Marcello Mastrilli

Marcello Francesco Mastrilli (1603 – October 17, 1637) was an Italian Jesuit missionary who was martyred in Japan during the Tokugawa Shogunate, which had banned Christianity in 1614. After sailing for Japan out to find and possibly reconvert the notorious apostate Christavao Ferreira, who went to Japan and renounced his faith there, he was arrested as soon as he got off his ship. After three days of torture in the pit of Nagasaki, he was beheaded.^[1][2][3] A painting of his death, Martyrdom of Saint Marcello Mastrilli (1664), was made by Antonio Maria Vassallo.

Supposedly susceptible to visions, he was particularly conducive to apparitions of Jesuit missionary St. Francis Xavier, who appeared to him twice, in 1633 and in 1643, and foretold him his martyrdom. St. Frances Xavier is credited with twice miraculously restoring Mastrilli's health (even if only to incite him to do missionary work in Japan^[4]), and since the account reportedly spread quickly through Italy, the "novena of grace," in honor of St. Francis Xavier, was established.^[5] Mastrilli's initiative is supposedly to thank for the presence of a silver casket in the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa, which houses relics of the body of St. Francis Xavier.^[6]

References

1. ^ Cieslik, Hubert (1973). "The Case of Christavao Ferreira". Monumenta Nipponica 29. . Reprinted in Stephen Turnbull (ed.), Japan's Hidden Christians, 1549-1999 (London: Routledge, 2000; ISBN 9781873410516): 1-54. http://books.google.com/books?id=TGtLVJWKlCYC. Retrieved 2008-11-30.
2. ^ A., Volpe (1985). "Marcello Mastrilli: una vita per le missioni". Archivum Historicum Societatis Iesu Roma 54 (108): 333–345. 
3. ^ Lach, Donald F.; Edwin J. Van Kly (1998). Asia in the Making of Europe: A Century of Advance. Book 2, South Asia. Chicago: U of Chicago P. p. 214. ISBN 9780226467658. http://books.google.com/?id=PjVKjJ-WgOYC&pg=PA214&lpg=PA214&dq=marcello+mastrilli. Retrieved 2008-11-30. 
4. ^ Brockney, Liam Matthew (2007). Journey to the East: The Jesuit Mission to China, 1579-1724. Cambridge: Harvard UP. p. 227. ISBN 9780674024489. http://books.google.com/?id=ritJE2cPKAsC. Retrieved 2008-11-30. 
5. ^ "Novena". Catholic Encyclopedia, 1914 edition. www.newadvent.org. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11141b.htm. Retrieved 2008-11-30. 
6. ^ "Basilica of Bom Jesus". Goa Jesuits. 2008. http://www.goajesuits.in/bomjesus/index.htm. Retrieved 2008-11-30. 

Persondata
Name	Mastrilli, Marcello
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1603
Place of birth
Date of death	1637-10-17
Place of death