St. Francis Ferdinand de Capillas Biography
St. Francis Ferdinand de Capillas Biography, Feast Day, Date of Birth, Country of Birth, Profession, Place of Work, Date of Death, Place of Death, Beatification Date, Canonization Date |
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| Date of Birth | 15 August 1607 |
|---|---|
| Country of Birth | Spain of Europe |
| Matrimony/Holy Orders | Saints who were Not Married |
| Profession | N/A |
| Place of Work | N/A |
| Date of Death | 15 January 1648 |
| Place of Death | Fujian, China |
| Feast Day | January 15 |
| Beatification | Beatified by Pope Pius X on 2 May 1909 |
| Canonization | Canonized by Pope John Paul II on 1 October 2000 |
| Patron Saint of | |
Saint’s Biography
Saint Francis Ferdinand de Capillas was born on August 15, 1607, in Spain. At 17 he joined the Dominican Order in Valladolid in 1623, where he also studied. In 631 he was ordained as a priest in Manila in Philippines.
For ten years Francis worked north on the Philippine island of Luzon, where heat, insects, disease, and paganism made his life difficult. He was a parish priest in Cagayan and Tuau. But that was not challenging enough for Francis. He asked to be sent to an even more demanding mission area. Francis hoped he would be sent to Japan, where a bloody Christian persecution was going on. But he was sent to China, where the Dominicans had followed the Jesuits at the beginning of the 17th century.
There he converted so many to Christianity and saw him arrested as a spy. Accused of espionage, political intrigue, and witchcraft; He was imprisoned and converted several prison guards to Christianity in prison. He was beheaded on January 15, 1648, in Fu’an, Fujian, China.
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