Who Was Saint Maria Guo Lishi?

Saints

A married Chinese laywoman killed at Hujiache, Hebei, in 1900, one of the oldest of the martyrs canonized among the 120 Martyrs of China.

Saint Maria Guo Lishi was a married laywoman of southeastern Zhili, China, killed at Hujiache, Shenzhou, on July 7, 1900, at sixty-four 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.

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

Quick Facts

  • Died: July 7, 1900, age 64
  • Place: Hujiache, Shenzhou, Hebei, China
  • Venerated as: Married layperson and martyr

Who Was Saint Maria Guo Lishi?

Saint Maria Guo Lishi was a married Chinese laywoman of southeastern Zhili (Hebei province) killed at Hujiache, Shenzhou, on July 7, 1900, at sixty-four years old, one of the oldest of the Hebei martyrs of the Boxer Uprising’s violent summer.

Historical Setting

Hujiache was among the Catholic villages of Shenzhou county struck during the sustained wave of Boxer violence that swept through Southeastern Zhili in the summer of 1900, targeting Christian communities of every age and background across the district’s many small towns and villages.

Why the Church Remembers Saint Maria Guo Lishi

Maria is remembered as an elder member of her village’s Catholic community who did not escape the persecution despite her age, joining the large company of Hebei martyrs whose faith held firm across every generation represented among them.

Canonization and Feast Day

The production register records 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 martyrdom in old age is a reminder that fidelity to Christ is asked of believers at every stage of life, and that a long life of quiet faith can still be crowned, as hers was, by a final act of costly witness.

A Prayer to Saint Maria Guo Lishi

Saint Maria Guo Lishi, elder martyr of Hebei, pray for the elderly members of the Church, that they may be strengthened in faith to the very end of their days. Amen.

Sources

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