Saint of the Day, September 12: Blessed Apollinaris Franco

Blessed Apollinaris Franco (d. 1622); martyr: Born in Spain, Blessed Apollinaris studied law at the University of Salamanca. After joining the Franciscans, Blessed Apollinaris was sent to Japan as a missionary in 1614, despite the fact that the practice of Christianity was punishable by death in Japan at that time. Arrested in 1617, he spent five years in jail in Nagasaki with other Christians under harsh conditions designed to coerce the prisoners into rejecting their faith. The joy of God could not be crushed, and he spent his time in prayer and preaching, even converting his jailers. On September 12, 1622, during what is known as the Great Martyrdom of Nagasaki, he and the other Franciscans with him were burned at the stake.