This Heroic Chinese Mother Was Killed for Her Faith

During the Boxer Rebellion, converts and the missionaries who converted them, were specifically targeted by the rebels as agents of the "Foreign Devils".

From Aleteia

By Philip Kosloski

St. Barbara Cui Lianshi was targeted for her Catholic faith and was killed during the Boxer Rebellion in China.

So far, there are not many feast days dedicated to the men and women of China and the extraordinary faith of Chinese lay people. Many are grouped together in an annual celebration in July, under St. Augustine Zhao Rong and his 119 companions.

When there is a group feast day celebration dedicated to a number of martyrs, as is the case with groups from around the world, what happens is that many of the individual heroic witnesses are forgotten.

Yet, included in the Roman Martyrology are specific days for these "companions," where the Church mentions each one by name, as well as a brief note about their life.

One example is St. Barbara Cui Lianshi, a Chinese mother who was persecuted and killed for her Catholic faith.

Faithful Chinese laywoman

The Martyrology provides the following summary of her life:

Near the city of Liushuitao in the territory of Qianshengzhuang in the province of Hebei in China, St. Barbara Cui Lianshi, martyr, who, having already seen her son killed, sought refuge by night in flight, but, captured by the enemies of Christians, died amidst cruel tortures.

It is recorded elsewhere that she was the mother of several children, two of whom became priests. She also assisted them as a sacristan and was known for her charity to a beggar. When the persecution broke out, she went to look for her children at the seminary in order to smuggle them out and find a safe haven.

They were able to escape by hiding in carts, and she reunited with her husband. Unfortunately, a band of anti-Christian Boxer rebels surrounded them, and while some family members escaped, Barbara did not, because her feet were crippled by the Chinese practice of foot-binding.

She refused to deny her Christian faith and was then executed on June 15, 1900.

She was canonized by Pope John Paul II on October 1, 2000, and is included in the number of 119 companions celebrated each year on July 19.