Today, the Church remembers The Martyrs of Japan, a group of six Franciscan friars, who with twenty of their converts were crucified at Nagasaki, February 5, 1597. Hopefully, for most of us, our call to follow their example will only be symbolic.
The Collect
O God our Father, who brought the holy martyrs of Japan through the suffering of the cross to the joys of eternal life: Grant that we, encouraged by their example, may hold fast to the faith we profess, even unto death itself; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
