A married Chinese laywoman killed in her home village of Zhujiahe, Hebei, in 1900, canonized among the 120 Martyrs of China.

Saint Maria Zhu Wushi was a married laywoman of southeastern Zhili, China, killed in her home village of Zhujiahe, Jingxian, on July 20, 1900, at forty-nine years old, during the Boxer Uprising’s persecution of Catholic villages in Hebei. She is venerated among the 120 Martyrs of China, beatified in 1955 and canonized in 2000 by Pope John Paul II.

Quick Facts

• Died: July 20, 1900, age 49
• Place: Zhujiahe, Jingxian, Hebei, China
• Venerated as: Married layperson and martyr

Who Was Saint Maria Zhu Wushi?

Saint Maria Zhu Wushi was a married Chinese laywoman of southeastern Zhili (Hebei province) killed in her own village of Zhujiahe, Jingxian, on July 20, 1900, at forty-nine years old, during the Boxer Uprising’s persecution of Catholic communities in that district.

Historical Setting

Jingxian county’s Catholic villages endured sustained attacks through much of the summer of 1900, and Zhujiahe, a village that appears to share its name with Maria’s own family, was among the communities where local Catholics were killed for refusing to renounce their faith during this extended campaign of persecution.

Why the Church Remembers Saint Maria Zhu Wushi

Maria is remembered as a wife of her home village who died defending her faith within the community she had lived her whole life, part of the wide company of Hebei martyrs whose deaths are honored together in the Church’s memory.

Canonization and Feast Day

Available records show Maria’s beatification in 1955 and canonization in 2000, when Pope John Paul II canonized her among the 120 Martyrs of China.

What Catholics Can Learn Today

Maria’s death within her own home village, likely surrounded by extended family, reflects how deeply rooted the Catholic faith had become in particular Hebei communities by 1900, and how completely that faith was tested that summer.

A Prayer to Saint Maria Zhu Wushi

Saint Maria Zhu Wushi, martyr of Hebei, pray for Catholic communities rooted for generations in one place, that their faith may remain as steadfast as yours. Amen.

Sources

• Vatican.va (canonization of the 120 Martyrs of China, 2000)
• The Roman Martyrology