Who Was Saint Maria Fu Guilin?

Saints

A Chinese laywoman killed at Dailucun, Hebei, in July 1900, canonized among the 120 Martyrs of China.

Saint Maria Fu Guilin was a laywoman of southeastern Zhili, China, killed at Dailucun, Shenzhou, on July 20, 1900, at thirty-six years old, during the sustained weeks of Boxer Uprising violence against 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.

No known portrait of Saint Maria Fu Guilin
No portrait or image of Saint Maria Fu Guilin is known to survive; this icon marks pages without an identifiable image.

Quick Facts

  • Died: July 20, 1900, age 36
  • Place: Dailucun, Shenzhou, Hebei, China
  • Venerated as: Layperson and martyr

Who Was Saint Maria Fu Guilin?

Saint Maria Fu Guilin was a Chinese laywoman of southeastern Zhili (Hebei province) killed at Dailucun, Shenzhou, on July 20, 1900, at thirty-six years old, in the later weeks of the Boxer Uprising’s persecution of Catholic communities in that district.

Historical Setting

By mid-to-late July 1900, the violence of the Boxer Uprising had spread across nearly all of Southeastern Zhili’s Catholic villages, with attacks continuing for several weeks after the initial outbreaks in late June. Dailucun, like many neighboring communities, lost members of its Catholic population during this sustained campaign of persecution.

Why the Church Remembers Saint Maria Fu Guilin

Maria is remembered as one of the Hebei martyrs whose death came somewhat later in the summer’s violence, a reminder that the persecution of 1900 was not a single event but a sustained campaign lasting weeks across the region’s Catholic villages.

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 weeks into a sustained persecution shows the long, grinding endurance the Catholic communities of Hebei were asked to sustain in 1900, not just a single moment of courage but weeks of ongoing fidelity under threat.

A Prayer to Saint Maria Fu Guilin

Saint Maria Fu Guilin, martyr of Hebei, pray for all who must endure prolonged trials for their faith, that they may have your perseverance. Amen.

Sources

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