1648 - Francisco de Capillas

January 16, 1648

Fu’an, Fujian

Francisco de Capillas.

Francisco Fernandez de Capillas was born in Palencia, Spain, on August 14, 1607. As a young man he joined the Dominican Order in Valladolid. During this studies Capillas expressed a desire to see God’s kingdom established in the far-flung corners of the world, and in February 1632, aged just 24, he set sail for Manila in the Philippines. It was only after he had commenced his service in the Philippines that he was ordained into the Catholic priesthood.

After nine years in the Philippines Capillas was sent to Taiwan in 1641, and then transferred to Fujian Province in southeast China in 1642. His ministry was to preach and disciple the Chinese believers, as well as to organize and administrate the affairs of the Dominican Mission. What little has been written about Capillas indicates he was a man of deep compassion and humility. One of his fellow priests said he “would go to a hospital every day after prayers to serve the sick, with much love and care embracing them, consoling them, feeding them and even fixing their beds.”[1]

An anti-Christian riot broke out in Fu’an on November 13, 1647, and a number of Chinese believers were seriously injured. As soon as he heard this, Francisco de Capillas set out to help them. As the Spaniard hurried along a path he was captured by a group of soldiers and thrown into prison. Despite his dire surroundings, Capillas radiated great joy from the Lord. He wrote,

“I am here with other prisoners and we have developed a fellowship. They ask me about the Gospel of the Lord. I am not concerned about getting out of here because here I know I am doing the will of God. They do not let me stay up at night to pray, so I pray in bed before dawn. I live here in great joy without any worry, knowing that I am here because of Jesus Christ.”[2]

A portrait showing de Capillas in prison just before his martyrdom.

On January 16, 1648, Capillas was taken out of his prison cell and decapitated. Two months later local Christians found his remains.

In 2000, the Chinese Communist authorities slandered Capillas even though he had been dead for more than 350 years. They released a statement mocking his life and accusing him of widespread sexual deviancy, including the fathering of an illegitimate child with a Chinese widow. There is no shred of evidence available to suggest any of these wicked charges have a basis in truth. On the contrary, all documentation and reports from the time indicate he was a godly man with a passion for Jesus Christ.

The Communists—not for the first time—attempted to demonise the reputation of a man they could not legitimately fault, and by so crudely accusing him of such filthy crimes, succeeded only in exposing the true state of their own hearts.

1. Chinese Regional Bishops’ Conference, The Newly Canonized Martyr-Saints of China (Taiwan: Chinese Regional Bishops’ Conference, September 8th Editorial Board, 2000), 70.
2. CRBC, The Newly Canonized Martyr-Saints of China, 70-71.