Augustinus Zhao Rong

Augustine Zhao Rong (Chinese name: ; 1746–1815) was a Chinese Catholic priest who was martyred in 1815. He was canonized by Pope John Paul II on October 1, 2000, as one of the 120 Martyrs of China.

Life

He was born in 1746 in Wuchuan county of Guizhou. He joined the imperial army of the Qing dynasty when he was 20.

During the anti-Christian persecutions in the 18th century, he was at one point put in charge of guarding Christian prisoners. In particular, in 1785, he guarded Father (later bishop) Gabriel-Taurin Dufresse when the latter was under arrest and being taken to Beijing. Zhao Rong was converted through his contact with Father Gabriel. Augustine worked as a priest and was known for bringing many people to convert. He was sent to work in Yunnan. In the last year of his life, he was in charge of all Catholics in the counties of Guan Xian, Jin Tang, and Wen Jiang in western Sichuan Province. Augustine refused and he died in prison from beatings in the winter of 1815.

Canonization He was beatified on May 27, 1893, by Pope Leo XIII and canonized along with other martyrs of China on October 1, 2000, by Pope John Paul II. He was the first Chinese priest in history to be martyred and the group of martyrs canonized in 2000 were also named 'Augustine Zhao Rong and companions'.