Blessed Thomas Saleh
Lebanese Capuchin who died in Ottoman custody in 1917
- Rank
- Blessed
- Kind
- Martyr, Priest, Religious
- Life
- 1879 – 1917
- Era
- 20th century
- Feast
- 10 June
- Countries
- Lebanon, Türkiye
Life story
Jirays Hanā Sāleh was born on 3 May 1879 at B'abdāt in Mount Lebanon, the same village as Father Leonard Melki. He made his first profession as a Capuchin on 2 July 1900, solemn profession in 1903, and was ordained a priest on 4 December 1904. He worked as a missionary at Mardin alongside Father Melki, running a mission school, and in 1910 was transferred to Diyarbakır. According to one biography he was expelled from there on 22 December 1914 and moved to Urfa.
The accounts of his death differ. In one account he was arrested on 4 January 1917 after police planted a revolver in his convent, was mistreated in prison and contracted typhus. Another account says he was arrested and sentenced to death after sheltering an Armenian priest during the Armenian genocide. The date of death also varies: one source gives 28 February 1917, others 17 or 18 January 1917.
On 27 October 2020 Pope Francis signed a decree recognising that he died for the faith under the hardships of imprisonment. According to EWTN, before his death he said he had full trust in God and was not afraid to die. He was beatified on 4 June 2022 at Jal el-Dib near Beirut, with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro presiding. He is remembered in the local liturgy on 10 June.
Works and witness
- Capuchin priest, ordained on 4 December 1904
- Missionary and school head at the Mardin mission
- Arrested by the Ottoman authorities in 1917 and died in their custody
- Martyrdom recognised by Pope Francis on 27 October 2020
- Beatified on 4 June 2022
Saints from the same country
References
- EWTN News, report on the 4 June 2022 beatification of Leonard Melki and Thomas Saleh
- Fides, Martyrdom of two Lebanese Capuchin missionaries recognized (fides.org/en/news/68927; decree of 27 October 2020: died from the hardships of imprisonment)
- Wikipedia, Thomas Saleh (dates, ministry; death date and place disputed between sources)
Written by Anawim from documented history. Some details about ancient saints rest on tradition and are marked as such.