An Asian Saint a Day

Do you know when the Gospel first got to Asia?

When I ask this of fairly educated people, they often guess the 16th century, with St. Francis Xavier.

“Earlier.”

“Maybe something to do with Marco Polo in the 13th century?”

“Earlier.”

“Ummm…maybe during the Patristic period?”

“Let me help. Where was Jesus born?”¹

“…Bethlehem.”

“Which is in Israel. And what continent is Israel on?”

“Oh, shoot. Asia.”

Yup. The Gospel was first preached in Asia. The angels sang Gloria in Asia, to an Asian couple with an Asian baby. The Apostles were all Asian.

But people don’t usually mean the Middle East when they say Asia. So, okay. When did the Gospel first get further east? Into, say, India?

52.

That’s a year.

52 AD.

That’s when St. Thomas took the Good News to India.

China was first evangelized in the 7th century.

Much of Asia didn’t have any missionaries sent to them until much later, but they’ve certainly made up for it in the meantime. Korea alone has 103 Saints, 124 Blesseds, and 133 Servants of God. Japan has 26 Saints and 188 Blesseds. Not to mention the many, many Middle Eastern Saints. Or the 120 Chinese. Or the thousands of Vietnamese martyrs.

Let’s just say, if all the statues in your Church are of white people, it’s because y’all aren’t looking very far from home. (Also, my celestial bestie is Japanese, so you should really get to know him.)

The Catholic Church is not a white Church. It wasn’t when it started and it sure as heck isn’t now, when it’s most alive in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

May is Asian and Pacific American Heritage Month. To celebrate, I’ll be sharing a different Asian Saint on Instagram and Facebook every day. I’d love it if you’d join me and get to know our beautiful and incredibly diverse family in heaven.

1. You would be amazed at how often youth answer “Jerusalem” to this question. I know they know better, they’re just not thinking. [↩]