1900 - Joseph Gambaro

July 7, 1900

Hengyang, Hunan

Joseph Gambaro. [CRBC]

Joseph Maria Gambaro was born at Galliate, in the Italian province of Novara, on August 7, 1869. His parents, Pacifico and Francesca Bozzolo, were devout Catholics who raised their son in a godly and moral environment. As a boy Gambaro attended the Franciscan School of Monte Mesma in Turin. After completing his education in 1886 he entered the novitiate, finally becoming a Catholic priest after many years of study. During these formative years Gambaro expressed his desire to be a missionary. After a long sea journey he arrived in China in March 1896.

Joseph Gambaro’s first appointment was to lead a small seminary. After that he was assigned to pastor the Catholic community of Yongzhou in Hunan Province. The believers were excited about the priest’s arrival, and they gave him a warm welcome. Gambaro found that the Catholics in Yongzhou were simple peasants whose knowledge of God did not match their enthusiasm. He was patient to develop their understanding without compromising their zeal.

During the Boxer Rebellion, Gambaro and Bishop Antonius Fantosati Gambaro were captured by the rebels as they returned to Hengyang by boat. The Boxers cruelly stabbed them to death on July 7, 1900.