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05-09-2006, 02:41 PM
October 17
Saint Isidoro GAGELIN KÍNH
Missionary Priest
(1799-1833)
* Loving Shepherd.
“We had left our families, our countries, our earthly possessions to proclaim the Good News.”
Refusing the royal title offered by King Minh Mạng, Fr. Gagelin Kính proved that he only wanted to carry out his noble pastoral responsibility of “proclaiming the Good News to all people.” (Mark 13:10). His pastoral zeal pushed him to travel tirelessly everywhere to administer sacraments. It’s the love for his faithful, and his wish to help them find happiness that he sacrificed himself for the sheep (John 15:13). He really is the shining model to all generations.
* A Thached Hut in Vietnam Rather Than a French Royal Palace.
Isidoro Gagelin Kính was born on May 10, 1799 in Montperreux, diocese of Besancon, France. As a childe, Gagelin had intended to join the priesthood, and confided: “I want to be a priest.” Grownup, after four years of studies at the diocesan major seminary he joined the Society of Foreign Missions of Paris (SFMP) in 1819. In September 1821, Bishop Labartette Bình of the Diocese of Cochin China ordained him a priest when he was still only 22 years old.
Then, King Minh Mạng was just crowned king, the atmosphere of religious freedom passed down by the king’s father (King Gia Long) was still lingering. Fr. Gagelin Kính was a professor at seminary An Ninh, Quảng Trị, and at the same time conducted his ministry in the surrounding area. He confided in a letter sent home in 1823: “All types of material scarcities and all kinds of physical hardship weighed on us, but I am certain that: I am happier in my thatched hut than the king of France in his palace.”
Slowly, King Minh Mạng had his policy of Christian persecutions carried out more vigorously. Superior Thomassin had to relocate the seminary An Ninh, and also sent Fr. Kính to Sài gòn where Marshal and Viceroy Lê Văn Duyệt did not implemented the order of the destruction of Catholicism. He practiced his pastoral ministry in parishes in Sài gòn, Bà Rịa, and trained seminarians in Lái Thiêu.
* Messenger of Good News.
In 1827, Fr. Gagelin Kính and other European clergymen were summoned by King Minh Mạng to the royal capital city under the pretext of serving as royal translators, but the real hidden agenda was to stop their evangelization.
He did not go to the royal capital until receiving the third summon. In the capital, he met two other missionaries, Fr. Tabert Từ also of the Society of Foreign Missions of Paris and Fr. Odorico Phương of the Franciscan order, who had presented themselves to the king before.
To calm or maybe to hide his malicious agenda, the king proposed to offer them royal titles, but the priests refused. Fr.Gagelin Kính expressed his opinion in a letter sent to France:
“I was very straightforward with the official sent by the king to offer favors to us. I let him know what our purpose of coming here is, and that the role of a priest is far superior to the office and title of a courtier. I also made clear to him that since we had left our families, our countries, and all earthly possessions for the evangelization of the Good News, then it is not easy for us to abandon this responsibility. However, tasks that are compatible with our ministry we are more than willing to serve the king.”
Marshal Lê Văn Duyệt, the one who had conveyed the king’s order and counseled the three European clergymen going to the royal capital city, once realizing that they were being put under house arrest, had went to the royal court in August 1827 to convince King Minh Mạng to keep his words. Even though it was against wish, the king had to set the three priests free.
On June 1, 1828, Fr. Gagelin Kính was on the road back to the city of Đồng Nai, and then visited parishes in the South. From Đồng Nai, Vũng Tàu to the Lục Tỉnh region, Hà Tiên, as he guided Christians, he also evangelized to the Chams (survivors of the ancient Champa Kingdom) in Bình Thuận, and Cambodians in North Hà Tiên. However, the number of ethnic minorities accepting Christianity was very small. In 1829, he went back to the seminary of Lái Thiêu, then was appointed vicar by Bishop Tabert Từ and assigned to work in the middle region of Vietnam.
* Sacrifice for the Sheep.
Vicar Kính started his ministry in the city of Phú Yên, Bình Định, then Quảng Ngãi (1830). He walked from parish to parish, regardless of how close or far away, little or large, to teach, to celebrate mass, to hear confession, and to bestow the sacrament of confirmation on the faithful. All who knew him and testified during the investigation for his beatification praised his kindness, his devout spirituality, his spirit of poverty, as well as his integrity.
On January 6, 1833, King Minh Mạng issued his edict of Christian persecution. Fr. Gagelin Kính’s friends advised him to repatriate temporarily for a while, he replied straightforwardly: “A citizen has the duty to exercise his military responsibility, much less I was give the leadership, how can I forsake my responsibility.” As a result, even though the time was hard, he was still very fervent in his responsibilities: visiting and consoling parishioners, evangelizing and baptizing many montagnards in Bình Định. Warned of imminent raid on European priests from a government friend, he went into hiding for a while. But, after watching many Christians arrested, saddened by the decimation of his sheep, he wrote to ask the bishop to allow him to give himself up to the authorities with the hope of preventing further persecution of Christians. Bishop Từ accepted, so he presented himself to the district chief of Bồng Sơn (Bình Định) in May 1833, and was escorted to the royal capital city.
Saint Isidoro GAGELIN KÍNH
Missionary Priest
(1799-1833)
* Loving Shepherd.
“We had left our families, our countries, our earthly possessions to proclaim the Good News.”
Refusing the royal title offered by King Minh Mạng, Fr. Gagelin Kính proved that he only wanted to carry out his noble pastoral responsibility of “proclaiming the Good News to all people.” (Mark 13:10). His pastoral zeal pushed him to travel tirelessly everywhere to administer sacraments. It’s the love for his faithful, and his wish to help them find happiness that he sacrificed himself for the sheep (John 15:13). He really is the shining model to all generations.
* A Thached Hut in Vietnam Rather Than a French Royal Palace.
Isidoro Gagelin Kính was born on May 10, 1799 in Montperreux, diocese of Besancon, France. As a childe, Gagelin had intended to join the priesthood, and confided: “I want to be a priest.” Grownup, after four years of studies at the diocesan major seminary he joined the Society of Foreign Missions of Paris (SFMP) in 1819. In September 1821, Bishop Labartette Bình of the Diocese of Cochin China ordained him a priest when he was still only 22 years old.
Then, King Minh Mạng was just crowned king, the atmosphere of religious freedom passed down by the king’s father (King Gia Long) was still lingering. Fr. Gagelin Kính was a professor at seminary An Ninh, Quảng Trị, and at the same time conducted his ministry in the surrounding area. He confided in a letter sent home in 1823: “All types of material scarcities and all kinds of physical hardship weighed on us, but I am certain that: I am happier in my thatched hut than the king of France in his palace.”
Slowly, King Minh Mạng had his policy of Christian persecutions carried out more vigorously. Superior Thomassin had to relocate the seminary An Ninh, and also sent Fr. Kính to Sài gòn where Marshal and Viceroy Lê Văn Duyệt did not implemented the order of the destruction of Catholicism. He practiced his pastoral ministry in parishes in Sài gòn, Bà Rịa, and trained seminarians in Lái Thiêu.
* Messenger of Good News.
In 1827, Fr. Gagelin Kính and other European clergymen were summoned by King Minh Mạng to the royal capital city under the pretext of serving as royal translators, but the real hidden agenda was to stop their evangelization.
He did not go to the royal capital until receiving the third summon. In the capital, he met two other missionaries, Fr. Tabert Từ also of the Society of Foreign Missions of Paris and Fr. Odorico Phương of the Franciscan order, who had presented themselves to the king before.
To calm or maybe to hide his malicious agenda, the king proposed to offer them royal titles, but the priests refused. Fr.Gagelin Kính expressed his opinion in a letter sent to France:
“I was very straightforward with the official sent by the king to offer favors to us. I let him know what our purpose of coming here is, and that the role of a priest is far superior to the office and title of a courtier. I also made clear to him that since we had left our families, our countries, and all earthly possessions for the evangelization of the Good News, then it is not easy for us to abandon this responsibility. However, tasks that are compatible with our ministry we are more than willing to serve the king.”
Marshal Lê Văn Duyệt, the one who had conveyed the king’s order and counseled the three European clergymen going to the royal capital city, once realizing that they were being put under house arrest, had went to the royal court in August 1827 to convince King Minh Mạng to keep his words. Even though it was against wish, the king had to set the three priests free.
On June 1, 1828, Fr. Gagelin Kính was on the road back to the city of Đồng Nai, and then visited parishes in the South. From Đồng Nai, Vũng Tàu to the Lục Tỉnh region, Hà Tiên, as he guided Christians, he also evangelized to the Chams (survivors of the ancient Champa Kingdom) in Bình Thuận, and Cambodians in North Hà Tiên. However, the number of ethnic minorities accepting Christianity was very small. In 1829, he went back to the seminary of Lái Thiêu, then was appointed vicar by Bishop Tabert Từ and assigned to work in the middle region of Vietnam.
* Sacrifice for the Sheep.
Vicar Kính started his ministry in the city of Phú Yên, Bình Định, then Quảng Ngãi (1830). He walked from parish to parish, regardless of how close or far away, little or large, to teach, to celebrate mass, to hear confession, and to bestow the sacrament of confirmation on the faithful. All who knew him and testified during the investigation for his beatification praised his kindness, his devout spirituality, his spirit of poverty, as well as his integrity.
On January 6, 1833, King Minh Mạng issued his edict of Christian persecution. Fr. Gagelin Kính’s friends advised him to repatriate temporarily for a while, he replied straightforwardly: “A citizen has the duty to exercise his military responsibility, much less I was give the leadership, how can I forsake my responsibility.” As a result, even though the time was hard, he was still very fervent in his responsibilities: visiting and consoling parishioners, evangelizing and baptizing many montagnards in Bình Định. Warned of imminent raid on European priests from a government friend, he went into hiding for a while. But, after watching many Christians arrested, saddened by the decimation of his sheep, he wrote to ask the bishop to allow him to give himself up to the authorities with the hope of preventing further persecution of Christians. Bishop Từ accepted, so he presented himself to the district chief of Bồng Sơn (Bình Định) in May 1833, and was escorted to the royal capital city.