The reason why I chose the saint today was becuase of this quote I found by him: "Be loyal to the Lord, accept his will." This was written by Saint Peter Ou in a letter to his wife while he was in prison. He is known as one of the martyrs of China. I feel like I am in the constant search for the Father's will and after days like yesterday (Catechetical Congress) it just heightens that feeling.
Saint Peter was born into non-Christian family and he was one of the first convert by the missionaries in his area. He was born in 1768. During his youth, he was known for his sense of justice and defense of the poor and oppressed. He married and was a businessman and owned and ran a large hotel. When he did convert, he threw out his idols and preached Christianity to anyone who came to him. He then became a leader of the converts in his town. It was at his baptism that he took the name Peter. He then began to work as a catechist for the missionaries and instructed over 600 people in Christianity. On April 3, 1814 he was arrested during a violent backlash against the faith. He was put in prison and tortured in order to break him from his faith, but he inspired other prisoners about the faith and led prayer services there. He was condemned to death for refusing to step on a crucifix. He was strangled on November 7, 1814. He was beatified in 1900 by Pope Leo XIII on May 27. He was canonized 100 years later by Pope John Paul II on October 1.
"Heaven, heaven, my true home! I see my heavenly Mother and my guardian angel coming to take me home." -Saint Peter’s dying words
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