Paul Tchen was a Catholic martyr born in Guizhou in 1838. After being raised by priests and learning Latin, he was baptized at age 16 and entered a seminary in Luchunguan. While studying at a higher seminary in 1860, he faced the religious persecutions that swept through China in 1861. Along with several companions, he was arrested during this period of unrest and eventually sentenced to death for his Christian faith.
Life and death
Following his early education, Tchen entered a primary seminary before progressing to higher studies in 1860. During the persecutions of 1861, he was apprehended alongside John Baptist Lo Tiniem and Joseph Zhang Wenlan. The group was sentenced to death for their religious beliefs. On the way to their execution in July 1861, Martha Wang Lo Mande, who had provided food to the prisoners, was also arrested and killed.
Veneration
He was beatified by Pope Pius X in 1909 and later canonized by Pope John Paul II on October 1, 2000. He was recognized as part of a group of 120 Chinese martyrs. Within the Catholic Church, his feast day is observed on July 9.