SAMPLES MARTYRS

Fr. John Dat was a secular priest.
He was executed in Tonkin in 1798. Though he was by nature, according to his own testimony, nervous and fearful, he kept encouraging his fellow prisoners. Having been sentenced to death, he was asked if he was afraid. He replied, "Not at the moment, but it may be a different matter when the time for execution comes. There is no greater happiness than to die for Jesus Christ. May God give us all strength for the contest."

The brother of the king inquired, "Why do you not wish to live?" John answered, "I wish to live, but not unfaithful to my religion." Around the same time he thanked the mandarin for this death sentence. Astounded, this official exclaimed, "You are going to die, and you thank me! If I had foreseen that, you would not now be at this point. But there is no longer any time."

At the place of execution the chief mandarin, sitting upon his elephant, held the signal in his hand. When he dropped it, a sword cut off the head of Father Dat. Blood poured out. The faithful circled around to absorb his blood in their cloths. He was only thirty-four years of age.
It is interesting to report some observations of those who witnessed his trial and death. The mandarin who condemned him admitted in wonder, "I do not know how these Christians are instructed, but all of them speak sensibly and learnedly." After John's death the wife of a mandarin inquired from a Christian, "How does it happen that this priest has such little fear of death?" He assured her, "We look forward to eternal blessings in the other life."

Thomas Toán was a catechist. After three months and a half of imprisonment and torture, he was cast into a fetid cell with two apostates, who were under threat of death to make him change his mind and deny his faith. After four days of resistence, Thomas, at the end of his strength and in an instant of weakness, gave in and denied his faith. But then he repented, received sacramental absolution, and went back to the tribunal, saying, "I have sinned against God, but he has forgiven me." Irritated, the governor left him without food or drink; he died in prison of hunger and thirst at the age of 73.

Dominic Huyen and Dominic Toái were both fishermen. They were arrested, tortured, kept in prison; during that time they never ceased to encourage their companions to persevere in the Christian faith and to suffer for the love of Christ until death. On June 5, 1862 they were enclosed in a hut of cane; this hut was set on fire and they were burned alive.

Agnes Le Thi Thanh was the wife of a farmer, had six children. She was experienced at hiding priests who were being sought by the authorities. When she gave shelter to one in an empty cistern, he was nonetheless detected and captured. She at the same time was arrested and brought to the head of the province, where she was subjected to long interrogations and much torture. Firm in her faith, she contacted an illness and died in prison. She is the only woman among all the Vietnamese marytrs.

Paul Tong Viêt Buong was a member of the royal guard. He was filled with joy in his sufferings, even wrote and sang a little song about all his joys: his chains, his flesh wounded and torn, etc.

Andrew Dung-lac was a secular priest. It happened 6at times among mandarins that when priests were captured they could be freed for certain money paid to them by the Catholics. Andrew was several times rescued from death in this manner. Finally he said, "Those who die for the faith ascend to heaven. But we on the other hand are hiding ourselves continually, and spending money to buy us back from the persecutors. It would be better to allow ourselves to be captured and to die." This happened to him four years later in Hanoi, where he remained firm in the faith and was beheaded.7 Andrew was chosen by the Pope as one of the leading martyrs, because in the canonization documents and in the Liturgy he is placed at the head of all of them. Incidentally, the emperor Tu Duc himself complained about mandarins taking bribes not to arrest Christians.

Thomas Dinh Viet Du was a Dominican priest. When captured he stated these words, "I am weak in strength. But nonetheless the thought of what our Lord Jesus Christ suffered for us sustains me and gives me the strength to seek to imitate him."

Francis Phan Van Trung was a corporal in the military. When arrested, he was promised liberty if he would apostatize. He answered, "I am prepared to march against the enemy of my country, but apostatize, never." The emperor Tu Duc sentenced him to be decapitated.