1951 - Michael Mong

May 25, 1951

Nanning, Guangxi

In Nanning, the largest city of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southern China, a strong Catholic church had emerged after centuries of missionary endeavour. On May 1, 1951, the Communists held public rallies to discredit and slander three Catholic leaders of the city. Hundreds of people flocked into the Nanning town hall for the occasion, which was meant to be a formality during which the Communists charged their opponents with numerous trumped up charges and passed sentences without protest.

On this occasion, however, the meeting was to unfold quite differently. When the meeting commenced the Catholics who had been lined up to accuse the three church leaders instead used the opportunity to preach the gospel and encourage one another! A man named Zuo spoke on the Eighth Commandment for about ten minutes before the organizers stopped him, while others spoke on the good work the Church had done during the Japanese occupation. The infuriated Communists cancelled the meeting and the believers returned home jubilant and strengthened in their faith.

The government retaliated quickly. Michael Mong (Mung) was a 35-year-old parish priest at Jiangzhou, about 170 miles (275 km) northeast of Nanning. He was arrested because he had once visited a sick man who had been in contact with the anti-Communist resistance. Mong was transferred to Nanning Prison on December 18, 1950, where he awaited his execution. On May 25th the following year, Michael Mong was taken to the Nanning cemetery, where

“He made for the great cross in the middle of the field, and was just about to kneel down when he was shot. There were many Christians present at the execution, who were able to read the list of crimes which was posted up. The first charge read: ‘This criminal has been condemned to death because he spends his time intoxicating the people by preaching religion, and never does any useful work to support himself.’”[1]

The heroic martyrdom of Michael Mong touched the lives of many Catholics in Nanning, and many rededicated themselves to serve the Lord.