Saint Mary Du Tian

Saint Maria Du Tian (1858–June 29, 1900) was a Chinese martyr and a saint of the Catholic Church. Born in 1858 in Shenzhou, Hebei, she married Du Yonghe from the village of Du, with whom she had two sons and three daughters. During the Boxer Rebellion, Christians in China faced severe persecution. When the Boxers attacked the village of Du, Maria’s eldest daughter was already married and living elsewhere. Maria, her two sons (Matthew and Timothy), and her two other daughters hid in a reed-covered pit near the village. They were discovered by the Boxers on June 29, 1900, and murdered after refusing to renounce their faith. Her feast day is July 9, as part of the group of 120 Chinese Martyrs. She was beatified alongside her daughter, Magdalena Du Fengju, on April 17, 1955, by Pope Pius XII as part of the group of Léon-Ignace Mangin and 55 companions. She was canonized by Pope John Paul II on October 1, 2000, as one of the 120 Chinese Martyrs.