St. Agatha Lin
Born: 1817
Died: January 28, 1858
Feast: February 18
Patron saint of: N/A
Agatha was born in the Quinlong district of Guizhou in China to Catholic parents. Her father was arrested many times for refusing to denounce his faith, and she was taught at an early age to read and write. As was the custom, her parents had betrothed her as a child to a man, but upon Agatha’s dedication to her faith and her private vow of virginity, her parents annulled the betrothal when she turned 18. When her father died, she took religious vows at age 25 and moved with her mother to the Zhenning district, where she used her inheritance to purchase a house that served as a chapel and a school. She eventually moved to Maokou, a Miao village in Landai to minister there. She was one of the first catechists and evangelists to the Miao people. Agatha was later beheaded for her faith alongside another catechist, Jerome Lu Tingmei, and a prominent farmer, Laurence Wang Bing.
