The Hidden Christians of Japan: A Testament of Faith and Hope | What happens when Catholics lose their priests and bishops, and are thereby unable to receive the sacraments except for Baptism? This happened in seventeenth-century Japan, when Christianity was outlawed and banned by the ruling Tokugawa Shogunate, the military government of Japan during the Edo period (1603–1868). As a result, missionaries were expelled, churches were destroyed and thousands of Japanese Catholics were martyred. Among them were the twenty-six Martyrs of Nagasaki, who were crucified in 1597. The Church commemorates them collectively as Saint Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs of Japan. Pope Pius IX canonized them on June 8, 1862, and their feast day is February 6.
The unique story of Japanese Catholics, known as Kakure Kirishitan (Hidden Christians), is a testament to the power of faith, the institution of the traditional family and the endurance of Christian hope. Despite a brutal and bloody persecution…
