Marie of Saint Natalie
Marie of Saint Natalie, born Jeanne-Marie Guerguin (sometimes spelt Kerguin) was one of the 120 Martyrs of China. Born in Belle-Isle-en-Terre, Cotes-du-Nord, on 4 May 1864, she worked in the province of Shanxi. She was a member of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary.
St. Marie of Saint Natalie | |
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| Missionary and Martyr of China | |
| Born | 4 May 1864 Belle-Isle-en-Terre, Côtes-du-Nord |
| Died | 9 July 1900 Taiyuan, Shanxi |
| Venerated in | Catholic Church |
| Canonized | 1 October 2000 by Pope John Paul II |
| Feast | 15 January |
During the Boxer Rebellion she was martyred by decapitation on 9 July 1900 at Taiyuan. John Paul II canonized her on 1 October 2000.
Biography
She was born into a family of Breton farmers. Having lost her mother as a child, she was in charge of overseeing her household.
She entered the convent at Saint-Brieuc in 1887. In 1888 she answered the call for missionaries to China to work in the schools and with orphans. During the Boxer Rebellion she was arrested and sentenced to death with seven of the other sisters.