Saint Mary An

Saint Maria An Guo (born 1836 in Anping, Hebei, China; died July 11, 1900, in Liugongying, Hebei) was a martyr and a saint of the Catholic Church. Maria An Guo was born in 1836 in Anping, Hebei Province. During the Boxer Rebellion, Christians in China were subjected to persecution. On July 11, 1900, she was arrested by insurgents along with her family members: her mother-in-law Anna An Xin, as well as Anna An Jiao and Maria An Linghua. They were pressured to renounce their faith, and upon their refusal, they were taken outside the village and murdered. Her feast day is July 9, as part of the group of 120 Chinese Martyrs. She was beatified on April 17, 1955, by Pope Pius XII as one of the companions of Léon-Ignace Mangin. She was canonized on October 1, 2000, by Pope John Paul II as one of the 120 Chinese Martyrs.