Caius of Korea
| Caius of Korea | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1571, Roman Catholic Church |
| Beatified | 7 July 1867, Rome, by Pope Pius IX |
| Feast | 15 November |
Caius of Korea (1571 in
The 19th century French Catholic missionary Claude-Charles Dallet wrote of him in his A history of the church in Korea, "His history proves, in a dazzling way, that God would rather make a miracle than abandon an infidel who follows the lights of his conscience, and seeks the truth with an upright and docile heart."[3]
Biography
Caius was born in Korea and was given to a
Caius only ate what was necessary to preserve his life, abstaining from anything that was not absolutely necessary to live. One night, while in meditation, a man of "majestic aspect" appeared to him,[3] and said to him, "Take courage; within one year you will traverse the sea, and, after much work and fatigue, you will obtain the object of your desire."[3]
In 1592, Japan invaded Korea, and Caius was taken prisoner. On the journey to Japan, they were shipwrecked at Tsushima Island, and Caius, near death, was taken to Kyoto. A Christian named Caius Foyn, the father of his mistress, nursed him back to health.[4]
Allured by the life of the Buddhist monks, he felt that he had found what he had been seeking for many years, and went to live in one of the most famous pagodas in Kyoto. Again he felt that he could not find the peace that he wanted there, and he became ill. During his illness, he had a dream in which he saw the pagoda ablaze. Then a "child of a charming beauty" appeared to him in his dream, comforting him,[3] saying, "Fear no more, you are close to obtaining the happiness you desire."
He found himself cured after the dream. In The Victories of the Martyrs by Saint
Caius then left the temple and went back to his master, who introduced him to a Christian, who in turn introduced him to some
Caius served the sick, especially lepers.
On 15 November 1624, Caius was burnt at the stake with James Coici (Koichi), a Japanese Catholic,[3][5] after he was arrested for harbouring missionaries.
References
- ^ "List of Martyrs of Japan". The Hagiography Circle. 2001. Retrieved 2008-06-11.
- ^
Turnbull, Stephen (2000-01-21). Japan's Hidden Christians, 1549-1999 (Japan Library Historic Documents). Japan Library. p. 44. ISBN 978-1-873410-51-6.
- ^ a b c d e f g h
Dallet, Claude-Charles (1872). A history of the church in Korea (in French) (1952 ed.). Human Relations Area Files. p. 6.
Son histoire prouve, d'une manière éclatante, que Dieu ferait un miracle plutôt que d'abandonner un infidèle qui suit les lumières de sa conscience, et cherche la vérité d'un cœur droit et docile.
- ^ Pagès, Léon. Le martyologe de l'église du Japon (1869) p. 600
- ^ a b
de' Ligouri, Alfonso Maria (1954). The complete ascetical works of St. Alphonsus de Liguori. Mount Saint Alphonsus Book Shop. pp. 393–395.
{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help) - ^
"A letter from a missionary of Japan". Catholic Times. Retrieved 2008-06-11.
He preached not only to the Japanese, but also to the many Koreans, who are here by the war that ended three years ago, in his native language, which was a great blessing for us.
[dead link]
Further reading
Neale, John Mason (1885). Tales illustrative of the Apostles' creed. London: J. Masters & Co. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)