The 1st October, 2025 marks the 25th anniversary of the canonization of the 120 Martyrs of China, including 29 Franciscans – Friars Minor, Franciscan Missionary of Mary Sisters, and 1 Franciscan Tertiary.
The Franciscan fraternity and the ecclesial community will solemnly celebrate the event at the convent of San Martino di Trevi (PG – Italy), the birthplace of Br. Antonino Fantosati, OFM, killed in Hengzhou in China on the 7th July, 1900 and still today an eloquent witness of evangelical courage and radical fidelity to Christ.
The solemn Eucharist (6.00 pm) will be presided over by H.E. Msgr. Renato Boccardo, Archbishop of the Diocese of Spoleto-Norcia and former member of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
Antonino Fantosati, a Franciscan in China (1842-1900)
The book Antonino Fantosati, a Franciscan in China (1842-1900), by Erica Cecchetti, has just been published, with a preface by Br. Giuseppe Buffon, OFM, Professor of Church History at the Faculty of Theology of the PUA.
The volume reconstructs the role and contribution of Msgr. Fantosati during his long missionary experience in the Qing Empire, offering a historically documented reading of his personal and spiritual life. Through a rich correspondence with European and Chinese interlocutors and thanks to in-depth research conducted in the main historical archives that preserve the most significant traces, the sinologist Erica Cecchetti gives a broad picture of the political, religious and cultural dynamics that marked China at the end of the nineteenth century. The figure of the Umbrian Franciscan friar – killed during the Boxer Rebellion and canonized by John Paul II in 2000 – emerges as emblematic in the context of global relations at the time, on the threshold of the collapse of the ancient Chinese Empire. The book also dedicates specific space to the linguistic strategies adopted by the missionary in the exercise of his ministry, highlighting the social and cultural implications of the linguistic practices employed by foreign missionaries in China in the nineteenth century.
Antonino Fantosati, un francescano in Cina (1842-1900)
By Erica Cecchetti
Preface by Br. Giuseppe Buffon, OFM
188 pagg
Carocci Editore
The Holy Martyrs of China
Since the seventeenth century, China's history has unfortunately been full of waves of persecution against Chinese Christians, especially against Western missionaries, religious and secular.
In 1853 what the British – at the time strong trading partners of the Chinese government – called the "Boxer Rebellion" broke out, which had the aim of freeing China from the oppression of foreigners, including missionaries and Chinese Christians: many historical documents highlight the hatred of the Boxers and their explicit programme to suffocate the Christian religion in blood. They spread the most incredible calumnies, and, in the killings, they struck the leaders of Christian communities, catechists, teachers and sometimes children even a few days old who were baptized.
Of this immense crowd of martyrs, the Church has beatified those whose identity and the circumstances of their martyrdom were known to be certain, as happened to the 29 Franciscans beatified on the 27th November 1946 by Pope Pius XI. Amongst these we find the 3 Martyrs Friars Minor of the Vicariate of Hu-nan (1 Bishop and 2 priests) killed between the 4th and 7th July 1900, and the 26 beheaded on the 9th July in Tai-yuan-fu in the Vicariate of Shan-si, including 2 bishops, 3 priests and 1 religious (all Friars Minor), 7 Franciscan Missionary Sisters of Mary, 5 Chinese seminarians and 8 domestic Chinese Christians, collaborators of the friars, of whom 1 belongs to the Franciscan Third Order.
They were canonized on the 1st October 2000 by Pope John Paul II with 91 other Blessed Martyrs in China, victims of the persecutions that have been unleashed against Christianity in that great country in recent centuries.
Antonino Fantosati (born Antonio Bompadre) was born in Trevi dell'Umbria on the 16th October, 1842. He received the habit in 1862, was ordained a priest in 1865 and, fascinated by the appeal of the Minister General in favour of the Chinese missions, in 1867 he decided to leave as a missionary for China, where he arrived after 66 days of navigation with other religious, including his companion in martyrdom Fr. Elia Facchini.
Soon nicknamed "Fantosat" (the virtuoso) for his majestic presence and intelligent appearance, Br. Antonino initially served Scian-Kin's mission; then, for 25 years, he was in Upper Hu-peh, later in Laohokow, on the Han River: his incessant pastoral activity never diminished his priestly piety and observance of Franciscan religious life. He had the peculiar gift of settling any matter and of settling the most intricate affairs. After the death of the Apostolic Vicar Msgr. Billi, Br. Antonino succeeded him as Apostolic Administrator. After the plague epidemic, he redoubled his efforts to help abandoned children and bring help to the poorest, so as to attract the admiration of many pagans.
But times became increasingly hard: in the midst of a violent wave of persecution, he was appointed Apostolic Vicar of southern Hu-nan and finally, in 1892, consecrated Bishop of the territory. A disastrous drought killed people and animals with the spread of epidemics, for which Christians were the object of the strangest slanders. The persecution in Hu-nan broke out on the night of the 3rd July, 1900.
Finding himself on a pastoral visit far from his residence, he immediately set out to reach his faithful, but his boat was stormed by some rioters. He was beaten to death and brought to shore, and then martyred on the 7th July, 1900, at the age of 58, of which 33 were lived in China.
In addition to the Msgr. We remember the Friars Minor Msgr. Gregorio Grassi, Msgr. Francesco Fogolla, Br. Giuseppe Maria Gambaro, Br. Elia Facchini, Br. Teodorico Balat, Br. Andrea Bauer, Br. Cesidio Giacomantonio.
Cf. Friars Minor Saints and Blesseds, edited by Br. Silvano Bracci, OFM and Sr. Antonietta Pozzebon, FMSC. Editrice Velar, 2009, pp. 376-387.
