1823 - Thaddeus Liu Ruiting

November 30, 1823

Quxian, Sichuan

Thaddeus Liu Ruiting. [CRBC]

Thaddeus Liu Ruiting was a priest who worked in both northeast Sichuan Province and in Guizhou Province. Born in Qionglai County near the city of Chengdu in 1773, Liu’s father passed away when he was only two-years-old. He and his mother survived in extreme poverty until she remarried a farmer.

In 1785—when Liu was only twelve—both his mother and stepfather died. The young boy was in a desperate predicament, and he offered himself as a servant to a Catholic priest. He moved in and found the priest to be a kind-hearted man. Liu listened to all the priest’s preaching and conversations, and soon the message of salvation started to stir his heart. Liu believed in Christ, and passed from death to life. At his baptism he took the Christian name Thaddeus.

Sometime later, Liu decided to become a priest so that he could serve God. He attended the Catholic seminary at Luorenggou where he did well in his studies. He was ordained to the priesthood at the age of 34 by Bishop Dufresse.

In 1821, when Liu was 48-years-old, he was betrayed to the authorities by a false Christian. Thaddeus Liu Ruiting and about 30 other believers were arrested and paraded around the streets. After two years in prison, Liu was finally brought to trial. He was found guilty of treason for being a Catholic priest and was sentenced to die by hanging. He “showed great courage on the way to the execution ground, expressing happiness that he was found worthy to die for his faith.”[1] Liu was killed at Qu Xian in Sichuan Province on November 30, 1823.

1. CRBC, The Newly Canonized Martyr-Saints of China, 8.