Saint Jean Alcober
Dominicain
espagnol (+ 1748)
Dominicain espagnol et
missionnaire en Chine où il trouva le martyre.
Jean Alcober Figuera,
prêtre OP 1694 - 1748, béatifié le 14 mai 1893.
- Il fait partie des
missionnaires espagnols qui avaient exercé leur activité dans les années
1715-1747, furent également tués suite à une nouvelle persécution commencée en
1729 avec les derniers soubresauts en 1746. (Agostino
Zhao Rong et 119 compagnons, martyrs en Chine, site
du Vatican)
- 120 martyrs de Chine
(1648-1930) canonisés
le 1er octobre 2000
SOURCE : http://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/9809/Saint-Jean-Alcober.html
Juan Alcober Figuera
1694-1748
Il était né à Grenade
(Espagne) le 21 décembre 1694.
Il entra chez les
Dominicains de sa ville.
Parti pour les
Philippines en 1725, il y resta trois ans, avant de rejoindre la Chine, où il
apostolisa pendant presque vingt années.
En 1741, il fut vicaire
provincial pour la Chine.
Arrêté en 1746, il fut
torturé. On lui demanda pourquoi il était venu en Chine : Juan répondit en
expliquant les commandements de Dieu. On lui posa aussi des questions obscènes,
auxquelles il opposa un silence total.
Son martyre eut lieu à
Fuzhou (Fujian, Chine), par strangulation. Quand les bourreaux vinrent le
chercher, il leur dit : Nous sommes très heureux de mourir, mais
permettez-nous d’abord d’en rendre grâces à Dieu. Après, vous pourrez faire
tout ce que vous voulez.
Ils acceptèrent ce petit
délai, puis étendirent le père à terre, et lui lièrent les pieds et les mains,
tandis qu’il continuait à les inviter à se convertir au Christ.
Une fois étranglé, le
père avait conservé une telle attitude paisible et souriante, que les bourreaux
en furent très étonnés, le croyant encore en vie.
Puis son corps fut brûlé.
Ce martyre eut lieu le 28
octobre 1748.
Le père Juan fut béatifié
en 1893 et canonisé en 2000.
La fête liturgique
commune des Martyrs chinois est au 9 juillet.
SOURCE : http://www.samuelephrem.eu/article-juan-alcober-figuera-120719031.html
Also
known as
John Alcober
28
September as one of the Martyrs
of China
30
December on some calendars
Profile
Dominican priest and missionary to China.
Due to transport trouble, he was marooned in Lorca for a while, where he became
a popular preacher.
Sailed to Manila in
the Philippines in 1726,
and reached China in 1728.
Worked sixteen years in the Fo-kien province.
Posing as a water seller
so he could move around the city, he still had to do his ministry in secret; he
once had to be smuggled into a house in a dying man’s
coffin in order to administer Last Rites. To escape detection, he once climbed
into a tree; realizing he would need to spend the night there, he began saying
his evening prayers;
he was joined in prayer by
his friend Blessed Francis
Serrano who was hiding in the same tree.
In 1746,
one of his flock received a vision of Our Lady of
the Rosary. The visionary appeared so beatific in death that a crowd
gathered to see her body; the press of visitors prevented John from making his
usual quick escape, and he was arrested.
He, Francis
Serrano and Father Francis
Diaz were tortured for
the location of Bishop Pere
Sans-Jorda and Father Joachim
Royo, who were known to be in the province; these two surrendered to end
the torture of
their brothers. Martyred with Saint Peter
Sanz, Blessed Francis
Serrano, and other Dominicans.
Born
strangled to
death on 25
October 1748 in
Fu-tsheu prison, Fo-kien province, China;
even the executioners
noted that the faces of the victims looked peaceful and radiant
1
October 2000 by Pope John
Paul II
Additional
Information
Saints
of the Day, by Katherine Rabenstein
books
Dictionary of Saints, by John Delaney
Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
other
sites in english
sites
en français
fonti
in italiano
Martirologio Romano, 2005 edition
MLA
Citation
‘Saint Juan Alcober
Figuera‘. CatholicSaints.Info. 3 September 2022. Web. 22 August 2026.
<https://catholicsaints.info/saint-juan-alcober-figuera/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-juan-alcober-figuera/
Bl. John Alcober
Feastday: December 30
Death: 1748
Canonized: Pope John Paul II
Dominican martyr of
China. Born in Gerona, Spain, he entered the Dominicans, being sent in 1728
to China as
a missionary. Arrested in 1746 by Chinese officials, he was held in prison
until strangled to death. He died with Blessed Peter Sanz and other Dominicans.
SOURCE : https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=3929
ALCOBER FIGUERA, JUAN
TOMAS, ST.
Dominican priest, martyr;
b. Dec. 21, 1694, Girone (Granada), Andalucia, Spain; d. Oct. 28, 1748, Fukien
(Fuzhou), Tunkien, China.
Juan Alcober joined the
Dominicans in his home-town (1708) and was ordained priest (1718). He and St.
Francis Serrano had planned to work together in the Chinese missions, but Fr.
Alcober was delayed in Lorca, where he preached until he was able to set sail.
Having gained a reputation as a popular preacher there, only a miracle reminded
him of his original purpose. In 1726, he left for the Philippines to study
Chinese and work in Binondo until beginning his mission in China in 1728.
Following the publication
of a libel against the Christians of Fu-ngan, Fu-kien, Emperor K'ien Lung
initiated a prosecution in 1746. Like Fr. Serrano, Alcober was adept at evading
the pursuing authorities. He hid in the homes of native Christians, spent a
night hiding in a tree, and wandered about the city in the disguise of a water
seller. His luck ran out on June 26, 1746.
He baptized a woman, to
whom the Blessed Virgin had appeared in an apparition, on her deathbed. The
situation drew her neighbors, and soon Fr. Alcober was recognized, captured,
and imprisoned at Fukien. He was sentenced to death by the viceroy on Nov. 1, 1746.
Alcober was strangled one
night in his prison cell together with Joachim Royo Pérez, Francisco Diaz, and
Francisco Serrano to prevent them from converting their jailors. Local
Christians collected and preserved their relics.
He was beatified by
Pope Leo
XIII (May 14, 1893) and canonized (Oct. 1, 2000) by Pope John
Paul II with Augustine Zhao Rong and companions.
Feast: June 5.
See Also: china,
martyrs of, ss.
Bibliography: M. J. Savignol, Les Martyrs dominicains de la Chine au XVIII siècle (Paris 1893). H. I. Iweins, Le Bienheureux Pierre Sanz et ses quatre compagnons (Ostende 1893). J. M. González, Misiones dominicanas en China, 1700–1750 (Madrid 1952). M. J. Dorcy, Saint Dominic's Family (Dubuque, Iowa 1963), 484–87.
[K. I. Rabenstein]
New Catholic Encyclopedia
Blessed John Alcober, OP
M (AC)
Born at Gerona, Spain, in
1694; died in Tonkin, 1748; beatified by Pope Leo XIII in 1893. John Alcober
was a good friend of Bishop Blessed Francis Serrano, who was a brother
Dominican of the Granada monastery and a fellow martyr in Tonkin. The two had
planned to enter the Chinese missions together, but problems with the ship
marooned Father Alcober in Lorca. There he spent his time as a popular
preacher. In fact, he was beginning to forget about going to China until the
Lord reminded him one day. As he was preaching, he used the words, "How
long, you sinners, will you remain hardened?" His crucifix reproached him,
"And you, John--how long?"
He sailed to Manila with
43 religious in 1726, and he finally made it to China in 1728, where he labored
for 16 years in the province of Fo-kien. Here his life was very difficult; he
had to hide in uncomfortable places, and, once, he was smuggled in a coffin to
anoint a dying man. Sometimes disguised as a water seller, he moved about the
city. Once, he was far from any shelter,and he climbed into a tree to spend the
night. Piously intoning the Miserere before going to sleep, he was startled to
hear another voice answering his, and, to his joy, realized his old friend Father
Serrano was sitting in the same tree.
One of his last acts as a
free man was to baptize a sick woman to whom Our Lady of the Rosary had
appeared. The new Christian was so beautiful after her death that pagans
crowded in to see her. Father Alcober's presence there led to his capture in
1746. Soon he found himself reunited in prison with Father Serrano and another
priest, Francis Diaz. They were tortured to disclose the whereabouts of Bishop
Peter Sanz, though the revealed nothing. The bishop and Father Joachim Royo,
upon hearing of the capture of the other three, surrendered themselves in order
to spare their brothers further suffering.
The five were dragged
before the emperor in chains, and again subjected to torture. Bishop Sanz was
beheaded, but the others languished in prison for another six months. Father
Alcober wrote a letter to his brother, a Carmelite, saying that they were all
in good spirits, but that they hoped it would end soon because they were eager
to shed their blood. Here in prison, Father Serrano was appointed successor to
Peter Martyr.
Late in November, these
four was strangled in their cell at Futsheu during the night. This was the best
way to fend off their apostolic work among the jailers and soldiers. When the
executioners returned in the light of day to dispose of the bodies, they were
horrified to note that the faces of the martyrs were not only serene, but shone
with an unearthly radiance--a phenomenon indeed for someone who had died by
strangulation. Afraid of being punished for not carrying out their duty, the
executioners covered the faces of their victims, but the Christians followed
them nonetheless to try to collect relics. The soldiers already knew there
would be problems trying to dispose of the relics: Those of Bishop Sanz had
resisted burning and various other kinds of destruction. For this reason, the
persecuted Christians were able to retain the relics of the five martyrs
(Benedictines, Dorcy).
SOURCE : http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/1230.shtml
Saint John Alcober
Posted by Mr. Brian
Batty, OP
Today is the feast of one
of the Dominican martyrs of China, St. John Alcober.
Born at Gerona, Spain, in
1694. John Alcober was a good friend of Bishop St. Francis Serrano, who was a
brother Dominican of the Granada monastery and a fellow martyr in Tonkin. The
two had planned to enter the Chinese missions together, but problems with the
ship marooned Father Alcober in Lorca. There he spent his time as a popular
preacher. In fact, he was beginning to forget about going to China until the
Lord reminded him one day. As he was preaching, he used the words, "How
long, you sinners, will you remain hardened?" His crucifix reproached him,
"And you, John--how long?"
He sailed to Manila with 43 religious in 1726, and he finally made it to China
in 1728, where he labored for 16 years in the province of Fo-kien. Here his life
was very difficult; he had to hide in uncomfortable places, and, once, he was
smuggled in a coffin to anoint a dying man. Sometimes disguised as a water
seller, he moved about the city. Once, he was far from any shelter,and he
climbed into a tree to spend the night. Piously intoning the Miserere before
going to sleep, he was startled to hear another voice answering his, and, to
his joy, realized his old friend Father Serrano was sitting in the same tree.
One of his last acts as a free man was to baptize a sick woman to whom Our Lady
of the Rosary had appeared. The new Christian was so beautiful after her death
that pagans crowded in to see her. Father Alcober's presence there led to his
capture in 1746. Soon he found himself reunited in prison with Father Serrano
and another priest, Francis Diaz. They were tortured to disclose the
whereabouts of Bishop Peter Sanz, though the revealed nothing. The bishop and
Father Joachim Royo, upon hearing of the capture of the other three,
surrendered themselves in order to spare their brothers further suffering.
The five were dragged before the emperor in chains, and again subjected to
torture. Bishop Sanz was beheaded, but the others languished in prison for
another six months. Father Alcober wrote a letter to his brother, a Carmelite,
saying that they were all in good spirits, but that they hoped it would end
soon because they were eager to shed their blood. Here in prison, Father
Serrano was appointed successor to Peter Martyr.
Late in November, these four was strangled in their cell at Futsheu during the
night. This was the best way to fend off their apostolic work among the jailers
and soldiers. When the executioners returned in the light of day to dispose of
the bodies, they were horrified to note that the faces of the martyrs were not
only serene, but shone with an unearthly radiance--a phenomenon indeed for
someone who had died by strangulation. Afraid of being punished for not
carrying out their duty, the executioners covered the faces of their victims,
but the Christians followed them nonetheless to try to collect relics. The
soldiers already knew there would be problems trying to dispose of the relics:
Those of Bishop Sanz had resisted burning and various other kinds of
destruction. For this reason, the persecuted Christians were able to retain the
relics of the five martyrs.
He was strangled to death on October 28, 1748 at Fu-tsheu prison in Tonkin. He
was beatified by Pope Leo XIII in AD 1893. He was canonized along with the
other martyrs of China by Pope John Paul II in AD 2000.
Prayer
O God, who didst endow
Thy blessed St. John Alcober with constancy and charity to preach the faith to
heathen nations, grant us, we beseech Thee, through his example and
intercession, to persevere constantly in Thy faith. Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
SOURCE : https://laydominicans.blogspot.com/2009/12/saint-john-alcober.html
San Giovanni Alcober Domenicano,
martire
>>>
Visualizza la Scheda del Gruppo cui appartiene
Granada, 25 dicembre 1694
– Fuchen, 28 ottobre 1748
Juan Alcober Figuera,
nativo di Granada, entrò quindicenne nel convento domenicano della sua città:
professò i voti religiosi il giorno dopo il suo sedicesimo compleanno. Dopo tre
anni nelle Filippine, nel 1728 partì per la Cina, dove operò per quasi
vent’anni. Sul finire del 1746 fu arrestato insieme ad altri confratelli:
monsignor Pere Sans i Jordà, Vicario apostolico del Fukien, e i sacerdoti
Francisco Serrano Frías, Joaquín Royo Pérez e Francisco Díaz del Rincón. Dopo
la morte di monsignor Sans, gli altri vennero strangolati il 28 ottobre 1748. I
cinque martiri domenicani furono beatificati il 14 maggio da papa Leone XIII e
canonizzati dal Papa san Giovanni Paolo II il 1° ottobre del 2000, inseriti in
un più ampio gruppo di centoventi martiri in Cina. Le loro reliquie sono
venerate nella chiesa di San Domenico a Manila.Ci
Martirologio Romano: Nel
Fujian in Cina, santi martiri Francesco Serrano, vescovo, e Gioacchino Royo,
Giovanni Alcober e Francesco Díaz del Rincón, sacerdoti dell’Ordine dei
Predicatori, che confermarono la stessa fede affrontando lo stesso martirio.
La presenza del
Cristianesimo e segnatamente del Cattolicesimo, ha avuto sin dal XII secolo,
nel quale cominciò ad affacciarsi in Cina, degli alti e bassi e purtroppo anche
ricorrenti sanguinose persecuzioni, con centinaia di missionari e migliaia di
fedeli uccisi in odio alla fede cristiana.
Nei secoli XII e XIII, il
Cristianesimo cominciò ad affermarsi nel vasto Impero cinese, ma con l’avvento
al potere della dinastia dei Ming nel 1370, ci fu una battuta d’arresto e di
cristianesimo non se ne parlò più fino alla fine del secolo XVI.
La ripresa
dell’evangelizzazione si ebbe soprattutto con il gesuita Matteo Ricci
(1552-1610) arrivato in Cina nel 1583, che con un fruttuoso apostolato fra i
sapienti e i mandarini di Canton e di Nanchino, giunse il 4 gennaio 1601, ad
entrare a Pechino e nel palazzo imperiale come letterato d’Occidente.
Con i suoi confratelli,
padre Ricci si adattò per quanto possibile agli usi, costumi e mentalità
cinesi, conseguendo uno splendido successo specie fra i notabili locali; i cristiani
che nel 1584 erano appena tre, nel 1585 furono una ventina, nel 1605 un
migliaio, nel 1608 più di duemila e nel 1610, anno della morte a Pechino del
gesuita Matteo Ricci, erano più di 2500.
Le condizioni politiche
continuarono ad essere favorevoli al cristianesimo, anche al tempo della
dinastia Manciù (1644) e fino quasi alla morte dell’imperatore Kang-Hi, anche
se nel 1648, in una isolata esplosione di violenza perse la vita il missionario
domenicano san Francesco Fernandez de Capillas (1607-1648), protomartire della
Cina, beatificato nel 1909 e canonizzato l’1-10-2000.
A seguito della questione
dei riti cinesi e delle disposizioni provenienti dalla Santa Sede, l’imperatore
Kang-Hi si inasprì, cominciando ad avversare i missionari cattolici, fino a
bandirli dall’Impero aprendo così la via alle persecuzioni, che esplosero con i
suoi successori.
Infatti nel 1724
l’imperatore Young-Cheng ordinò che si distruggessero le chiese e si
scacciassero o arrestassero i missionari e si incarcerassero e decapitassero i
cristiani; nel 1736-37 con Kien-Lung si proibì la predicazione della religione
cristiana, furono esiliati tutti i missionari europei, uccidendone molti;
rimasero a Pechino solo i Gesuiti francesi che godevano della fama di
letterati, pittori, idraulici.
Bisogna dire che
all’opera di evangelizzazione della Cina cooperarono, i Domenicani dal 1587, i
Francescani dal 1590, gli Agostiniani dal 1680, i Lazzaristi dal 1711.
Nel 1747-48 si ebbero i
cinque martiri domenicani Pietro Sanz, Francesco Serrano, Gioacchino Royo,
Giovanni Alcober, Francesco Diaz.
Con la soppressione della
Compagnia di Gesù nel 1773 da parte di papa Clemente XIV, le missioni cinesi
decaddero quasi completamente nelle città, mentre eroicamente gli altri Ordini
religiosi, dispersi nelle varie regioni dell’Impero, continuarono a lavorare
con eroismo e con gravi difficoltà.
Nel 1799 si avevano in
Cina tre diocesi e tre vicariati apostolici, ma l’imperatore Kia-King era apertamente
ostile al cristianesimo, i cui seguaci erano a torto sospettati di simpatia
verso i gruppi ribelli alla sua autorità, cioè l’associazione della ‘Regione
Celeste’.
Anche con questo
imperatore scoppiò una nuova e sanguinosa persecuzione in tutto l’Impero, che
durò fino alla sconfitta cinese nella guerra dell’oppio nel 1842; la libertà di
religione subentrò con il trattato di Pechino del 1860.
Ci fermiamo qui con la
storia del Cristianesimo in Cina, che continuò ad essere perseguitato nei
decenni successivi, specie con i famosi violenti e sanguinari ‘Boxers’ nel
1900, sotto la protezione dell’imperatrice Tze-Hsi, e poi in epoca moderna con
il regime maoista-comunista.
Il domenicano Giovanni
Alcober nacque il 25 dicembre 1694 a Granada e a 15 anni entrò nel convento
domenicano di Santa Croce, facendo la sua professione religiosa giovanissimo il
26 dicembre 1710.
Passò poi al convento dei
Predicatori di S. Domenico a Lorca, dove restò fino ai 31 anni, quando nel 1725
s’imbarcò per le Filippine.
Dopo tre anni di
apostolato nelle già cristiane terre dell’arcipelago, volle partire nel 1728
per le missioni cinesi, dove superando enormi difficoltà, restò ad
evangelizzare le generose popolazioni dei villaggi per quasi 20 anni.
Tuttavia, nel 1746, venne arrestato in seguito alla persecuzione anticristiana, ostile ai missionari. Fu rinchiuso in carcere con altri quattro confratelli: monsignor Pere Sans i Jordà, Vicario apostolico del Fukien, e i sacerdoti Francisco Díaz del Rincón (nominato vescovo durante la prigionia) e Joaquín Royo Pérez.
Processati a Fujian, la capitale, vennero condannati a morte il 18 dicembre 1746. La sentenza per quattro di loro, escluso quindi monsignor Sans, già ucciso un anno prima, fu eseguita il 28 ottobre 1748, tramite strangolamento.
I cinque martiri furono beatificati il 14 maggio da papa Leone XIII e
canonizzati dal Papa san Giovanni Paolo II il 1° ottobre del 2000, inseriti in
un più ampio gruppo di centoventi martiri in Cina.
Le loro reliquie, raccolte dai fedeli subito dopo la morte, sono venerate nella
chiesa di San Domenico a Manila.
Le reliquie di tutti e
cinque martiri della fede, furono raccolte dai fedeli e portate a Manila nelle
Filippine, dove si venerano nella Chiesa di S. Domenico.
Gli eroici martiri
domenicani, furono beatificati il 6 gennaio 1893 da papa Leone XIII e
canonizzati da papa Giovanni Paolo II il 1° ottobre del 2000; la loro
ricorrenza liturgica è per tutti il 9 luglio, oltre il giorno singolo del
martirio.
Autore: Antonio Borrelli
SOURCE : http://www.santiebeati.it/Detailed/92171.html
Den hellige Johannes
Alcober (1694-1748)
Minnedag:
28. september
En av de hellige
martyrene fra Kina (Den hellige Augustin Zhao Rong
og hans 119 ledsagere)
Bilde
Den hellige Johannes (sp:
Juan) Alcober ble født den 21. desember 1694 i Gerona i Catalonia [eller i
Granada] i Spania. Han ble dømt Juan Tomas. Han sluttet seg i 1709 til
dominikanerordenen (Ordo Praedicatorum - OP) i det berømte klosteret
Santa Cruz i Granada, og han ble en god venn av den hellige Frans Serrano,
som var en medbror i klosteret. De to hadde planlagt å slutte seg til den
kinesiske misjonen sammen, men problemer med skipet holdt Johannes tilbake i
Lorca. Der tilbrakte han tiden som folkepredikant etter at han ble presteviet i
1718. Faktisk begynte han å glemme tanken på å reise til Kina inntil Herren
minnet ham om det en dag. Mens han prekte, brukte han ordene: «Hvor lenge, dere
syndere, vil dere forbli forherdet?» Hans krusifiks sa da til ham: «Og du,
Johannes, hvor lenge?»
Han seilte til Manila på
Filippinene sammen med 43 ordensbrødre i juli 1725. I Manila var hans pastorale
tjeneste konsentrert om kineserne i Binondo. Der studerte han også det
kinesiske språket som en forberedelse til sin misjon til landet, som begynte i
1728. Der arbeidet han i 16 år i provinsen Fujian [Fukien; Fo-kien]. Her var
hans liv svært vanskelig. Han måtte hjemme seg på ukomfortable steder, og en
gang ble han smuglet i en kiste for å gi sykesalvingen til en døende mann. Han
beveget seg rundt i byen, noen ganger forkledd som vannselger. En gang var han
langt unna noe skjulested og klatret da opp i et tre for å tilbringe natten
der. Fromt begynte han å intonere Miserere før han gikk til ro, og
han var forskrekket over å høre en annen stemme som svarte ham, og til sin
glede forsto han at hans gamle venn Frans Serrano satt i det samme treet.
En av hans siste
gjerninger som fri mann var å døpe en kvinne som Vår Frue av Rosenkransen hadde
vist seg for. Den nye kristne var så vakker etter sin død at hedninger strømmet
til for å se henne. Johannes' nærvær der gjorde at han ble arrestert av
anti-kristne og kastet i fengsel den 26. juni 1746 i Fuzhou [Futsheu; Foochow],
hovedstad i provinsen Fujian. Sammen med ham satt fire medbrødre fengslet: de
hellige Frans Serrano, Peter Sanz (biskop), Joakim Rojo og Frans Díaz. De fem
mennene, som var knyttet sammen av sine løfter og sitt arbeid, ble brakt enda
nærmere sammen i fangenskapet. Patrene Serrano, Alcober og Díaz ble tatt først,
torturert og tvunget til å avsløre hvor biskop Sanz holdt til. En annen versjon
sier at de ikke brøt sammen, men da biskopen og p. Rojo hørte om torturen,
overga de seg for å spare sine brødre for lidelsene.
De fem prestene ble
trukket i lenker til keiserens hoff, hvor de ble utsatt for den frykteligste
tortur. Alle fem ble i desember 1746 dømt til døden sammen med en kateket ved
navn Ambrosius Kou. Under deres lange fengselsopphold lyktes dominikanerpateren
Thomas Sánchez å møte dem. Han brakte dem noen klær og litt penger, samt alle
nyheter han kunne finne. Mens de ventet på dommen, skrev Johannes: «Vi er
etterlatt her expectantes beatam spem et adventum gloriae magni Dei -mens
vi lever i det salige håp og venter den mektige Guds komme i herlighet».
Visekongen av Beijing
skrev om de fem martyrene: «Hva skal vi gjøre med disse mennene? Deres liv er i
sannhet uklanderlige; til og med i fengselet omvender de menn til sine
synspunkter, og deres læresetninger griper hjertene i en slik grad at deres
mestre frykter verken pinsel eller fangenskap. De selv er glade i sine lenker.
Fangevokterne og deres familier blir deres disipler, og de som er dømt til
døden, omfavner deres religion. Å forlenge denne tilstanden betyr bare å gi dem
muligheten til å øke antallet kristne».
Biskop Sanz led
martyrdøden ved å bli halshogd i Fuzhou den 26. mai 1747. Etter biskopens død
ble de fire prestene ble brennmerket i pannen med ordene ta dao («falsk
religion»). Den 20. oktober 1747 kom nyheten om at p. Serrano var utnevnt til
titularbiskop av Tipasa og koadjutor for biskop Sanz. P. Alcober skrev et brev
til sin bror, som var karmelitt, og fortalte at de alle var ved godt mot, men
at de håpet at det ville ta slutt snart, fordi de var ivrig etter å lide
martyrdøden. For å få slutt på de fire dominikanerprestenes evangelisering av
vokterne og soldatene, led de martyrdøden i fengselet om natten den 28. oktober
1748 ved å bli summarisk henrettet ved kvelning om natten den 28. oktober 1748.
Johannes var 54 år gammel. En av hans bødler beskrev hans martyrium slik: «Da
jeg mottok ordren om å drepe de to europeerne Alcober og Díaz, tilkalte jeg to
vakter og min bror for å hjelpe meg å utføre den. Da vi kom bort til dem, så vi
at de ba. De oppfordret oss til å følge Guds lov. Vi bandt et tau rundt halsen
på dem og begynte å snurre dem rundt inntil de ble kvalt til døde. De døde i
bønn mens de fredelig ønsket døden velkommen».
Da bødlene vendte tilbake
neste morgen for å bli kvitt likene, ble de skrekkslagne over å se at deres
ansikter lyste med en overjordisk glans - spesielt mirakuløst ettersom de
var døde av kvelning. Bødlene var redde for å bli straffet for ikke å utføre
sine plikter, så de dekte ansiktene på ofrene, men de kristne fulgte dem likevel
for å prøve å samle sammen relikviene. Soldatene visste allerede at det ville
bli problemer med å bli kvitt relikviene, for biskop Sanz' jordiske rester
hadde motstått brenning og diverse andre former for ødeleggelse. Av denne grunn
var de kristne i stand til å berge relikviene av de fem martyrene, og de ble
bevart og høyt skattet av de kristne.
Johannes ble saligkåret
den 14. mai 1893 (dokumentet (Breve) var datert den 18. april) av pave Leo XIII
(1878-1903) som en av gruppen «Den salige Peter Sanz og hans fire ledsagere».
Han ble helligkåret den 1. oktober 2000 på Petersplassen i Roma av pave
Johannes Paul II som en av de 120 martyrene fra Kina (den hellige Augustin Zhao
Rong og hans 119 ledsagere).
Minnedagen for de 120
kinesiske martyrene er 28. september. Denne gruppens minnedag er 26. mai,
biskop Sanz' dødsdag, men 15. juni nevnes også. De fire ledsagerne har også
sine individuelle minnedager - Johannes Alcober den 30. desember.
Kilder: Butler
(V), Benedictines, Bunson, Index99, Helligkåringskongregasjonen 2000, CRBC,
KIR - Kompilasjon og oversettelse: p. Per Einar Odden -
Sist oppdatert: 2000-10-13 21:41
SOURCE : https://www.katolsk.no/biografier/historisk/jalcober
Juan Alcober Figuera,
Santo
Presbítero dominico y
mártir, 28 Octubre
Fuente: Dominicos.org
Nacido en Granada el 21
de diciembre de 1694. Vistió el hábito dominicano en el Convento de Santa Cruz
la Real de su ciudad.
Partió hacia Manila, Filipinas, en 1725, donde pasó 3 años. En 1728 llegó a
China donde predicó el Evangelio durante 20 años.
En 1741 es vicario provincial de la misión. Apresado en 1746 muere ahorcado el
28 de octubre de 1748, siendo después su cadáver quemado.
Se distinguió especialmente por su eficacia apostólica. Fue beatificado por
León XIII el 14 de mayo de 1893 y canonizado por Juan Pablo II el 1 de octubre
del 2000.
Para ver más sobre los 120 mártires en China haz "click" AQUI
SOURCE : https://es.catholic.net/op/articulos/35579/cat/214/juan-alcober-figueroa-santo.html#modal
SAN JUAN ALCOBER FIGUERA,
O.P., SAN JOAQUÍN ROYO PÉREZ, O.P. MÁRTIRES DE CHINA
17
enero, 2014llamadasalalibertadporlaobediencia
SAN JUAN ALCOBER
FIGUERA, O.P.
Presbítero (1694-1748)
Nacido en Granada el 21
de diciembre de 1694. Vistió el hábito dominicano en el Convento de Santa Cruz
la Real de su ciudad. Partió hacia Manila, Filipinas, en 1725, donde pasó 3
años. En 1728 llegó a China donde predicó el Evangelio durante 20 años. En 1741
es vicario provincial de la misión. Apresado en 1746 muere ahorcado el 28 de
octubre de 1748, siendo después su cadáver quemado. Se distinguió especialmente
por su eficacia apostólica. Fue beatificado por León XIII el 14 de mayo de 1893
y canonizado por Juan Pablo II el 1 de octubre del 2000.
SAN JOAQUÍN ROYO PÉREZ,
O.P.
Presbítero (1691-1748)
Nació en Hinojosa
(Teruel) en septiembre de 1691 y recibió el hábito dominicano en Valencia. A
los 21 años, todavía no era sacerdote, viaja para Manila, Filipinas, en 1712 y
en 1715 entra en China, donde ejerció el apostolado durante 33 años. Para
evitar mayores vejaciones a los cristianos por parte de los perseguidores que
lo buscaban, por consejo del obispo Pedro Sans, se entregó en sus manos en
1746. Muere el 28 de octubre 1748, como los otros compañeros, asfixiado y
después su cuerpo quemado. Era de una extraordinaria piedad y de gran eficacia
apostólica. Fue beatificado León XIII el 14 de mayo de 1893 y canonizado por
Juan Pablo II el 1 de octubre del 2000.
WITNESSES OF THE FAITH IN THE ORIENT Dominican Martyrs of Japan, China, and Vietnam By a team of Dominican Fathers Under the Direction of CEFERINO PUEBLA PEDROSA, O.P. Translated by Sister Maria Maez, O.P. First Edition 1989. Second Edition – 2006 Revised and Updated by George G. Christian, O.P. Province of St. Joseph, USA Web site: http://www.op-stjoseph.org. PROVINCIAL SECRETARIAT OF MISSIONS DOMINICAN PROVINCE OF OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY HONG KONG : https://web.archive.org/web/20160304072019/http://laity.stdombenicia.org/witnesses_of_the_faith_in_the_orient.pdf
~ Martyrs of China [1] ~ Canonized
Martyrs († 1648-1930) : http://newsaints.faithweb.com/martyrs/China1.htm
