admin
02-03-2006, 12:38 PM
April 28
Saint Paul PHẠM KHẮC KHOAN
Priest
(1771-1840)
Saint Peter NGUYỄN VĂN HIẾU
Catechist
(1777-1840)
Saint John Baptist ĐINH VĂN THANH
Catechist
(1796-1840)
* Thanksgiving
We praise you, Oh God
We acknowledge you to be the Lord
All the earth now worships you,
The Father everlasting…
The glorious company
Of the apostles praise you,
The goodly fellowship
Of the prophets praise you,
The noble army of martyrs praises you…
The words of TE DEUM, the Prayer of Thanksgiving which Fr. Paul Khoan and the two catechists Peter Hiếu and John Thanh had sung in jail as well on the way to the execution site. Those were inspiring words to listeners. That was the song of the early Church which was sung at the end of the 300-year persecution and now emanated from the lips of the Vietnamese martyrs rising above the clouds carrying them to the reunion with Heavenly saints on its wings.
* Fate Uniting Three Individuals
Paul Phạm Khắc Khoan was born in 1771 in the village of Bồng Hải, Ninh Bình province, in the west vicariate of Tonkin. After ordained a priest, he was assigned to Kẻ Vĩnh parish, then Phúc Nhạc, the most populated town in the province. Fr. Paul Khoan was dedicated to his ministry, besides his parish, he was still responsible for the two satellite communities Đông Biên and Tôn Đạo where he came monthly to celebrate mass, to hear confessions, and to encourage the faithful to lead more sanctifying and exemplary lives.
On such trips, he often took along catechists to teach catechism and to have closer contacts with parishioners. In 1837, accompanying him on a visit to the Đông Biên community were the two catechists Peter Nguyễn Văn Hiếu, 60 years old of Đồng Chuối, and John Baptist Đinh Văn Thanh, 41 years old of Nôn Khê (Phát Diệm). On the return trip, the three were arrested and taken to Ninh Bình. Fr. Paul Khoan was 66 years old at the time.
* Facing Sweet Talk...
Respecting the priest’s age and kindness, the governor sent for the priest and said: “I want to make friend with you. I only want to find a way to save your life. I ask you to try walking over the cross.” The priest replied: “Over the months in jail, I have thought it over carefully, but the more I thought the more I become convinced, and determined to keep my faith until my death.” Then he recounted an event occurring in 1802:
“When King Gia Long, father of the current king, went to Hà Nội, we went to pay him a visit. He promised us the freedom to preach, to build churches, and houses of charity. He asked us to encourage the people to live in peace and to work diligently. Up to now, I have continued to follow the king’s laws, reminding people to do good deeds and to avoid bad. I worship the king in heaven and obey the king on earth. I have always asked the heavenly king to bless the mandarins so that you will rule in peace and prosperity. Why do you today tell me to abandon the former king’s order which I have been carrying out all these years?”
- So, you don’t want to live?
- His Honor, all living things want to live, not to mention human beings with brain. All those who know the value of life want to live. However, to Christians, death is the everlasting life in Heaven.
- Who told you that Heaven exists?
- It’s a certainty. Like the king often rewards loyal mandarins, how is it possible for the God of heaven and earth to not reward loyal servant who serve Him until death? The rewarded place is what we call Heaven.
- So, who taught you that God of heaven and earth exists?
- Governor, it’s not necessary for any one to teach. It is earth and heaven, which are the books that open out to teach us that lesson. Just observing magnificent masterpieces of nature, we immediately realize the existence of the Creator who created and guarded them. We call that Creator God and worship Him.
Hoping time would weaken the will of the heroes of faith, the governor tried to delay the trial for three long years. Occasionally, the governor summoned them to the tribunal and suggested them to walk over the cross. At first he used gentle inducements, later he used tortures, but in no way could he make them change their loyalty.
The attitude of the two catechists also won the admiration from all. No matter how severe the tortures, the two serenely endured without a word of complaints, they only repeated one thing: “Live or die, we will never reject our faith.” Being near Fr. Paul Khoan was their greatest consolation; they could confide in him and received the sacrament of reconciliation from him. The catechists regarded jail time as a time of trial to do good deeds to atone for the mistakes of their youth. Occasionally there were days when the Holy Eucharist was cleverly smuggled into jail; those were the most joyful and happiest days in their lives.
On one occasion, Fr. Paul Khoan told the mandarin of justice straight out: “Your telling me to trample on the cross is an illogical request.” The mandarin asked: “Why is it illogical? How could it be illogical when I show you the path to life?” The priest said: “Your Honor, if the country was in crisis and you for fear of death desert your troops, then you were a coward. Similarly, I worship the King in Heaven, I cannot abandon Him for fear of death.”
http://gpnt.net/images/arrow_dyn.gif
Saint Paul PHẠM KHẮC KHOAN
Priest
(1771-1840)
Saint Peter NGUYỄN VĂN HIẾU
Catechist
(1777-1840)
Saint John Baptist ĐINH VĂN THANH
Catechist
(1796-1840)
* Thanksgiving
We praise you, Oh God
We acknowledge you to be the Lord
All the earth now worships you,
The Father everlasting…
The glorious company
Of the apostles praise you,
The goodly fellowship
Of the prophets praise you,
The noble army of martyrs praises you…
The words of TE DEUM, the Prayer of Thanksgiving which Fr. Paul Khoan and the two catechists Peter Hiếu and John Thanh had sung in jail as well on the way to the execution site. Those were inspiring words to listeners. That was the song of the early Church which was sung at the end of the 300-year persecution and now emanated from the lips of the Vietnamese martyrs rising above the clouds carrying them to the reunion with Heavenly saints on its wings.
* Fate Uniting Three Individuals
Paul Phạm Khắc Khoan was born in 1771 in the village of Bồng Hải, Ninh Bình province, in the west vicariate of Tonkin. After ordained a priest, he was assigned to Kẻ Vĩnh parish, then Phúc Nhạc, the most populated town in the province. Fr. Paul Khoan was dedicated to his ministry, besides his parish, he was still responsible for the two satellite communities Đông Biên and Tôn Đạo where he came monthly to celebrate mass, to hear confessions, and to encourage the faithful to lead more sanctifying and exemplary lives.
On such trips, he often took along catechists to teach catechism and to have closer contacts with parishioners. In 1837, accompanying him on a visit to the Đông Biên community were the two catechists Peter Nguyễn Văn Hiếu, 60 years old of Đồng Chuối, and John Baptist Đinh Văn Thanh, 41 years old of Nôn Khê (Phát Diệm). On the return trip, the three were arrested and taken to Ninh Bình. Fr. Paul Khoan was 66 years old at the time.
* Facing Sweet Talk...
Respecting the priest’s age and kindness, the governor sent for the priest and said: “I want to make friend with you. I only want to find a way to save your life. I ask you to try walking over the cross.” The priest replied: “Over the months in jail, I have thought it over carefully, but the more I thought the more I become convinced, and determined to keep my faith until my death.” Then he recounted an event occurring in 1802:
“When King Gia Long, father of the current king, went to Hà Nội, we went to pay him a visit. He promised us the freedom to preach, to build churches, and houses of charity. He asked us to encourage the people to live in peace and to work diligently. Up to now, I have continued to follow the king’s laws, reminding people to do good deeds and to avoid bad. I worship the king in heaven and obey the king on earth. I have always asked the heavenly king to bless the mandarins so that you will rule in peace and prosperity. Why do you today tell me to abandon the former king’s order which I have been carrying out all these years?”
- So, you don’t want to live?
- His Honor, all living things want to live, not to mention human beings with brain. All those who know the value of life want to live. However, to Christians, death is the everlasting life in Heaven.
- Who told you that Heaven exists?
- It’s a certainty. Like the king often rewards loyal mandarins, how is it possible for the God of heaven and earth to not reward loyal servant who serve Him until death? The rewarded place is what we call Heaven.
- So, who taught you that God of heaven and earth exists?
- Governor, it’s not necessary for any one to teach. It is earth and heaven, which are the books that open out to teach us that lesson. Just observing magnificent masterpieces of nature, we immediately realize the existence of the Creator who created and guarded them. We call that Creator God and worship Him.
Hoping time would weaken the will of the heroes of faith, the governor tried to delay the trial for three long years. Occasionally, the governor summoned them to the tribunal and suggested them to walk over the cross. At first he used gentle inducements, later he used tortures, but in no way could he make them change their loyalty.
The attitude of the two catechists also won the admiration from all. No matter how severe the tortures, the two serenely endured without a word of complaints, they only repeated one thing: “Live or die, we will never reject our faith.” Being near Fr. Paul Khoan was their greatest consolation; they could confide in him and received the sacrament of reconciliation from him. The catechists regarded jail time as a time of trial to do good deeds to atone for the mistakes of their youth. Occasionally there were days when the Holy Eucharist was cleverly smuggled into jail; those were the most joyful and happiest days in their lives.
On one occasion, Fr. Paul Khoan told the mandarin of justice straight out: “Your telling me to trample on the cross is an illogical request.” The mandarin asked: “Why is it illogical? How could it be illogical when I show you the path to life?” The priest said: “Your Honor, if the country was in crisis and you for fear of death desert your troops, then you were a coward. Similarly, I worship the King in Heaven, I cannot abandon Him for fear of death.”
http://gpnt.net/images/arrow_dyn.gif