Saint Juan Alcober

John Alcober (Spanish: Juan Alcober Figuera, Chinese name: 费若望; 1694 – October 28, 1748) was a Spanish Dominican friar and missionary in China during the 18th century. He died in 1748 and was ultimately canonized. Alcober was born in Granada, Spain on December 31, 1694. His father and mother were Francis Alcober and Vincenta Figueras. He joined the Dominican Order in Spain and entered the Royal Priory of the Holy Cross in Granada in 1708. He was ordained in 1718 and served as a priest in Lorca. In 1725, he left Spain and travelled to the Philippines as a missionary. He initially served the Dominican church in Binondo and later went to a parish that served Chinese Catholics. At this church he learned Chinese language and Chinese culture. In 1728, he went to China with Francis Serrano and served as a missionary first in Guangzhou and later in Fu'an. Like other missionaries in China during this time he had to evade the authorities, since his missionary work was illegal. He was eventually captured. In 1747, he wrote a letter to the Dominican Provincial detailing his persecutions: His captors branded the characters "囚犯" ("Criminal") on his face. He and several other Dominicans were executed on October 28, 1748 in Fuzhou. He was killed by strangulation. He was beatified on May 14, 1893, by Pope Leo XIII and canonized along with other martyrs of China on October 1, 2000, by Pope John Paul II