Redemptus of the Cross, OCD (also Redemptorus of the Cross; 15 March 1598 – 27 November 1638) was a Portuguese

Carmelite The Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel (; abbreviated OCarm), known as the Carmelites or sometimes by synecdoche known simply as Carmel, is a mendicant order in the Catholic Church for both men and women. Histo ...

lay brother Lay brother is a largely extinct term referring to religious brothers, particularly in the Catholic Church, who focused upon manual service and secular matters, and were distinguished from choir monks or friars in that they did not pray in choi ...

. He was put to death, along with other members of a group sent to

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by Portuguese authorities.

Life

Redemptus was born Tomás Rodrigues da Cunha in

Paredes de Coura Paredes de Coura () is a municipality in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 9,198, in an area of 138.19 km2. The municipality is located in the district of Viana do Castelo. The present Mayor is Prof. Vitor Paulo Pereira, elected by the S ...

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on 15 March 1598. He first served as a soldier in the Portuguese army in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, where he joined the Carmelites in

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as a lay brother in 1615, taking the name Redemptus of the Cross. Redemptus was sent by the superiors of the order to accompany Denis of the Nativity as part of an

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

ial mission from the

Portuguese Empire The Portuguese Empire was a colonial empire that existed between 1415 and 1999. In conjunction with the Spanish Empire, it ushered in the European Age of Discovery. It achieved a global scale, controlling vast portions of the Americas, Africa ...

to the

Sultan of Aceh The Sultanate of Aceh, officially the Kingdom of Aceh Darussalam (; Jawi alphabet, Jawoë: ), was a List of Muslim states and dynasties, sultanate centered in the modern-day Indonesian province of Aceh. It was a major regional power in the 16th ...

. The mission was led by Dom Francisco Sousa de Castro as ambassador. Once in Aceh, all the members of the mission were seized and arrested, at the instigation of the

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

authorities based in

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. They were then subjected to torture, and those members of the mission who refused to deny their faith were executed one by one. The two friars were led to a desolate spot on the seashore, where Redemptus was shot with arrows, after which his throat was slit. Father Denis, a crucifix in his hands, was the last to die, his skull shattered by a blow of a

scimitar A scimitar ( or ) is a single-edged sword with a convex curved blade of about 75 to 90 cm (30 to 36 inches) associated with Middle Eastern, South Asian, or North African cultures. A European term, ''scimitar'' does not refer to one specific swor ...

. Castro, the ambassador, was the only survivor. He was held in captivity for three years, until his family paid a large ransom for his release.

Veneration

Redemptus of the Cross was beatified on 10 June 1900 by Pope Leo XIII, together with Denis of the Nativity. Their feast is 29 November.

References

External links

Blessed Redemptorus of the Cross
at SQPN {{DEFAULTSORT:Redemptus of the Cross 1598 births 1638 deaths People from Viana do Castelo District 17th-century Portuguese people Portuguese soldiers Discalced Carmelites Portuguese Roman Catholic missionaries Carmelite beatified people 17th-century Roman Catholic martyrs Portuguese beatified people Beatified Roman Catholic religious brothers People murdered in Indonesia Portuguese people murdered abroad Roman Catholic missionaries in Indonesia Portuguese torture victims Christians executed for refusing to convert to Islam Deaths by edged and bladed weapons Beatifications by Pope Leo XIII