SHANDONG, China — The death of China's oldest priest did not leave sadness among his followers but rather gave them inspiration to remain strong in their faith despite the persecution that at times happen in their continuing faith to God.

Father Joseph Guo Fude died in China's Shandong province on December 30, just a few weeks shy of his 105th birthday.

According to many Catholics in his parish in Jining, Father Guo’s passing has robbed the Church of one of its great heroes of the faith and a symbol of the persecuted Church in China.

Spending a total of 25 years in prison for his faith, he always refused to compromise with the Chinese Communist Party regime and despite the brutal conditions of China’s jails, he chose to regard his years behind bars as an opportunity to grow in faith.

On his 100th birthday he wrote: "Looking back on my life, prison became a place where I could reflect, pray and grow spiritually. My imprisonment gave me the strength to face life's challenges and continue to serve God, knowing that every trial was part of His divine plan. My experience in prison taught me that earthly riches are ephemeral, while faith in God is the only true wealth.”

Father Guo was ordained in 1947 as a priest in the Society of the Divine Word, otherwise known as ‘Verbites'. He was born on February 1, 1920, in Shandong, and entered the minor seminary in Yanzhou at the age of 13.
He lived in the seminary throughout the Japanese invasion of China, before moving to the major seminary in Daizhuang in 1941. The then Bishop of Yanzhou who ordained him then sent him to complete his studies in Manila.

He stayed in the Philippines until after the Second World War and then returned to China, the year after Mao Zedong and the Chinese Communist Party regime had taken over the country in 1950.

Beginning his priestly ministry amid increasingly harsh repressive conditions under Mao’s dictatorship, he opposed Mao's oppressive policies and based on his memoirs, he “did not agree to report on other members of the clergy” and “refused to cooperate with the authorities.”

His first arrest came in 1959 when he was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison, accused of subversion against the state. Then in 1967, at the height of the Cultural Revolution, Father Guo was again arrested, this time charged with being a 'foreign spy'. After 12 years, he was released but arrested again in 1982 for evangelization.

After his release in the late 1980s, Father Guo could have opted for a well-deserved peaceful retirement but instead resumed his pastoral ministry in Jining. He taught for several years at a seminary and continued beyond the age of 90 serving Catholic communities.