Ngày 18/12: Thánh Paul Mỹ, Peter Đường, Peter Truật, catechists

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Three catechists who were arrested in the same day, incarcerated in the same jail, executed at the same time, and beatified at the same time, were: Paul Nguyễn Văn Mỹ, 40 years old; Peter Trương Văn Đường, 30; and Peter Vũ Truật, 21.

Saint Paul NGUYỄN VĂN MỸ
Catechist
(1798-1838)

As the oldest, Catechist Paul Mỹ was like the eldest brother and the support for the other two catechists to lean on. In a letter to missionary Marette, the catechist Đường wrote:

“... Since the day we were blessed with sufferings because of our faith, Catechist Mỹ had been writing to you on our behalf, because we considered him your representative...”.

Paul Nguyễn Văn Mỹ was born in 1798 in Kẻ Non village, also known as Sơn Nga, Thanh Liêm district, Hà Nam Province. His birth name was actually Nguyễn Văn Hữu. At the age of 13, with his parents’ permission, he went to help Bishop Jacob Longer Gia, then Fr. Luật in Kẻ Đầm parish for four years. At 19, he entered Kẻ Vĩnh (Vĩnh Trị) seminary.

When he officially became a catechist, Mr. Mỹ was sent to assist missionary Marette. Soon afterward, Bishop Havard Du, administrator of the west vicariate of Tonkin, chose him to aid Fr. Cornay Tân of Bầu Nọ parish in Sơn Tây city. Very experienced and talented, Mr. Mỹ had provided excellent assistance to the young and energetic, but often gravely ill missionary. Mr. Mỹ always completed his ministerial services successfully: from teaching religion catechism to children and R.C.I.A (Rites of Christian Initiations for Adults) classes, to counseling sinners. When the persecutions intensified, he became a very committed and effective disciple who visited every family to encourage Christians to live their faith, moreover, he also brought many pagans into the Catholic faith.

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Saint Peter TRƯƠNG VĂN ĐƯỜNG
Catechist
(1808-1838)

“Absolutely we will not step on the Redeemer’s icon, because such action means an everlasting death for both body and soul.”

The preceding words revealed Saint Peter Đường’s innermost feelings, a catechist who spent more then 20 years of his life for God to seek the true happiness for himself as well as others.

Peter Trương Văn Đường was born in 1808 in the village of Kẻ Sở, Ninh Phú, Thanh Liêm district in Hà Nam Province. Peter Đường’s family was poor but known for its religiousness. Because he was sponsored by Fr. Trương Văn Thi of Sông Chảy Parish, so at the age of nine, Fr. Phương of Yên Tập parish took him in to prepare for a religious life. At 15, Petter Đường was sent to help out in Bầu Nọ parish under the guidance of missionary Marette. With the priest’s encouragement, he diligently studied the Chinese Han and Latin in preparation for his future.

Peter Đường’s talents and character were affirmed the following year when he was approved by Bishop Havard Du into the rank of catechist, the youngest catechist of just 16 years of age. He continued to serve Bầu Nọ parish under Fr. Cornay Tân, until his arrest. He was loved by all parishioners for his cheerfullness and tenderness.

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Saint Peter VŨ TRUẬT
Catechist
(1817-1838)

Catechist Peter Vũ Truật, 21 years old, was truly worthy of being immortalized into eternity for his famous words answering the mandarins who criticized his stupidity in wasting his youth:

“I might not be a complete fool. Only those, who are wise, knowingly sacrifice their lives for the truth in order to win the everlasting treasure.”

Peter Vũ Truật was born in 1817 in the village of Thạch, the community of Kẻ Thế, Sơn Vy district in Sơn Tây City. His family was very poor; his father died early; without any money, his mother had to labor from dawn to dusk to raise three young children, so Peter Truật did not have a chance to attend school while physically he was very skinny and weak.

However, Truật was vey religious. Regularly attended church services as well as communal prayers, he caught the eyes of the pastor Charles Carnay Tân of Bầu Nọ who chose him to help out with light tasks in the parish to earn opportunities for an education. Even so, Truật was not very bright, due partly to his limited intelligence and partly to his constant falling sick, so he could barely read and write. On the other hand, he knew by heart many prayers, so he was given the task of teaching prayers to young children orally.

Not until he was in jail that Bishop Havard Du approved of him as a catechist to show his confidence as well as to encourage the young hero to endure for faith. Even though Catechist Truật did not have any more chance to teach by words, but it was his strong faith that became very effective teachings.

* Three Hearts of Gold.

Bầu Nọ happened to have a gang of robbers led by a nonbeliever named Đức who had been captured and imprisoned. Hoping to be convicted of lesser crimes, he conspired with his wife, Mrs. Yến, to falsify a claim blaming that Fr. Cornay Tân organized a rebellion. She devised a sham to gather the priest’s hiding places by inquiring about attending adult religious classes. Once obtaining the information, she immediately hid some weapons in the priest’s garden and secretly went to inform the Sơn Tây mandarins.

On 6/20/1837 Sơn Tây authorities sent 1500 soldiers to the village of Bầu Nọ to arrest Fr. Tân. The two catechists Mỹ and Đường as well as Mr. Truật mixed in with the crowd being assembled at the village temple. Soldiers searched for Fr. Tân all morning without finding him. Mrs. Yến then advised them to arrest Mr. Truật and the two catechists Mỹ and Đường who were the pastor’s assistants for questioning.

That afternoon, soldiers discovered the priest hiding in a dense bush. Keeping the catechists as material witnesses, the pastor’s three assistants were also brought together with the priest to Sơn Tây prison a little more than 6 miles away. At the tribunal, the three catechists had cleverly testified to the priest’s innocence and clarified all the false rumors about Christianity. For instance, the mandarin asked: “Why did you gouge out the eyes of the dead to produce amulet?” Mr. Mỹ replied: “How could His Honor believed that nonsense? Had we done it, the parents, wife and children of the death would not leave us alone. The reality is that we still come and go to their houses, affectionately and cordially.”

Interrogations normally went hand in hand with tortures. Followed was Catechist Mỹ’s testimony:

“Soldiers took off our clothes, forced us to lie down, tied a rope to each one of feet and hands, then stretched our hands and legs by pulling on the roped which were looped around four stakes. The pain caused by this torture was unbearable. Then they begin to beat us with a lash. Toward the end, they abandoned a lash for a bunch of lashes. Each strike imprinted on our body hundreds of reed lashes creating many bleeding spores...”

Catechist Truật, due to his frailty, he was subjected to a lighter cangue and fewer tortures. However, after each torture, all three became physically drained, and had to be carried back to their cell. On September 20, a prison guard announced Fr. Tân’s execution and counseled the men to renounce their faith, all three replied: “We are happy for our teacher’s martyrdom, we wish to follow his example.”

Catechist Mỹ recorded this period in a letter:

“For four consecutive months, we were put in cangues, shackles, and mistreated by prison guards. The jail cell is smelly and moldy; flies and mosquitoes are roaming free while our bodies are full of wounds resulted from tortures...”

In October, the death sentence petitioned from Sơn Tây to King Minh Mạng had been approved. However, instead of immediate execution the decision ordered “jailed until decided” meaning an execution delay and to wait for a new decision. On the surface, the sentence appeared humane, but in reality it was very cruel: with time the early enthusiasm would be in danger of fading away, because death-row inmates were always haunted by the suspenseful and anxious waiting for punishment day. On the other hand, human endurance is limited; too much agony, too much fatigue or despair would make it easy for a person to change his mind. In fact, the three catechists had to languish in jail for the next 14 months for a total jail time of 18 months. However, throughout their long and painful imprisonment, the three men still stuck with one another in the world, remained courageous and thirsty for martyrdom. Days as well as nights, they recited aloud the Rosary and prayed together. They also shared food and medicine they received with the guards. They counseled those who came to visit: “You should live harmoniously with your family as well as with the community. Be a devout Christian because life in this world is short. We have submitted to God’s will and hope that we will reunite in heaven later.”

Disguised as a secular man, Fr. Triệu brought the Blessed Sacrament to the catechists four times. To them, it was a great blessing. We can read Catechist’s Đường inner feelings in a letter to Fr. Marette:

“Today is a solemn day, we are able to receive the Blessed Sacrament. Thank you God for visiting us and alleviating our chains and shackles... Heaven’s door is near, thinking of the happiness waiting for us, we do not wish for anything else...”

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* Together in Glorious Victory.

In 1838 the royal court reviewed the decision, decided on the death penalty, and directed the mandarin of Sơn Tây to implement it. On December 18, the three courageous witnesses were escorted to the execution field in Gò Vôi, Mông Phụ Village in Sơn Tây city. Each one carried on their neck a sentence tablet with their names, hometown, the admitted crime of being Christians, and penalty of death by strangulation. On the road to the execution site, as previously agreed upon, the three catechists made the sign of the cross when they saw Fr. Triệu standing in the crowd blessing and absolve them of their sins. A soldier offered them wine which they graciously declined and asked for only water, saying: “We, catechists, abstain from alcohol like we abstain from sex and disloyalty.”

At the execution site, the three catechists, the three catechists lied on sedge mats as soldiers made a big circle around them to keep out spectators. Each man was tied to a pole around their feet with their hands tied behind their back. A rope was then looped around their neck. In the midst of drum rolls and gong sounds, at the command of the mandarin, executioners pulled on the rope until they all died, spilling blood from their mouths. Afterward, the used a fire to burn the soles of their feet to make sure that the prisoners had actually died.

Fr. Marette and his congregation brought the bodies of the three catechists to the neighboring community of Kẻ Mang for burial. He celebrated a thanksgiving Mass to thank God for helping the faithful servants to triumphant victory.

Pope Leo XIII elevated the three catechists: Paul Nguyễn Văn Mỹ, Peter Trương Văn Đường and Peter Phêrô Vũ Truật to the rank of blessed on May 27,1900.[1] (http://www.gpnt.net/diendan/newthread.php?do=newthread&f=14#_ftn1)

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[1] Beatified Đường was recorded as Nguyễn Văn Đường in the death sentence, but his descendants later confirmed that his last name was Trương. He probably changed it when arrested to prevent problems for his extended family. (Phạm Đình Khiêm, ĐMHCG tháng 3.1970, pp.10-11).