Peter Wu Guosheng Explained

Honorific Prefix:Saint
Peter Wu Guosheng
Birth Name:Wu Guocheng
Birth Place:Longping, China
Death Place:Longping, China
Death Cause:Hanging
Venerated In:Catholic Church
Beatified Date:27 May 1900
Beatified By:Leo XIII
Canonized Date:1 October 2000
Canonized By:John Paul II

Peter Wu Guosheng (Chinese: t=吳國盛|s=吴国盛|first=t|hp=Wú Guóchéng; 1768 – 7 November 1814) was a Chinese Catholic martyr.

Life

He was born in 1768 in the town of Longping in Zunyi county in Guizhou. Prior to his baptism, he was an innkeeper.[1]

A Catholic layman named Xu, who had been sent to Guizhou by Fr. Luo Madi of Sichuan, stayed at Wu Guosheng's inn. On this occasion, Xu spoke to Wu Guosheng about Christianity and convinced Wu Guosheng to believe. Xu later invited a church elder from Sichuan to speak to Wu Guosheng.

Wu Guosheng became very fervent for the faith and, although he was not yet baptized, he would insist that those who visited his inn come to accept Jesus. Fr. Luo Madi later also went to visit Wu Guosheng and felt that Wu Guosheng's way of trying to force people to accept the faith was wrong. He then invited Wu Guosheng to come to Sichuan and see how other Catholics carried out evangelization. In 1795, he came to Chongqing and after having seen the model of other Catholics, Wu Guosheng deeply regretted his prior behaviour. Luo Madi then baptized him the following year with the name Christian name of Peter.

He returned back to Longping and engaged in a great deal of evangelization among the local people. The Catholic community grew to several hundred people.

In 1814, a new wave of persecution against Christians occurred in China as a result of the policies of the Jiaqing Emperor. On April 3rd of that year, he was arrested and put in prison. He encouraged the other prisoners and refused the orders of the magistrate to trample on the cross. He was strangled by hanging on November 7th of that year.[2]

Canonization

He was beatified by Pope Leo XIII on 27 May 1900 and later canonized as a saint by John Paul II on 1 October 2000.[3] [4]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Peter Wu Guosheng . Asia Harvest . 8 April 2024 . 30 April 2024.
  2. Web site: 圣伯多禄·吴国盛公元 1768–1814 年 . Holy Name of Jesus Chinese Catholic Church . 14 May 2022 . zh . 30 April 2024.
  3. Web site: AGOSTINO ZHAO RONG AND 119 COMPANIONS MARTYRS IN CHINA. Vatican . 1 July 1900 . 30 April 2024.
  4. Web site: St. Peter Wu Guosheng 1768–1814 AD . Holy Name of Jesus Chinese Catholic Church . 14 May 2022 . 1 May 2024.