Our House of Formation is placed under the patronage of Our Lady of Sheshan, but we also have, as secondary co-patrons, the Martyrs of China. 
 
China has had a long history of persecution of Christians, thousands of whom have given the ultimate witness to the Catholic Faith.  Among them are the 120 canonized by Pope St. John Paul II on October 1, 2000, including men, women, and children who gave their lives for the faith from the year 1648 till 1930. The martyrs include 87 ethnic Chinese and 33 foreign missionaries. The majority were killed during the Boxer Rebellion of 1900.

 

“Chinese men and women of every age and state, priests, religious and lay people, showed the same conviction and joy, sealing their unfailing fidelity to Christ and the Church with the gift of their lives,” said the Holy Father during the canonization.“
 
In our seminary, we chose to highlight the life of Sts. Paul Chen Changping, Joseph Chang Wenlan who were seminarians in Guizhou and who suffered martyrdom for their faith. 
 
A presentation was held using the traditional Chinese art form of shadow puppets to chronicle the life of these saints followed by a short video explaining the Chinese martyrs as a whole. The presentation was very well received and we pray that the life and death of these martyrs, our co-patrons, may shine forth as an example and inspiration to all of us in formation.