Nov 23, 2023
O you who were martyred
over three centuries of persecution
in a country so bitter toward the faith,
bishops and priests and laymen alike,
native to the land and foreign-born,
all innocent souls
who suffered even torture in joy,
all for the sake of the Lord and His Church –
pray we shall be as ready as you
to bear witness to the faith
with our lives,
that all as one in the Body of Christ
we will be willing even to die
to satiate our thirst for the kingdom
and for the salvation of souls.
O what joy to be as Jesus,
to walk in His steps
even to the Cross!
No greater blessing could any soul know
on this corrupted plane…
Pray we shall come with you to Heaven.