Father, we celebrate the memory of Saint Augustine Zhao Rong
and his companions who died for their faithful witnessing to Christ. Give us
the strength to follow their example, loyal and faithful to the end.
Saint Augustine Zhao Rong, a Chinese diocesan priest who was
martyred with 119 companions in 1815. Among their number was an
eighteen-year-old boy, Chi Zhuzi, who cried out to those who had just cut off
his right arm and were preparing to flay him alive: “Every piece of my
flesh, every drop of my blood will tell you that I am Christian.”