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Saint Mark Ji Tianxiang


Saint Mark Ji Tianxiang was an active opium addict at the time he was martyred. He lived in 19th-century China prior to modern understandings of addiction as a disease and had a dedicated love for God and full respect for the sacraments while battling opioid addiction. Ultimately, in the year 1900, when the Boxer Rebellion began the persecution of Chinese Christians, St. Mark was corralled, imprisoned, and executed along with several members of his family. He chose to be beheaded last among his family so the others would not die alone. Saint Mark Ji Tianxiang serves as a model for increased honesty and a fierce commitment to the sacraments.