Saint Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs (Memorial) – On Feb. 5, 1597, Japanese Jesuit Brother Paul Miki and twenty-five companions (clergy, religious, and laypersons) were martyred in Nagasaki, Japan. From that time until 1865, Japan remained closed to the rest of the world. The faith survived without priests and with only the sacrament of baptism.
God our Father,
source of strength for all your saints,
you led Paul Miki and his companions
through the suffering of the cross
to the joy of eternal life.
May their prayers give us courage
to be loyal until death in professing our faith.
Through Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.