Feast day: February 6
On a hill in Japan, overlooking the city of Nagasaki, several centuries ago, twenty-six martyrs gave their lives in witness to their faith in Jesus Christ and his Gospel. Paul Miki was a Jesuit seminarian and is the best-known of the group.
Paul was the son of a wealthy military leader and entered the Church with the rest of his family. He joined the Jesuits and helped many Buddhists embrace Christianity. He was only a few months from being ordained when he was arrested. He was an excellent preacher and witnessed to his faith from the cross, encouraging people to accept the Christian life.
Paul Miki and his companions were forced to walk the six hundred miles from Kyoto to Nagasaki and were mocked and tortured all along the route. This was intended to make them renounce their faith. They prayed and sang hymns along the way. Twenty-six crosses were erected on what is now called Holy Mountain, and these martyrs were tied to crosses there. They were killed on February 5, 1597.
Saint Paul Miki and companions are also known as the Twenty-Six Martyrs of Japan.
(Image © Paul Vnenk, CC BY-SA, via Wikimedia Commons)