| Martyrs of Vietnam | |
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| Died | 1625–1886, Vietnam |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Beatified | May 27, 1900 May 20, 1906 May 2, 1909 April 29, 1921 |
| Canonized | June 19, 1988, Vatican City by Pope John Paul II |
| Feast | November 24 |
The Vietnamese Martyrs, also known as the Martyrs of Tonkin, Martyrs of Annam (Vietnamese: Các Thánh Tử đạo Việt Nam), Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions (Anrê Dũng-Lạc và Các bạn tử đạo), or Martyrs of Indochina, are saints on the Roman Catholic calendar of saints canonized by Pope John Paul II. Their memorial is 24 November (although several of these saints have another memorial, as they were beatified and on the calendar prior to the canonization of the group).
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History
The Vatican estimates the number of Vietnamese martyrs at between 130,000 and 300,000 were killed. John Paul II decided to canonize those whose names are known and unknown, giving them a single feast day.
The Vietnamese Martyrs fall into several groupings, those of the Dominican and Jesuit missionary era of the (17th century), those killed in the politically inspired persecutions of the 19th century, and those martyred during the Communist purges of the 20th century. A representative sample of only 117 martyrs — including 96 Vietnamese, 11 Spanish Dominicans, and 10 French members of the Paris Foreign Missions Society (Missions Etrangères de Paris) (MEP) — were beatified on four separate occasions: 64 by Pope Leo XIII on May 27, 1900, eight by Pope Pius X on May 20, 1906, 20 by Pope Pius X on May 2, 1909, 25 by Pope Pius XII on April 29, 1951.[citation needed] All these 117 Vietnamese Martyrs were canonized on June 19, 1988. A young Vietnamese Martyr, Andrew Phú Yên, was beatified in March, 2000 by Pope John Paul II.
The tortures these individuals underwent are considered by the Vatican to be among the worst in the history of Christian martyrdom. The torturers hacked off limbs joint by joint, tore flesh with red hot tongs, and used drugs to enslave the minds of the victims. Christians at the time were branded on the face with the words "ta dao" (左道, lit. "Perverse religion")[1] and families and villages which subscribed to Christianity were obliterated.[2]
The letters and example of Théophane Venard inspired the young St. Theresa of Lisieux to volunteer for the Carmelite nunnery at Hanoi, though she ultimately contracted tuberculosis and could not go. In 1865 Vénard's body was transferred to his Congregation's church in Paris, but his head remains in Vietnam.[3]
There are several Catholic parishes in the United States, Canada, and elsewhere dedicated to the Martyrs of Vietnam (Holy Martyrs of Vietnam Parishes), one of which located just outside of Washington, DC.[4] Others can be found in Arlington, TX [5], Austin, Texas[6], Denver[7], San Antonio, Texas[8] and Richmond, Virginia. There are also churches named after individual saints, such as St. Philippe Minh Church in Saint Boniface, Manitoba.[9]
List of names of the Vietnamese Martyrs
Those whose name is known are listed below:
Please keep in mind that these are the anglicized versions of their names
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Notes
- ^ Les Missions Etrangeres, p.291
- ^ Attwater, Donald and Catherine Rachel John. The Penguin Dictionary of Saints. 3rd edition. New York: Penguin Books, 1993. ISBN 0-140-51312-4.
- ^ St. Andrew Dung-Lac and his 116 companions
- ^ Holy Martyrs of Vietnam Parish Web Site
- ^ Vietnamese Martyrs Catholic Church
- ^ Holy Vietnamese Martyrs Catholic Church
- ^ Queen of Vietnamese Martyrs Parish
- ^ Vietnamese Martyrs Catholic Parish
- ^ St. Philippe Minh Church, Winnipeg
References
- Les Missions Etrangères. Trois siecles et demi d'histoire et d'aventure en Asie Editions Perrin, 2008, ISBN 9782262025717
See also
External links
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