Blessed Thomas Ochia Jihyoe
Also known as
• Thomas Jihyoe di Sant'Agostino
• Thomas of Saint Augustine
• Kintsuba
Additional Memorial
28 September as one of the Augustinian Martyrs of Japan
Profile
Born to a Christian family, his parents were both catechists, and both died as martyrs. Thomas attended a Jesuit school in Arima, Japan, and when he felt a call to religious life, he continued his studies in Macao. In 1622 he went to Manila, Philippines to study, and there he joined the Augustinians, making his profession in 1624. He studied theology at Cebú, Philippines, and was ordained a priest. Father Thomas returned to Japan in 1631 to minister to Christians during an imperial persecution. Authorities who did not realize his vocation let him visit Christian prisoners, many of whom were missionaries. When the government realized he was conducting a ministry to them, he was forced flee and lived for a while in a cave, the subject of an intense man-hunt. From there, he used disguises, tricks and the name Kintsuba to minister to Christians in the region for years until finally caught, tortured for months, ordered repeatedly to denounce Christianity, and when he would not, he was executed. Martyr.
Born
c.1602 in Omura, Nagasaki, Japan
Died
hanged upside down on 6 November 1637 in Hill of Martyrs, Nishizaka, Nagasaki, Japan
Beatified
24 November 2008 by Pope Benedict XVI
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