Before the Eucharistic celebration comme-morating the Feast of Blessed Nicholas Bunkerd Kritbamrung in Samphran, west of Bangkok, on January 12, the Apostolic Nuncio to Thailand, Archbishop Peter Bryan Wells, presented relics of the eight martyrs to Archbishop-elect Francis Xavier Vira Arpondratana of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Bangkok and to six bishops and representatives from its suffragan dioceses: Ratchaburi, Chanthaburi, Nakhon Sawan, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, and Surat Thani.
The relics, encased in newly crafted reliqua-ries, symbolize the unity of these eight martyrs, who lived and died for their faith during a time of persecution in the mid-20th century.
In his homily, Archbishop Wells highlighted the martyrs’ courage, saying, “They were bap-tized into Christ first in water and then in blood.” He challenged the faithful to draw inspiration from their sacrifices and to live out their baptismal promises with convi-ction.
Last year, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Thailand (CBCT) resol-ved to unify the canonization causes of Blessed Nicholas Bunkerd Kritbam-rung of Bangkok and the Seven Blessed Martyrs of Songkhon. The decision underscores their shared witness to Christ during a period of political and social turmoil between 1940 and 1944, when Christianity was targeted as a “foreign religion.”
Blessed Nicholas, a priest from Samphran, his hometown, ministered to his flock amid persecution. Sentenced to 15 years of imprison-ment, he baptized 66 fellow prisoners while incarcerated. Despite enduring nine months of illness, he remained steadfast in his faith and passed away in prison in 1944 at the age of 49.
Meanwhile, in the Catholic village of Song-khon, catechist Philip Siphong and six women, including two nuns, who chose martyrdom rather than renouncing their faith. 
Their sacrifices were recognized by Pope John Paul II, who beatified the seven Songkhon martyrs in 1989 and Blessed Nicholas in 2000.