Who Was Saint Maria Zhao Guoshi?

Saints

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

Saint Maria Zhao Guoshi was a laywoman of southeastern Zhili, China, fifty-nine years old, killed at Zhaojia, Wuqiao, in July 1900, 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 Zhao Guoshi
No portrait or image of Saint Maria Zhao Guoshi is known to survive; this icon marks pages without an identifiable image.

Quick Facts

  • Died: July 1900, age 59
  • Place: Zhaojia, Wuqiao, Hebei, China
  • Venerated as: Layperson and martyr

Who Was Saint Maria Zhao Guoshi?

Saint Maria Zhao Guoshi was a Chinese laywoman of southeastern Zhili (Hebei province), fifty-nine years old, killed at Zhaojia, Wuqiao, in July 1900, in the same village and campaign of Boxer Uprising violence that also claimed the young Maria Zhao.

Historical Setting

Zhaojia’s Catholic community, like many villages in Wuqiao county, endured sustained attacks during the summer of 1900, with members spanning several generations, from teenagers to those in their later years, dying within the same wave of persecution against the district’s long-established Christian population.

Why the Church Remembers Saint Maria Zhao Guoshi

Maria Zhao Guoshi is remembered as an elder member of the Zhaojia Catholic community whose long life of faith ended in the same 1900 persecution that claimed younger members of her village, part of the wide generational span represented among the Hebei martyrs.

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 Zhao Guoshi’s martyrdom alongside a much younger fellow villager of the same surname shows how the 1900 persecution united an entire community across generations in shared witness to Christ.

A Prayer to Saint Maria Zhao Guoshi

Saint Maria Zhao Guoshi, martyr of Hebei, pray for the elders of the Church, that their long years of faith may be a foundation of strength for the generations who follow. Amen.

Sources

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