Background
He was born Tomás Rodrigues da Cunha in Paredes, Portugal on 15 March 1598.
He was born Tomás Rodrigues da Cunha in Paredes, Portugal on 15 March 1598.
Brother Redemptus was sent by the superiors of the Order to accompany Father Denis of the Nativity as part of an ambassadorial mission from the Portuguese Empire to the Sultan of Aceh. The mission was led by Dom Francisco Sousa de Castro as ambassador. The two friars were led to a desolate spot on the seashore, where Redemptus was shot with arrows, after which his throat was slit.
Father Denis, a crucifix in his hands, was the last to die, his skull shattered by a blow of a scimitar.
Castro, the ambassador, was the only survivor. He was held in captivity for three years, until his family paid a large ransom for his release.
Redemptus of the Cross was beatified on 10 June 1900 by Pope Leo XIII, together with Denis of the Nativity. Their feast day in the Calendar of Saints of the Order is the 29 November.
He was put to death along with other members of a group sent to Sumatra by Portuguese authorities. Once in Aceh, all the members of the mission were seized and arrested, at the instigation of the Dutch authorities based in Jakarta. They were then subjected to torture, and those members of the mission who refused to deny their faith were executed one by one.