⛪ Saint of the Day : January 7
⛪ Other Names : Ambrogio Fernandez • AmbrΓ³sio Fernandes
⛪ Born : 1551 at Sisto, Portugal
⛪ Died : In 1620 from a stroke caused by abusive conditions in Suzota prison, Omura, Japan
Soldier in the Portuguese army. Worked as a trader and security guard for other traders in Japan beginning in 1571. He had a conversion experience, and entered the Jesuits as a lay brother in 1579 to assist their evangelization of Japan including acting as an interpreter. When Christian missionaries were exiled from Japan in 1614, Brother Ambrose stayed to help minister to covert Christians, working with Blessed Charles Spinola. When captured by authorities, he and some others were dragged to prison in Nagasaki and kept in a cage with no protection from the weather for 13 months until he died. Martyr.