ALL THE SAINTS OF CHINA (JUNE 13TH)

Contemporary Byzantine Icon of All the Saints of China

Compiled and Edited by Bp. Joseph (Ancient Church of the West) 

INTRODUCTION

The feast of All the Saints of China honors the martyrs, confessors, bishops, monastics, and lay faithful who, in every age, bore witness to Christ in the land of China. From the first seeds of the Gospel sown by the early Eastern Syriac missionaries, to the Orthodox martyrs of the Boxer Rebellion, and through the sufferings of the Church under persecution in the modern era, this feast is a radiant testimony to the enduring light of the Gospel in the East.

THE EARLIEST ROOTS OF THE CHINESE CHURCH

The story of the Chinese Church begins not in the modern missionary age, but in the apostolic mission of the Ancient Eastern Church. By the early 7th century, Christian monks and bishops - many of whom followed the liturgical and theological customs of the Assyrian and Persian traditions - had journeyed along the Silk Road. In AD 635, the priest-monk St. Alopen (likely from the Syriac Church of the East) arrived in Chang’an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty. There, he was warmly received by the Emperor Taizong and given liberty to preach the “Luminous Religion.” Through St. Alopen’s work, China received the first clear exposition of Scripture and Christ’s Holy Gospel. 

Though this Church later suffered under changing political tides, the so-called “Nestorian Stele” (erected in AD 781) remains as a solemn and glorious witness to the Gospel’s early flowering in Chinese soil. It speaks of bishops, monks, and faithful who lived ascetic lives and translated Scriptures and liturgies into Chinese, shaping a unique Christian culture in the Middle Kingdom.

MARTYRS OF THE BOXER REBELLION

The 19th century brought with it new challenges and new saints. Among them were the Orthodox Christians who suffered during the Boxer Rebellion (1899–1901), when anti-foreign and anti-Christian mobs, with support from elements of the Qing government, began to persecute and kill Chinese Christians en masse.

In particular, the 222 Chinese Orthodox martyrs of Beijing - under the pastoral care of St. Mitrophan Ji (the first native Chinese Orthodox priest) - suffered martyrdom with courage and grace. These men, women, and children refused to renounce Christ, even when faced with torture, fire, and the sword. St. Mitrophan himself was beheaded, while his wife Tatiana and sons John and Isaiah were also slain for the faith. Their bodies were buried in a mass grave beside the mission church, which was later rebuilt and consecrated in their honor.

THE CHURCH IN SUFFERING AND HOPE

Throughout the 20th century, Chinese Christians endured waves of political upheaval, social persecution, and cultural revolution. Churches were shuttered, clergy arrested, and believers forced into hiding. Yet the faith lived on - quietly, resiliently, prayerfully. Some carried worn icons hidden in their homes. Others baptized in secret. And in every generation, God raised up faithful witnesses: bishops who endured prison, grandmothers who catechized their grandchildren in whispers, and scholars who translated Scripture by candlelight.

In the spirit of Hebrews 11, these Chinese saints - known and unknown - confessed that they were “strangers and pilgrims on the earth,” seeking a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Their lives form a tapestry of faith woven through dynasties, revolutions, and regimes, upheld not by the strength of men, but by the grace of the Holy Spirit.

THE MEANING OF THIS FEAST

The feast of All the Saints of China is not merely a remembrance of historical heroes. It is a call to the universal Church to recognize that the Holy Spirit has never abandoned China, and that the ancient Church - apostolic, sacramental, and united in Christ - lives in the East, no less than in the West. It is also a reminder that holiness often blooms in obscurity, and martyrdom may come quietly, with the endurance of faith under long suffering.

These saints are part of the great cloud of witnesses that surrounds us. They speak not only to the Chinese faithful, but to all who bear the name of Christ, testifying that the Cross is the gateway to life and that the Church of Christ transcends all borders, nations, and empires.

St. Mitrophan of Beijing

TROPARION (TONE 4)

As blossoms in the garden of God’s glory,

The saints of China shine with steadfast faith;

Martyrs and confessors, children and elders,

Ye bore the Cross in joy and hope.

O faithful witnesses of the East,

Pray for us who venerate your triumph.

KONTAKION (TONE 8)

O multitude of holy ones from the land of China,

Who suffered for Christ and were found worthy,

Ye showed forth the power of God in weakness.

Now ye stand before the throne of glory,

Interceding for your kin and for the whole world.

Rejoice, O noble martyrs and saints of China!

COLLECT

O Almighty and Everlasting God, who didst raise up in every age faithful witnesses in the land of China, and didst glorify thy name in the lives and deaths of martyrs, confessors, bishops, and humble layfolk: Grant that we, being compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, may run with patience the race that is set before us; and that, strengthened by their prayers, we may boldly confess thy holy Name, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

The Orthodox Martyrs of the Boxer Rebellion, A Modern Icon at St. Luke’s Orthodox Cathedral, Hong Kong, China

Let their memory be eternal, and may their intercession protect and strengthen the Church in every land.