Every November 24, the Catholic Church remembers Saint Andrew Dung-Lac and companions – the 117 martyrs of Vietnam – who consecrated their lives to the proclamation of the Gospel and died victims of hatred of the faith.
The history of evangelization in the current territories of Vietnam began in the 16th century. Missionaries from Europe came to those lands with the desire to announce the Good News among the natives and open for them the path of the Church and salvation.
Among the Vietnamese there were many who welcomed the message of Christ with joy; However, as Christianity grew stronger and generated a greater impact on social life and culture, many others chose the route of repudiation and violence against converts and those arriving from other lands. Especially the 18th and 19th centuries were bloody in this sense and the blood of numerous Christians was shed.
In the 19th century, kings Minh Mang and Tu Duc organized a very long persecution that lasted decades. In 1833, Minh Mang issued an order prohibiting missionary activity and forcing anyone who called himself a Christian to publicly renounce his faith, under threat of severe punishment – prison or death. This ruler and his successor, called Tu Duc, sought to impose Confucianism in an exclusive manner.
The worst happened in the middle of the last century. Between 1848 and 1860, up to six edicts were proclaimed accusing Christians of being conspirators and representatives of foreign political interests. Those 12 years represented the radicalization of what had already been happening in Vietnam since the arrival of the first evangelizers in the 16th century. The result of these anti-Christian measures and almost 300 years of persecution were thousands of Vietnamese and foreigners – mostly Europeans – martyred and murdered. Among them there were a greater number of bishops, priests and religious, but there were also lay people.
Gradually, throughout the 20th century, the Catholic Church, which does everything possible to preserve the memory of its martyrs, has recognized the holiness and devotion of those who died in Vietnam out of hatred for the faith. It is true that some may have remained anonymous, but many others have been duly identified and today make up the list of faithful whose testimony strengthens the local and universal Church. These 117, led by Saint Andrew Dung-Lac (priest died December 21, 1839), were canonized by Saint John Paul II in 1988.
Of the 117 martyrs, 75 were beheaded, 22 strangled, 6 burned alive, 5 sentenced to having their limbs torn and 9 died in prison due to torture.
The number of people canonized (117) in a single ceremony was unprecedented in the history of the Church. This is the official list headed by Saint Andrew Dung-Lac (they are included along with the originals from Vietnam, the Spanish and French missionaries):
Andrés DUNG-LAC, Sacerdote 21-12-1839
Domingo HENARES, Obispo OP 25-06-1838
Clement Ignatius DELGADO CEBRIAN, Bishop OP 12-07-1
Pedro Rosa Úrsula BORIE, Bishop MEP 24-11-1838
Jose Maria Diaz SANJURJO, Bishop OP 20-07-1857
Melchor GARCÍA SAMPEDRO SUÁREZ, Obispo OP 28-07-1858
Jerome BEAUTY, Bishop OP O1-11-1861
Valentín BERRÍO OCHOA, Bishop OP 01-11-1861
Stephen Theodore CUENOT, Bishop MEP 14-11-1861
Francisco GIL DE FEDERICH, Priest OP 22-O1-1745
Mateo ALONSO LECINIANA, Priest OP 22-O1-1745
Jacinto Castaneda, Priest OP 07-11-1773
Vincent Le Ouang Liem, Priest OP 07-11-1
Emanuel NGUYEN VAN TRIEU, Priest 09-17-1798
Juan DAT, Sacerdote 28-10-1798
Pedro LE TuY, Priest 10-11-1833
Francisco Isidoro GAGELIN, Priest MEP 17-10-1833
José MARCHAND, Priest MEP 30-11-1835
John Charles CORNAY, Priest MEP 20-09-1837
Vicente DO YEN, Priest OP 30-06-1838
Peter THE FATHER, Priest 15-07-1
José FERNÁNDEZ, Priest OP 07-24-1838
Bernardo VU VAN DUE, Priest 01-08-1838
Sunday NGUYEN VAN HANH (DIEU), Priest OP 01-08-1838
SANTIAGO DO MAI NAM, Sacerdote 12-08-1838
José DANG DINH (NIEN) VIEN, Priest 08-21-1838
Pedro NGUYEN VAN TU, Priest OP 05-09-1838
Francisco JACCARD, Priest MEP 09-21-1838
Vicente NGUYEN THE DIEM, Priest 11-24-1838
Pedro VO BANG KHOA, Sacerdote November 24, 1838
Domingo TUOC, Sacerdote OP 02-04-1839
Thomas DINH VIET Du, Priest OP 11-26-1839
Sunday NGUYEN VAN (DOAN) XUYEN, Priest OP 11-26-1839
Pedro PHAM VAN TIZI, Priest 21-12-1
Pablo PHAN KHAC DRILLING, Sacerdote April 28, 1840
José DO QUANG HIEN, Priest OP 09-05-1840
Lucas Vu BA LOAN, Sacerdote 05-06-1840
Domingo TRACH (DOAI), Priest OP 18-09-1840
Pablo NGUYEN NGAN, Priest 08-11-1840
José NGUYEN DINH NGHI, Sacerdote November 8, 1840
Martín TA Duc THINH, Priest 08-11-1840
Pedro KHANH, Sacerdote July 12, 1842
Agustín SCHOEFFLER, MEP Priest 05-01-1851
Juan Luis BONNARD, Priest MEP 01-05-1852
Felipe PHAN VAN MINH, Sacerdote July 3, 1853
Lorenzo NGUYEN VAN HUONG, Sacerdote April 27, 1856
Pablo LE BAO TINH, Sacerdote April 6, 1857
Domingo MAU, Sacerdote OP 05-11-1858
Pablo LE VAN Loc, Priest 02-13-1859
Sunday CAM, TOP Priest 03-11-1859
Pedro DOAN LONG REGION, Sacerdote July 31, 1859
Pedro Francisco NERON, Priest MEP 03-11-1860
Thomas KHUONG, TOP Priest 01-30-1861
Juan Teofano VENARD, Priest MEP 02-02-1861
Peter Nguyen VAN Luu, Priest 07-04-1
José TUAN, Priest OP 30-04-1861
Juan DOAN TRINH HOAN, Sacerdote May 26, 1861
Pedro ALMATO RIBERA, Priest OP 01-11-1861
Pablo TONG VIET BUONG, Layman 10-23-1833
Andrés TRAN VAN THONG, Layman 11-28-1835
Francisco Javier CAN, Catechist 11-20-1837
Francisco DO VAN (HIEN) CHIEU, Catequista June 25, 1838
José NGUYEN DINH UPEN, TOP Catechist 03-07-1838
Pedro NGUYEN DiCH, Layman 08-12-1838
Miguel NGUYEN HUY MY, Layman 08-12-1838
José HOANG LUONG CANH, Laico TOP September 5, 1838
Tomás TRAN VAN THIEN, Seminarian 09-21-1838
Pedro TRUONG VAN DUONG, Catequista December 18, 1838
Pablo NGUYEN VAN MY, Catechist 12-18-1838
Pedro VU VAN TRUAT, Catechist 12-18-1838
Agustín PHAN VIET Huy, Laico June 13, 1839
Nicolás BUI DUC THE, Layman 06-13-1839
Domingo (Nicolás) DINH DAT, Layman 07-18-1839
Tomás NGUYEN VAN DE, Layman TOP 19-12-1839
Francisco Javier HA THONG MAU, Catechist TOP 12-19-1839
Augustine NGUYEN VAN MOI, Layman TOP 12-19-1839
Domingo Bui VAN UY, TOP Catechist 12-19-1839
Esteban NGUYEN VAN VINTI, Layman TOP 19-12-1839
Pedro NGUYEN VAN HIEU, Catechist 04-28-1840
Juan Bautista DINH VAN THANH, Catechist 04-28-1840
Antonio NGUYEN HUU (NAM) QUYNH, Layman 07-10-1840
Pietro NGUYEN KHAC Tu, Catechist 07-10-1840
Tomás TOAN, TOP Catechist 07-21-1840
Juan Bautista CON, Layman 08-11-1840
Martin THO, Layman 08-11-1840
Simón PHAN DAC HOA, Laico December 12, 1840
Inés LE THi THANH (DE), Laica 12-07-1841
Mateo LE VAN GAM, Layman 11-05-1847
José NGUYEN VAN LUU, Catechist 02-05-1854
Andrés NGUYEN Kim THONG (NAM THUONG), Catequista July 15, 1855
Miguel Ho DINH HY, Layman 05-22-1857
Pedro DOAN VAN VAN, Catequista 25-05-1857
Francisco PHAN VAN TRUNG, Laico October 6, 1858
Domingo Pham Thong (AN) KHAM, Laico TOP 13-01-1
Lucas PHAM THONG (CAI) THIN, Laico January 13, 1859
José PHAM THONG (CAI) TA, Layman 13-01-1859
Pablo HANH, Layman 05-28-1859
Emanuel LE VAN PHUNG, Laico 31-07-1859
José LE DANG THI, Layman 10-24-1860
Matthew NGUYEN VAN (NGUYEN) PHUONG, Layman 05-26-1861
José NGUYEN DUY KHANG, TOP Catechist 06-11-1861
José TUAN, Layman 07-01-1862
José TUC, Layman 06-01-1862
Sunday NINH, Layman 02-06-1862
Domingo TORI, Laico 05-06-1862
Lorenzo NON, Laico May 22, 1862
Pallo (DONG) DUONG, Layman 03-06-1862
Sunday HUYEN, Layman 06-05-1862
Pedro DUNG, Laico 06-06-1862
Vicente DUONG, Layman 06-06-1862
Pedro THUAN, Laico June 6, 1862
Sunday MAO, Layman 06-16-1862
Sunday NGUYEN, Layman 06-16-1862
Sunday NHI, Layman 06-16-1862
Andrés TUONG, Layman 06-16-1862
Vicente TUONG, Layman 16-06-1862
Pedro DA, Layman 17-06-1862
The day after the canonization, Pope Saint John Paul II said of the new saints: “Yes, the true reason for our joy today is to know that we are in communion with these men who brought the Gospel, founded the Church in the land of Vietnam and responded without reservation to the call of Christ. They had abandoned their provinces with no hope of returning. Now they are present for all their brothers in the world, both for those in Vietnam and for those in their homeland. The Church venerates in them faithful servants who have entered into the joy of the Master, intercessors and examples for future generations” (Address by the Holy Father John Paul II to the French and Spanish pilgrims who participated in the Canonization of 117 Martyrs of VietnamJune 20, 1988).
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