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05-09-2006, 02:49 PM
October 28
Saint John ĐẠT
Priest
(1765-1798)
* Laying Down His Life for the Sheep.
“A good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep.” (John 10, 11b) These are Jesus’ words, which were practiced to perfection by Saint John Đạt. During a military raid in the parish, the priest had ample chances to escape, but distressed over the parishioners being questioned and tortured ruthlessly because of him, he gave himself up.
John Đạt came into this world in 1765 in the village of Khê Câu, district of Bình Lục, Thanh Hoá Province, in the west vicariate of Tonkin. Fatherless at a young age, Đạt was permitted by his mother to completely devote himself to God under the loving care of Fr. Loan, pastor of Đồng Chuối parish. At the age of 18, he entered the major seminary, then helped out in various parishes. In 1798, he was ordained a priest.
Fr. John Đạt was assigned to Hảo Nho parish, Thân Phú. The new priest served parishioners so diligently that he was loved by all. The diocese’s vicar observed: “Fr. Đạt has many virtues, especially obedience and poverty. He always fulfills all his obligations in such a timely manner that attracted the admiration from the bishop and other missionaries. His homilies have very unique strength that can really captivate the human hears.”
Just barely into his sixth month of priestly ministry, King Cảnh Thịnh decreed more severe persecutions of Christians. The authorities ordered soldiers to hunt down Christians, more specifically priests. Fr. Đạt had to hide in the forest for a long time. Whenever conditions permitted, he slipped back into the parish to administer the sacraments.
One day, after a funeral mass at a private home, soldiers rushed in. Parishioners took him out through the back door and showed him the escape route. But he did not have the heart to leave them because soldiers found the chalice as well as his sacramental vestments and were torturing the homeowner, Mr. Mới -the parish pastoral council chairman- and several others. As Jesus had pleaded with the Jewish guards to leave his disciples alone, the priest gave himself up. He said: “I know that I can get away. But my brothers and sisters, if I do that, you will bear a lot of suffering.”
Soldiers tied him up, and tortured him mercilessly together with seminarian Tâm and the three members of the pastoral council. Parishioners, thinking they had the upper hand in manpower, tried to rescue him; recognizing their intention, he stopped them: “Let me follow God’s will. You stay here in peace, resolutely keep your faith, and remember to pray for me to be enduring to the end.” On the escorted trip to Thanh Hoá, when passing through the village of Kẻ Dừa, an individual handed him a hat, but the guards stopped him.
* Witness in Prison.
In two months of confinement at Đình Đang, he surprised every one because even in such dire circumstance he remained calm and cheerful. When parishioners visited and started to mourn, he told them funny stories to cheer them up and consoled them. He told them: “Dying for faith is a great blessing, our An Nam (Vietnam) has very few martyrs. I would be very happy to die for faith.”
Non-Catholics living around the prison also felt sorry for him. A good-hearted woman gave him a bottle of poison so that he could end his agonizing prison life. He refused and explained to her: “A true Catholic, no matter under any circumstance, cannot commit suicide.” Spectacularly he won over the prison guards. At first, they liked to harass Christians; at every change of the guards, the new guards made Christians pay a bribe, if not they would torture the prisoner. Later, after witnessing his spirit of charity, the guards were more sympathetic and went easier on the visitors. One time he defended a guard who stole bananas sent in by a faithful. Another time, he told the guards: “Whenever I have the grace of being in Heaven, I will never forget all of you on earth.”
The prison warden Thiềng had a special admiration for him. Meeting separately with the priest, the warden told him: “Noticing that you are so wise and righteous, I want to swear brotherhood with you. Unfortunately you are about to be executed, I promise you a casket as a sign of my love and respect for you”.
Many times Fr. Đạt and other Christians, their feet and hands in chains and their necks in cangues, were dragged and forced to kneel before the tribunal. Prince Đệ, King Cảnh Thịnh’s younger brother, presided over the trial. Using different cruel methods of torture he forced the heroes to renounce their faith or to trample on the crucifix, but he still failed. One day he requested Fr. Đạt to explain a painting of the final judgment, then urged him to trample on it to gain his freedom. But, he lowered himself, picked it up and kissed it respectfully.
Sacrificial Mass to God.
In mid-October, Prince Đệ summoned Fr. Đạt to the court to announce the death sentence. He was mistaken into thinking that the priest might be scared and changed his mind after hearing the sentence; ironically Fr. Đạt appeared unusually happy. Back in his jail cell, he recounted the death sentence to the fellow inmates as if it was good news to him. Fr. Huấn of Bạch Bát parish, disguised as an old friend, came to visit, heard confession and gave him the Eucharist.
On execution day, it poured like torrents. Fr. Đạt, his neck bound by a heavy cangue, slogged drudgingly in the heavy rain behind the guards to the execution field in Trinh Hà. Here, on a flowered sedge mat the faithful had laid for him, he calmly knelt down and prayed. And with the permission from the officials, the faithful rushed in around him for his last blessing. He advised them:
“As Christians, we must obey the authorities in matters that are right, but foremost, we have to respect God’s laws.”
The gong sounded and spectators stepped back to make room. The executioner swung the saber to end the live of a young priest full of life and courage. Christians as well as non-Christians crowded around to touch the blood of the witness of faith. The date was October 28, 1798 when Fr. Đạt was just 33 years old, not even a year into his priesthood.
Fr. John Đạt’s life was a shining model of love. Love of ideals, he denied himself for the priesthood; love of humanity, he gave himself up to the authorities; love of God, he sacrificed his invaluable life without regret. The martyr’s body was brought back and buried at the parish church of Phúc Nhạc (Phát Diệm).
Pope Leo XIII elevated Fr. John Đạt to the rank of blessed on May 27, 1900.
Saint John ĐẠT
Priest
(1765-1798)
* Laying Down His Life for the Sheep.
“A good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep.” (John 10, 11b) These are Jesus’ words, which were practiced to perfection by Saint John Đạt. During a military raid in the parish, the priest had ample chances to escape, but distressed over the parishioners being questioned and tortured ruthlessly because of him, he gave himself up.
John Đạt came into this world in 1765 in the village of Khê Câu, district of Bình Lục, Thanh Hoá Province, in the west vicariate of Tonkin. Fatherless at a young age, Đạt was permitted by his mother to completely devote himself to God under the loving care of Fr. Loan, pastor of Đồng Chuối parish. At the age of 18, he entered the major seminary, then helped out in various parishes. In 1798, he was ordained a priest.
Fr. John Đạt was assigned to Hảo Nho parish, Thân Phú. The new priest served parishioners so diligently that he was loved by all. The diocese’s vicar observed: “Fr. Đạt has many virtues, especially obedience and poverty. He always fulfills all his obligations in such a timely manner that attracted the admiration from the bishop and other missionaries. His homilies have very unique strength that can really captivate the human hears.”
Just barely into his sixth month of priestly ministry, King Cảnh Thịnh decreed more severe persecutions of Christians. The authorities ordered soldiers to hunt down Christians, more specifically priests. Fr. Đạt had to hide in the forest for a long time. Whenever conditions permitted, he slipped back into the parish to administer the sacraments.
One day, after a funeral mass at a private home, soldiers rushed in. Parishioners took him out through the back door and showed him the escape route. But he did not have the heart to leave them because soldiers found the chalice as well as his sacramental vestments and were torturing the homeowner, Mr. Mới -the parish pastoral council chairman- and several others. As Jesus had pleaded with the Jewish guards to leave his disciples alone, the priest gave himself up. He said: “I know that I can get away. But my brothers and sisters, if I do that, you will bear a lot of suffering.”
Soldiers tied him up, and tortured him mercilessly together with seminarian Tâm and the three members of the pastoral council. Parishioners, thinking they had the upper hand in manpower, tried to rescue him; recognizing their intention, he stopped them: “Let me follow God’s will. You stay here in peace, resolutely keep your faith, and remember to pray for me to be enduring to the end.” On the escorted trip to Thanh Hoá, when passing through the village of Kẻ Dừa, an individual handed him a hat, but the guards stopped him.
* Witness in Prison.
In two months of confinement at Đình Đang, he surprised every one because even in such dire circumstance he remained calm and cheerful. When parishioners visited and started to mourn, he told them funny stories to cheer them up and consoled them. He told them: “Dying for faith is a great blessing, our An Nam (Vietnam) has very few martyrs. I would be very happy to die for faith.”
Non-Catholics living around the prison also felt sorry for him. A good-hearted woman gave him a bottle of poison so that he could end his agonizing prison life. He refused and explained to her: “A true Catholic, no matter under any circumstance, cannot commit suicide.” Spectacularly he won over the prison guards. At first, they liked to harass Christians; at every change of the guards, the new guards made Christians pay a bribe, if not they would torture the prisoner. Later, after witnessing his spirit of charity, the guards were more sympathetic and went easier on the visitors. One time he defended a guard who stole bananas sent in by a faithful. Another time, he told the guards: “Whenever I have the grace of being in Heaven, I will never forget all of you on earth.”
The prison warden Thiềng had a special admiration for him. Meeting separately with the priest, the warden told him: “Noticing that you are so wise and righteous, I want to swear brotherhood with you. Unfortunately you are about to be executed, I promise you a casket as a sign of my love and respect for you”.
Many times Fr. Đạt and other Christians, their feet and hands in chains and their necks in cangues, were dragged and forced to kneel before the tribunal. Prince Đệ, King Cảnh Thịnh’s younger brother, presided over the trial. Using different cruel methods of torture he forced the heroes to renounce their faith or to trample on the crucifix, but he still failed. One day he requested Fr. Đạt to explain a painting of the final judgment, then urged him to trample on it to gain his freedom. But, he lowered himself, picked it up and kissed it respectfully.
Sacrificial Mass to God.
In mid-October, Prince Đệ summoned Fr. Đạt to the court to announce the death sentence. He was mistaken into thinking that the priest might be scared and changed his mind after hearing the sentence; ironically Fr. Đạt appeared unusually happy. Back in his jail cell, he recounted the death sentence to the fellow inmates as if it was good news to him. Fr. Huấn of Bạch Bát parish, disguised as an old friend, came to visit, heard confession and gave him the Eucharist.
On execution day, it poured like torrents. Fr. Đạt, his neck bound by a heavy cangue, slogged drudgingly in the heavy rain behind the guards to the execution field in Trinh Hà. Here, on a flowered sedge mat the faithful had laid for him, he calmly knelt down and prayed. And with the permission from the officials, the faithful rushed in around him for his last blessing. He advised them:
“As Christians, we must obey the authorities in matters that are right, but foremost, we have to respect God’s laws.”
The gong sounded and spectators stepped back to make room. The executioner swung the saber to end the live of a young priest full of life and courage. Christians as well as non-Christians crowded around to touch the blood of the witness of faith. The date was October 28, 1798 when Fr. Đạt was just 33 years old, not even a year into his priesthood.
Fr. John Đạt’s life was a shining model of love. Love of ideals, he denied himself for the priesthood; love of humanity, he gave himself up to the authorities; love of God, he sacrificed his invaluable life without regret. The martyr’s body was brought back and buried at the parish church of Phúc Nhạc (Phát Diệm).
Pope Leo XIII elevated Fr. John Đạt to the rank of blessed on May 27, 1900.