Saint Agnes Tsao Kou Ying

Agnes Tsao Kou Ying (28 April 1821 – 1 March 1856; also Agnes Kouying Tsao), or Cao Guiying (Chinese: 曹桂英), was a Qing dynasty Chinese layperson who was martyred for preaching the Gospel in Guangxi. She was canonized a martyr-saint by Pope John Paul II on 1 October 2000. Tsao was born in the small village of Wujiazhai in Guizhou province on April 28, 1821. Her family was a traditional Catholic family originally from Sichuan province. She later left her hometown to work in the city of Xingyi after her parents died. There she met a Catholic woman who let her live with her. Soon, Bishop Bai came to visit Xingyi and found out that she was without family so he took her to the local parish to learn more about Christianity. The bishop found her to be clever and a quick learner. When Tsao turned eighteen, she married a local farmer, but her brother- and sister-in-law treated her as an outsider (for she was Christian) and did not consider her a part of the family. Therefore, Tsao was left with little to eat. Things became worse for Tsao when her husband died after two years and she was driven out of the house. In order to support herself, she took odd jobs as a helper. Then a pious Catholic widow invited Tsao to stay with her. She also had a good understanding of the scriptures and the teachings of the Catholic Church. Whenever a priest visited them this widow received the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the Eucharist. With such an example before her, Tsao was able to cultivate her own spirituality. One day, when the priest Auguste Chapdelaine was in town, he discovered how well Tsao knew the faith and asked her to move to Guangxi Province for some missionary work, especially for teaching the Catholic faith to some 30-40 Catholic families living there (Catholics were very few in those days). In 1852, she went out to the town of Baijiazhai in Xilin County and made it her preaching headquarters, teaching the Catholic faith throughout Guangxi.