Joseph Li (1929-2001) had a lifelong desire to become an Augustinian Recollect but could not make it official until 1993. His missionary zeal and his fidelity to the Pope led him to face continuous persecution and lengthy imprisonment.
Father Joseph Li, an Augustinian Recollect, was a courageous soldier of Christ in the Diocese of Kweiteh/Shangqiu and throughout Henan Province. He was born on February 4, 1929, in Lian-Lou, Xia-Yi, and from an early age showed his desire to serve God. In 1941, he entered the minor seminary of St. Augustine in Kweiteh. In 1948, when the religious seminarians left the mission, he continued his studies at the regional major seminary of Kaifeng. He was eager to become an Augustinian Recollect religious. Still, it was almost impossible to do the novitiate in those circumstances since there were no other seminarians but him, and the communists were already on the verge of taking over all of China. The Superiors preferred that Li wait for the political situation to improve.
Later, Bishop Arturo Quintanilla and the Spanish religious were expelled. Although the communists dismantled the Kaifeng Regional Seminary and sent the seminarians home, Joseph Li continued to persevere in his desire and secretly studied ecclesiastical sciences.
At that time, many priests became part of the patriotic Church. Before his ordination, Father Li chose as his consecrating bishop Monsignor Joseph Fan, Bishop of Pao-Ting, He-Bei, who was very famous throughout China for his fidelity to the Pope. After his ordination in 1957, Father Li became a genuine pastor, serving the mission of Kweiteh/Shangqiu and other nearby dioceses, such as Kaifeng and Zhen- Zhou. Despite traveling by bicycle from one place to another, his apostolic zeal never waned, and the faithful admired him and preferred his service. Father Joseph used to say: “Now I take advantage of the little freedom I have. I will evangelize wherever I am required.”
He became famous for his unquestioning and unwavering loyalty to the Pope; for this reason, throughout his life, he suffered numerous persecutions and imprisonments, being in prison for about twenty years: from 1958 to 1964, from 1971 to 1973, and from 1981 to 1993.
In 1958, he was declared a right-wing bourgeois and sentenced to exile for seven years. Despite this sentence, Li never renounced his faith and continued to preach the Gospel as much as he could. After serving his sentence, Father Li returned home but lived an unfree life under the communist regime. In 1981, he was arrested again for propagating religion and accepting money from the foreign Church. This time, his sentence was thirteen years in a high-security prison. Despite difficult prison conditions and suffering from health problems, Li maintained his faith and unwavering spirit.
Finally, in May 1993, after serving his sentence, Father Li took his solemn vows and officially joined the Order of Augustinian Recollects. His life of dedication and sacrifice testified to courage and fidelity to the faith amid persecution.
In 1996, he was imprisoned for the last time for celebrating Mass without permission. Thanks to Bishop Nicholas Shi’s efforts and the payment of a few thousand yuan, he was only imprisoned for fifteen days.
Father Joseph Li was recognized as a confessor of the faith, a pious and holy man who dedicated his life to the service of God and others. His apostolic zeal and his testimony of fidelity to the Holy See made him famous throughout China. Although he faced numerous difficulties and sufferings throughout his life, he never renounced his faith and remained a beacon of hope and an example for others.
On April 21, 2001, Father Joseph Li passed away, leaving a legacy of courage and faith. The faithful still remember his life and bravery as an example of holiness and fidelity amid adversity.
