Saint Andrew Dung Lac and Companions, also known as The Vietnamese Martyrs, were a group of 117 martyrs canonized by Saint Pope John Paul II in 1988. They were chosen to represent the estimated 130,000 or more Christians persecuted and killed in Vietnam over a period of three centuries (1625–1886). These canonized saints, some whose names were unknown, share the same feast day on 24th November. They are comprised of 96 Vietnamese, 11 Spanish missionaries from the Order of Preachers (Dominicans), and 10 French missionaries from the Paris Foreign Missions Society. Of them are 37 Vietnamese and 13 European priests, 8 Spanish and French bishops, and 59 members of the laity.
Catholicism first arrived in Vietnam in the 16th century through missionaries from Portugal. As years passed and with more missionaries, conversions to the Catholic faith were on the rise. At first, the Catholic Church quietly coexisted with the Confucian belief system in Vietnam. However, when the reign of new emperor Minh Mang began, orders were issued against Catholicism to stop its proliferation. Minh Mang strongly condemned converts and missionaries. The Vatican considers the tortures of martyrs in Vietnam as one of the worst in the history of Christian martyrdom, including use of hot tongs to rip the flesh and pull joints off their bodies, marking a person’s forehead with the words “ta dao” or false religion, and obliterating Christian villages. Saint Andrew Dung Lac, a priest, was beheaded during the time of Minh Mang with several other companions executed.
In spite of all the past attempts to ban Catholicism in Vietnam, there are now nearly six million Catholics in the country. By God’s mercy, the martyrdom of Saint Andrew Dung Lac and Companions paved the way for the roots of the faith to grow and flourish among believers.
Saint Andrew Dung Lac and Companion Martyrs, pray for us!
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