catholic symbol

This is for my architectural thesis, a Basilica celebrating Catholic martyrdom in Asia, but I can't quite point out a particular saint or martyr that can truly be a symbol for Asian Catholic Martyrdom.

Depends on how you define Asian...
Here is an interesting link to consider from the USCCB:
Asian and Pacific Presence: Harmony in Faith
http://www.usccb.org/mrs/harmony.shtml#i i

from which "YinYangMom" of Catholic Answers Forum pulled this excerpt:

Following the Witness of Martyrs
Besides these living role models, Asian and Pacific Catholics come to the United States with a long heritage of extraordinary witness of life and martyrdom. The Church recently recognized many Asian saints and martyrs; however, the total number of saints and martyrs could fill an entire Asian and Pacific Litany of Saints.

From India, Gonsalo Garcia was canonized in 1629 and John de Brito in 1947. More recently, Pope John Paul II beatified Blessed Joseph Vaz in 1995.

From Japan the heroic witness of St. Paul Miki and his companions, including Gracia Hosakawa, Ludivico Ibaragi, Michael Kozaki, and Takayama Ukon, have been honored by the Church.

The Church in Korea suffered more than 10,000 martyrdoms. In 1984, Pope John Paul II canonized 103 martyrs in Seoul. Outstanding among those saints are St. Andrew Kim Taegon, the first native Korean priest, and Chung Hasang and Kim Hyoim, who were heroic lay leaders.

The Philippines' first martyr, San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila, was canonized in 1987. Catechist Pedro Calungsod was beatified in 2000.

It is estimated that more than 130,000 Vietnamese Catholics died for Christ's sake during persecutions from 1625 to 1886. On June 19, 1988, Pope John Paul II canonized 117 of them, including St. Andrew Dung Lac, St. Phanxico Xavier Can, St. Vincent Diem, St. Phaolo Le Bao Tinh, St. Phero Nguyen Khac Tu, and a woman, St. Agnes Le Thi Thanh. On March 5, 2000, Blessed Andrew the Catechist was beatified by Pope John Paul II in Rome.

Also on March 5, 2000, Blessed Nicholas Bunlert Kitbamrung, the Thai Church's first martyr priest, was beatified.

From China, 120 martyrs were canonized by Pope John Paul II on October 1, 2000. Of these, thirty-three were foreign missionaries and eighty-seven were native Chinese, including Ahan Wen Lan, Pei Xio, Zhan Da Pun, Liu Shui Tin, Cao Gul Ying, Liu Wen Yuen, and Liu Han Zhou.

Among the many Eastern Catholic martyrs and saints are Blessed Mary of Jesus Crucified, born of a Syrian family in Galilee, who was beatified in 1983; Blessed Joseph Kassab Hardini, who was beatified in 1998; and from India, Blessed Kuriakose Elias Chavara and Blessed Alphonsa Muttathupadath, who were beatified in 1986, and St. Marian Theresia, who was canonized in April 2000.

2009-09-28 04:03:03 by Angelo R

I am writing a book where the Catholic Church is engaging in covered up activities. I want to have a symbol to be used to identify this cover-up. Can anyone point the way to some less common symbols (i.e. not the fish, the cross, Chi-Rho) that might be possible to use in this way?

Why? It just sounds like your going to write a Catholic bashing book.

2008-07-11 14:34:10 by Meghan B

Price: $9.99

I am a Catholic. Yet, I've always been interested in learning about other religions and things of that nature. Buddhism has always been one of great interest with me and I was wondering if it would be wrong for me to get a tattoo of the OM symbol.

I suggest you wait a year. By then, you will have matured that much more and you might be glad you don't have to have expensive laser treatments to remove it.

Tattoos are permanent, they may be meaningful at that point in time, but time goes on, and people change over time. Most people I have asked have regretted the tatoos they got several years ago.

I am Catholic, and I have a Tibetan singing bowl I incorporate in my reflexology practice. The Church rejects nothing that is true in other religions. http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_counc ils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_ decl_19651028_nostra-aetate_en.html

Buddhism has accomplished but little for the uplifting of humanity in comparison with Christianity. One of its most attractive features, which, unfortunately, has become wellnigh obsolete, was its practice of benevolence towards the sick and needy. Between Buddhists and Brahmins there was a commendable rivalry in maintaining dispensaries of food and medicine. But this charity did not, like the Christian form, extend to the prolonged nursing of unfortunates stricken with contagious and incurable diseases, to the protection of foundlings, to the bringing up of orphans, to the rescue of fallen women, to the care of the aged and insane. Asylums and hospitals in this sense are unknown to Buddhism. The consecration of religious men and women to the lifelong service of afflicted humanity is foreign to dreamy Buddhist monasticism. Again, the wonderful efficacy displayed by the religion of Christ in purifying the morals of pagan Europe has no parallel in Buddhist annals. Wherever the religion of Buddha has prevailed, it has proved singularly inefficient to lift society to a high standard of morality. It has not weaned the people of Tibet and Mongolia from the custom of abandoning the aged, nor the Chinese from the practice of infanticide. Outside the establishment of the order of nuns, it has done next to nothing to raise woman from her state of degradation in Oriental lands. It has shown itself utterly helpless to cope with the moral plagues of humanity. The consentient testimony of witnesses above the suspicion of prejudice establishes the fact that at the present day Buddhist monks are everywhere strikingly deficient in that moral earnestness and exemplary conduct which distinguished the early followers of Buddha. In short, Buddhism is all but dead. In its huge organism the faint pulsations of life are still discernible, but its power of activity is gone. The spread of European civilization over the East will inevitably bring about its extinction.
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03028b.h tm

JESUS CHRIST, THE BEARER OF THE WATER OF LIFE

A Christian reflection on the “New Age”
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontif ical_councils/interelg/documents/rc_pc_i nterelg_doc_20030203_new-age_en.html

It seems despite his global reputation and a Nobel Peace Prize, His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet is having a hard time finding a school sponsor for an event in upstate New York.

However, apparently it isn’t the Dalai Lama whose unwanted, but rather the company he has been keeping lately.
Cult News from Rick Ross
http://www.cultnews.com/

2009-03-17 17:05:03 by smallskyle

Price: $99.95

is it just catholic or all of christianity, and what does it mean?

Actually it was used by early believers to ID each other in secret... if two men were talking and unsure if both were believers , one would sorta doodle in the dirt or sand, drawing half a fish, if the other finished the drawing they would know each other as brothers in the faith..... It was and is a symbol of the faith in Christ...... go in peace..... God bless

2009-01-25 11:13:11 by Billy

I am in rcia and i understand just about all of the mass the only thing i dont get is during mass everyone touches their forehead, mouth, and chest. What is this called and why do we do it. Thanks

When the priest or deacon says, "A reading from the Holy Gospel according to (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John).

We trace a small cross with our right thumb on our forehead, on our lips and on our heart while quietly praying, "May the Gospel be on my mind, on my lips, and in my heart."

We are asking God to help us to always remember the Gospel message, to proclaim it, and to live it.

http://www.archden.org/archbishop/docs/1 1_06_02_scripture_liturgy.htm
http://chnetwork.org/forums/forum58/1403 .html

With love in Christ.

2008-11-29 16:34:36 by whit