Martyrs

The Latest

Notices highlight the death of Rosario Livatino in 1990. Credit: Rosario Livatino Study Center.

How a martyr killed by the mafia inspired a generation of Catholic lawyers

Jan 8, 2021

Soon-to-be Blessed Rosario Livatino was a Catholic judge brutally killed by the mafia in Sicily in 1990. Today his legal... Read more

Wili Graf (1918-1943).

Archdiocese prepares beatification cause of anti-Nazi White Rose member

Oct 13, 2020

A German archdiocese said Monday that it is preparing to open the beatification cause of a member of the White... Read more

Pope Francis gives his Angelus address June 8, 2020.

Pope Francis to Catholics: Do not fear persecution, violence

Jun 21, 2020

By Hannah Brockhaus

Pope Francis on Sunday encouraged Christians to fear sin, not the hostility, violence, or persecution they may face when sharing... Read more

An image of St. Jean-Gabriel Perboyre from Wuhan, China courtesy of Dr. Anthony Clark.

China’s first saint was martyred on a cross in Wuhan

Apr 9, 2020

By Courtney Mares

China’s first canonized saint was martyred by suffocation on a cross in Wuhan, the epicenter of today’s coronavirus pandemic.  Read more

Pope Francis gives the Angelus address during Advent 2016.

St. Stephen's martyrdom shows 'true meaning of Christmas,' Pope Francis says

Dec 26, 2019

By Hannah Brockhaus

The death of St. Stephen, the Church’s first martyr, teaches Catholics to renew their commitment to charity and self-gift, part... Read more

Pope Francis at the Nagasaki Martyrs’ Monument on Nishizaka Hill Nov. 24, 2019.

Pope Francis honors heroism of Japanese martyrs of Nagasaki

Nov 23, 2019

By Hannah Brockhaus

Pope Francis Sunday honored the many martyrs who died in Japan during two centuries of persecution, encouraging Catholics in the... Read more

Blessed Stanley Rother and a child in Guatemala.

Construction on Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine begins in OKC

Nov 6, 2019

Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City broke ground Sunday on what will be the largest Catholic church in the state—... Read more

Catacombs of Priscilla.

Pope Francis celebrates All Souls' Day Mass in Rome catacombs

Nov 2, 2019

By Hannah Brockhaus

Pope Francis celebrated Mass Saturday for the souls of the dead in Rome’s Catacombs of Priscilla, saying the place of a... Read more

Fr Rother.

Archdiocese to break ground for Bl. Stanley Rother shrine in November 

Aug 20, 2019

The shy and unassuming Blessed Father Stanley Rother, a missionary priest and martyr from a farming family, would likely be... Read more

Pope Francis prays in Basilica of St Bartholomew on Tiber Island April 22, 2017.

This Roman basilica is dedicated to 20th century martyrs

Jul 14, 2019

By Courtney Mares

On an island in Rome’s Tiber River, there is a basilica devoted to the Christian martyrs of the 20th century,... Read more

Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square June 5, 2019.

'Witnesses of freedom and mercy' - Pope Francis remembers bishops martyred under Communism

Jun 5, 2019

By Courtney Mares

Pope Francis Wednesday reflected upon his recent apostolic visit to Romania, where he beatified seven Greek-Catholic bishops martyred under Soviet... Read more

Pope Francis beatifies seven martyrs at Divine Liturgy in Blaj, Romania June 2, 2019.

Pope in Romania: Martyred bishops gave their lives for fidelity to the Church

Jun 2, 2019

By Hannah Brockhaus

Declaring their beatification Sunday in Romania, Pope Francis said seven martyred Greek-Catholic bishops gave their lives for fidelity to the... Read more

Pope Francis speaks with Romanian Orthodox Patriarch Daniel in Bucharest May 31, 2019.

Pope Francis says Catholics, Orthodox bonded by blood of the martyrs

May 31, 2019

By Courtney Mares

Pope Francis said Friday that Catholics and Orthodox are bonded by a “shared inheritance” of suffering for Christ from the... Read more

Six of the seven martyred bishops who will be beatified in Blaj, Romania, June 2, 2019. Courtesy photos.

Pope Francis will beatify these martyred Greek-Catholic bishops in Romania

May 30, 2019

By Hannah Brockhaus

On Sunday in Blaj, Pope Francis will beatify seven Greek-Catholic bishops of Romania who were killed by the communist regime... Read more

Pope Francis greets the pilgrims during his weekly general audience in St Peter's square at the Vatican on Feb. 26, 2014.

Pope Francis: Martyred seminarians provide a witness for priests, bishops

Mar 10, 2019

By Courtney Mares

Pope Francis said Sunday that the nine Spanish seminarian martyrs beatified this weekend provide a witness to priests and bishops... Read more

Janos Brenner.

Beloved 1950s Hungarian priest and martyr beatified

May 1, 2018

Fr. János Brenner, a Cistercian Hungarian priest who was martyred in the 1950s, was beatified May 1. The beatification took... Read more

Mass was held in St. Peter's Square for the canonization of 35 new saints Oct. 15, 2017.

Two 20th-century martyrs move toward beatification

Jan 27, 2018

By Hannah Brockhaus

Saturday Pope Francis moved two 20th-century martyrs a step closer to sainthood, including Veronica Antal, a young Romanian woman killed... Read more

These priests were martyred for refusing to violate the seal of confession

Dec 16, 2017

In recent years, some Catholics have been concerned by pushes from governments in locations such as Louisiana and Australia who... Read more

Italian nun martyred in Somalia takes step toward beatification

Nov 10, 2017

An Italian nun killed in Somalia in 2006 has been officially recognized as a martyr, as Pope Francis moved her... Read more

Representation of the Salem witch trials, lithograph from 1892.

Was the last 'witch' of Boston actually a Catholic martyr?

Oct 29, 2017

By Mary Farrow

The last person hanged for witchcraft in Boston could be considered a Catholic martyr.  Read more