Anna Wang Explained

Honorific Prefix:Saint
Anna Wang
王安娜
Titles:Martyr
Birth Date:1886
Birth Place:Machiazhuang, Hebei, China
Death Place:Machiazhuang, Hebei, China
Feast Day:22 July
Venerated In:Roman Catholic Church
Beatified Date:17 April 1955
Beatified Place:Saint Peter's Square, Vatican City
Beatified By:Pope Pius XII
Canonized Date:1 October 2000
Canonized Place:Saint Peter's Square, Vatican City
Canonized By:Pope John Paul II
Patronage:China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Chinese diaspora
Honorific-Prefix:Saint

Anna Wang was a Catholic lay girl who was martyred during the Boxer Rebellion.[1] She was declared a saint by John Paul II. She is one of the Martyrs of China.[2] [3]

Early life

Anna was born in 1886 at Machiazhuang, Hebei, China. She was born in a poor Christian family. She lost her mother when she was five years old. She was made strong in religion by receiving religious education from the nun Lucy Wang. She was forced to get married by her family at the age of eleven but she fought against it and didn't get married. She grew up as a strong Catholic believer.

Martyrdom

On July 21, 1900, a group of armed members of the Boxer Rebellion came to Anna’s village to kill the Christians and burn down the church. The Boxers told each Christian to renounce their faith or die. Anna, along with a few other Christians, refused to renounce their Faith. Anna and her companions were beheaded, and her body was dumped together with others in a mass grave. She was only 14 years old. Her body was exhumed and given proper burial on November 6, 1901.[4]

Canonisation

She was venerated by Pope Pius XII on 22 February 1955 and beatified on 17 April. She was canonized and declared a saint by Pope John Paul II along with other Martyrs of China on 1 October 2000.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2019-08-05. Saint Anna Wang - Saint of the Day - July 22 -. 2020-12-04. Catholic Daily Readings. en-US.
  2. Web site: Pris. 2015-05-16. Saint Anna Wang. 2020-12-04. † My Little Catholic Nook ツ. en.
  3. Web site: Wang. Anna. St. Anna Wang 1886-1900 . live. https://web.archive.org/web/20201101175913/https://ace.nd.edu/images/ACE-ENL/Multicultural-Saints/stannawang.pdf . 2020-11-01 .
  4. Web site: St. Anna Wang1886-1900 AD. 2020-12-04. Holy Name of Jesus Church. en-US.