Little is known of the early life of Oderic Mattiuzzi. He was ordained a Franciscan priest and served in Udine not far from his native Pordenone in north-east Italy. In 1318, he set sail from Venice to Istanbul en route to China. He preached Christianity among the Medes and Persians. Proceeding through the Persian Gulf, he moved to India basing himself near Mumbai. He then went to Indonesia and finally reached Khanbaliq (modern Beijing) in 1325 where his evangelical endeavours during the next three years merited him the title of the Apostle of the Chinese. To keep Pope John XXII and the Minister General informed about missionary possibilities and needs, he returned to Europe via Tibet in 1330. Worn out by his missionary toils, he died at Udine the following year. His veneration as blessed was approved by Benedict XIV in 1755.
First Reading: 1 Thess. 2: 2-8; Gospel: Mk. 16: 15-20
