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24-09-2006, 04:52 PM
November 3rd
Saint Peter Francis NÉRON BẮC
Priest of the Society of Foreign Missions of Paris
(1818-1860)
* Adopting Vietnam as His Country.
Although spending only 11 years in Vietnam, Saint Peter Néron Bắc had become like a native Vietnamese. He used tomato paste just like anyone else. He translated books on mathematics, philosophy and theology from French into Vietnamese, and in the end gave his bare bones to this beloved land as he had petitioned to the Lady of the Rosary during his days studying at the at the Society of Foreign Missions of Paris.
Peter Francis Néron Bắc was born on 9/21/1818 in Bordeaux, diocese of Saint Claude, France. He was the fifth in a family of 9 children. Néron’s adolescent years were very hard. Although he was able to attend school, daily he also had to tend to the animals in the field, so he also received some bad influence from friends. Then an event changed his life. At 17, someone let him borrow a spiritual book that he read and heard God’s call. From then on, he completely changed his way of life.
At 19, Néron applied to Neteroy Seminary but was not accepted until 2/14/1839 when he was 21 years old. After spending 6 years at Neteroy, he went on to Saunier Seminary, then joined the Society of Foreign Missions of Paris and was ordained a priest on 6/171848. His superior then sent him to Vietnam. While waiting for the ship, Fr. Néron often petitioned to the Lady of the Rosary to help him sacrificing his life for the missions in the land of evangelization. His wish was to never leave Vietnam once he got there.
On 3/28/1849 he presented himself to Bishop Retord Liêu, then bishop of west vicariate of Tonkin. The bishop sent Fr. Kẻ Vĩnh to learn Vietnamese and gave him the Vietnamese name Bắc. In 1852 the bishop appointed to the parish of Kim Sơn, Ninh Bình province. In 1854 the bishop name the superior of Kẻ Vĩnh Seminary supervising 150 students. He patiently taught the students general education and translated mathematics textbooks into Vietnamese. He also taught philosophy and theology to major seminarians. Once he was arrested, but was released when the bishop paid the ransom money.
* The Stations of the Cross.
Even busy with teachings, Fr. Néron Bắc did not neglect his spiritual life. Every day, he prayed Christ’s Passion on his 14 Stations of the Cross. He fasted every Friday, all solemn feasts, during Advent, during Lent, and especially during feast days venerating the Blessed Mother. In 1858 as pastor responsible for four parishes with more than 160,000 faithful in the city of Sơn Tây, he was arrested the second time, and his freedom had to be bought with 300 piasters.
On 1/17/1860 due to the failure in his dealings with the French, King Tự Đức decreed a more violent persecution: “All government officials must implement my directives to the utmost. Anyone caught doing things as before will be severely punished like the criminals.” The preceding edit forced officials more active in their persecution of Christians. Fr. Peter Bắc was a white and tall European, so he was readily recognizable. Even Catholic parishes dared not provide him with a long-tern refuge. His regular hiding place was now in the dense and impassable forest. One time, having lost contact with Christians, he lied unconscious due to hunger next to a tree. Fortunately, Christians of Tạ Xá village found him and fed him with rice soup, which helped him regain his strength and consciousness an hour later.
Then one day, being warned that soldiers knew of his presence in Tạ Xá, parishioners begged his pardon, supplied him with some food, and asked him to go aboard a small dinghy which took him to the village of Yên Tập. The inhabitants of Yên Tập became alarmed, so they asked an old man to guide the priest to an isolated mountain to hide in a hut made of banana leaves. He remained there with the old man for three weeks. Their daily ration was a fistful of cold rice because cooking would reveal their hiding place. The side dish was tomato paste, occasionally some pickled tomatoes. Luckily, he had become familiar with this delicacy before.
As the persecution became more violent, Fr. Bắc had to move on. He stayed in the home a charitable non-Christian in the village of Suông for three months, then moved to Chiêu Ửng where he was chased away to Ru Bơ village by soldiers. There he hid in the jungle for half a month, and then he returned to the village of Yên Tập, then Tạ Xá where he was arrested with the help of a gambler. A man named Luyện lost 100 piasters gambling with the village chief who promised to forgive the debt if the man gave up Fr. Bắc’s hiding place. And this “Judas” had sold the priest at that price.
On 8/5/1860, following the direction given by Mr. Luyện, the village chief together with the canton chief Mờn led soldiers to arrest him who was hiding at Mrs. Truật’s home. The pastor of Yên Tập parish asked a parishioner to help buying his freedom. The official refused, but he took the money anyway with the promise of putting into the record that Fr. Bắc was captured in a field instead of a parishioner’s home to spare the parishioner any trouble, which was Fr. Bắc’s biggest fear. Before Sơn Tây official, he was calm, brave, and careful with his testaments. The official asked for names of persons he met, homeowners he stayed with and those who had helped him. He answered frankly: “Please don’t ask me about those things, I will never reveal any name or any place. I don’t want that person or that place troubled by you.” The official had him beaten with 40 canes, but he remained steadfast, not revealing any thing nor complaining.
* A Living God.
The thing that really astounded the officials, soldiers as well as people of Son Tây was his 21-day fast with only a cup of water each day. He was always happy even sitting in the cramped cage. As his wounds were bleeding, he did not ask for any treatment. The people rumored among themselves and made him out as a “LVIVING GOD”. They said: “It’s very miraculous that he can survive without food.” To avoid possible adverse comments by the public if prolonging the priest’s life, province’s officials petitioned the royal court to behead the priest and exhibit his head for three days in the market then float it down the river. King Tự Đức consented immediately to the petition.
On 11/3/1860 the disciple was led to the execution field in Sơn Tây, about 50 Km from Hà Nội. Fr. Bắc asked to be untied, with a cangue still around his neck, he walked briskly surrounded by soldiers with their shining sabers. At the execution site, the witness knelt and prayed intensely, then extended his neck out for the executioners. The two executioners swung their sabers amidst the gong’s beats.
Because of his previous 21-day fast, even non-believers scrambled to touch the blood of the “living god.” Fr. Đệ, pastor of Bách Lộc, asked for a non-Christian’s help to retrieve the martyr’s body, saying: “It’s too bad the European man does not have any relative, so please do this to accumulate graces for your children.” Three days later, Fr. Đệ brought the body to the parish for burial. The head was thrown into the Hồng River where the faithful tried but could not recover it.
Pope Pius X elevated Fr. Peter Néron Bắc to the rank of blessed on 5/2/1909. His native diocese, Saint Claude, celebrated a solemn feast in his honor in November 3 every year and chose him as the patron saint of the youth of the diocese.
Saint Peter Francis NÉRON BẮC
Priest of the Society of Foreign Missions of Paris
(1818-1860)
* Adopting Vietnam as His Country.
Although spending only 11 years in Vietnam, Saint Peter Néron Bắc had become like a native Vietnamese. He used tomato paste just like anyone else. He translated books on mathematics, philosophy and theology from French into Vietnamese, and in the end gave his bare bones to this beloved land as he had petitioned to the Lady of the Rosary during his days studying at the at the Society of Foreign Missions of Paris.
Peter Francis Néron Bắc was born on 9/21/1818 in Bordeaux, diocese of Saint Claude, France. He was the fifth in a family of 9 children. Néron’s adolescent years were very hard. Although he was able to attend school, daily he also had to tend to the animals in the field, so he also received some bad influence from friends. Then an event changed his life. At 17, someone let him borrow a spiritual book that he read and heard God’s call. From then on, he completely changed his way of life.
At 19, Néron applied to Neteroy Seminary but was not accepted until 2/14/1839 when he was 21 years old. After spending 6 years at Neteroy, he went on to Saunier Seminary, then joined the Society of Foreign Missions of Paris and was ordained a priest on 6/171848. His superior then sent him to Vietnam. While waiting for the ship, Fr. Néron often petitioned to the Lady of the Rosary to help him sacrificing his life for the missions in the land of evangelization. His wish was to never leave Vietnam once he got there.
On 3/28/1849 he presented himself to Bishop Retord Liêu, then bishop of west vicariate of Tonkin. The bishop sent Fr. Kẻ Vĩnh to learn Vietnamese and gave him the Vietnamese name Bắc. In 1852 the bishop appointed to the parish of Kim Sơn, Ninh Bình province. In 1854 the bishop name the superior of Kẻ Vĩnh Seminary supervising 150 students. He patiently taught the students general education and translated mathematics textbooks into Vietnamese. He also taught philosophy and theology to major seminarians. Once he was arrested, but was released when the bishop paid the ransom money.
* The Stations of the Cross.
Even busy with teachings, Fr. Néron Bắc did not neglect his spiritual life. Every day, he prayed Christ’s Passion on his 14 Stations of the Cross. He fasted every Friday, all solemn feasts, during Advent, during Lent, and especially during feast days venerating the Blessed Mother. In 1858 as pastor responsible for four parishes with more than 160,000 faithful in the city of Sơn Tây, he was arrested the second time, and his freedom had to be bought with 300 piasters.
On 1/17/1860 due to the failure in his dealings with the French, King Tự Đức decreed a more violent persecution: “All government officials must implement my directives to the utmost. Anyone caught doing things as before will be severely punished like the criminals.” The preceding edit forced officials more active in their persecution of Christians. Fr. Peter Bắc was a white and tall European, so he was readily recognizable. Even Catholic parishes dared not provide him with a long-tern refuge. His regular hiding place was now in the dense and impassable forest. One time, having lost contact with Christians, he lied unconscious due to hunger next to a tree. Fortunately, Christians of Tạ Xá village found him and fed him with rice soup, which helped him regain his strength and consciousness an hour later.
Then one day, being warned that soldiers knew of his presence in Tạ Xá, parishioners begged his pardon, supplied him with some food, and asked him to go aboard a small dinghy which took him to the village of Yên Tập. The inhabitants of Yên Tập became alarmed, so they asked an old man to guide the priest to an isolated mountain to hide in a hut made of banana leaves. He remained there with the old man for three weeks. Their daily ration was a fistful of cold rice because cooking would reveal their hiding place. The side dish was tomato paste, occasionally some pickled tomatoes. Luckily, he had become familiar with this delicacy before.
As the persecution became more violent, Fr. Bắc had to move on. He stayed in the home a charitable non-Christian in the village of Suông for three months, then moved to Chiêu Ửng where he was chased away to Ru Bơ village by soldiers. There he hid in the jungle for half a month, and then he returned to the village of Yên Tập, then Tạ Xá where he was arrested with the help of a gambler. A man named Luyện lost 100 piasters gambling with the village chief who promised to forgive the debt if the man gave up Fr. Bắc’s hiding place. And this “Judas” had sold the priest at that price.
On 8/5/1860, following the direction given by Mr. Luyện, the village chief together with the canton chief Mờn led soldiers to arrest him who was hiding at Mrs. Truật’s home. The pastor of Yên Tập parish asked a parishioner to help buying his freedom. The official refused, but he took the money anyway with the promise of putting into the record that Fr. Bắc was captured in a field instead of a parishioner’s home to spare the parishioner any trouble, which was Fr. Bắc’s biggest fear. Before Sơn Tây official, he was calm, brave, and careful with his testaments. The official asked for names of persons he met, homeowners he stayed with and those who had helped him. He answered frankly: “Please don’t ask me about those things, I will never reveal any name or any place. I don’t want that person or that place troubled by you.” The official had him beaten with 40 canes, but he remained steadfast, not revealing any thing nor complaining.
* A Living God.
The thing that really astounded the officials, soldiers as well as people of Son Tây was his 21-day fast with only a cup of water each day. He was always happy even sitting in the cramped cage. As his wounds were bleeding, he did not ask for any treatment. The people rumored among themselves and made him out as a “LVIVING GOD”. They said: “It’s very miraculous that he can survive without food.” To avoid possible adverse comments by the public if prolonging the priest’s life, province’s officials petitioned the royal court to behead the priest and exhibit his head for three days in the market then float it down the river. King Tự Đức consented immediately to the petition.
On 11/3/1860 the disciple was led to the execution field in Sơn Tây, about 50 Km from Hà Nội. Fr. Bắc asked to be untied, with a cangue still around his neck, he walked briskly surrounded by soldiers with their shining sabers. At the execution site, the witness knelt and prayed intensely, then extended his neck out for the executioners. The two executioners swung their sabers amidst the gong’s beats.
Because of his previous 21-day fast, even non-believers scrambled to touch the blood of the “living god.” Fr. Đệ, pastor of Bách Lộc, asked for a non-Christian’s help to retrieve the martyr’s body, saying: “It’s too bad the European man does not have any relative, so please do this to accumulate graces for your children.” Three days later, Fr. Đệ brought the body to the parish for burial. The head was thrown into the Hồng River where the faithful tried but could not recover it.
Pope Pius X elevated Fr. Peter Néron Bắc to the rank of blessed on 5/2/1909. His native diocese, Saint Claude, celebrated a solemn feast in his honor in November 3 every year and chose him as the patron saint of the youth of the diocese.