreated, and set our hearts ablaze with your love and Holy Spirit. We ask this, Lord, in your Holy Name, Amen. 

Celebrating with Food: 

I don't know abut you, but I enjoy eating Chinese food. Today, in order to experience a taste of China, an easy meal to make with your family is chow mein. I kept it extremely simple by just buying canned "La Choy" chow mein products. You can serve your chow mein with noodles, or you can cook up rice and serve your chow mein over rice. Either way is delicious!  

For dessert, you can make “Chinese Butter Cookies,” using this tasty recipe from “Epicurious.” Butter cookies are similar to short bread cookies. I used All-Purpose flour instead of self-rising, and then added red food coloring for the liturgical color used for celebrating martyrs. We then cut our cookies out, attempting to make them look like cherry blossoms, and dusted them lightly with powdered-sugar. My family serves our butter cookies with tea, and it is absolutely scrumptious! 


Celebrating with a Craft: 

Since Saint Augustine Zhao Rong and his companions were from China, for today's celebratory craft make Chinese paper lanterns. Chinese paper lanterns are a traditional festival decoration in China. When you make the lanterns today, not only are you making something from the Chinese culture, but they can be symbolic for how Saint Augustine Zhao Rong and his martyred companions professed the light of Christ even to their death. You can also incorporate the phrase "Pray for Us" written in Chinese on your lanterns. Here is a template that I created with the phrase, "Pray for Us," written in Chinese (I used Google Translate), that you can print and use to make your lanterns. Attached below is a video showing how to make your paper lantern.

(Here is what the template looks like)


I hope you and your family have a wonderful day celebrating today's feast! Saint Augustine Zhao Rong and companions, pray for us!  


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