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

Saint Maria Wang Lishi was a married laywoman of southeastern Zhili, China, killed at Daning, Weixian, on July 22, 1900, at forty-eight 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.

Quick Facts

• Died: July 22, 1900, age 48
• Place: Daning, Weixian, Hebei, China
• Venerated as: Married layperson and martyr

Who Was Saint Maria Wang Lishi?

Saint Maria Wang Lishi was a married Chinese laywoman of southeastern Zhili (Hebei province) killed at Daning, Weixian, on July 22, 1900, at forty-eight years old, in one of the later episodes of the Boxer Uprising’s persecution of Catholic villages in that district.

Historical Setting

By late July 1900, the Boxer movement’s violence had spread across much of Southeastern Zhili, and villages such as Daning in Weixian county continued to experience attacks weeks into the campaign, as local Catholic communities remained targets even as the uprising’s most intense initial phase had passed elsewhere.

Why the Church Remembers Saint Maria Wang Lishi

Maria is remembered as one of the martyrs whose death came in the later weeks of the 1900 persecution, part of the extended and sustained campaign of violence against Hebei’s Catholic villages that claimed lives over the course of the entire summer.

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 martyrdom weeks into a sustained campaign of violence reminds us that faithfulness under persecution is often not a single dramatic act but an endurance sustained day after day until the very end.

A Prayer to Saint Maria Wang Lishi

Saint Maria Wang Lishi, martyr of Hebei, pray for all who must endure long seasons of trial for their faith, that they may persevere as you did. Amen.

Sources

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