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02-03-2006, 12:42 PM
April 29
Saint Joseph TUÂN (HOAN)
Dominican Priest
(1811-1861)
* Witness of Love
“God have always continued to create the beautiful spring and to allow for crops to be plentiful. Similarly, from His authoritative and benevolent hands, God will disseminate on each successive generation virtues of compassion to console those who are in despair and to rescue those who are in danger. The future will be built on love, for sooner or later, love will triumph over hatred.” (Francis Xavier Rongin)
Rev. Joseph Tuân had lived and died with honor to give witness to God of all creation, and man is a creation that God so loves that He gave his son, Jesus Christ, so that the world could be resurrected into the eternal life with Him. (John 10:10)
Joseph Tuân was born circa 1811 in the village of Cao Xá, Hưng Yên province (presently Hưng Hải). Although his farmer family was poor, but his parents were Piusus and molded well their children. From that loving cradle, Joseph Tuân grew up in faith and love of God, of his parents and others.
Early on, Joseph Tuân was accepted into a “House of God”, a preparatory school training future religious, to study and live according to the Gospels. He was then chosen for seminary training, and later ordained into the priesthood becoming a minister of the Good News during the most brutal persecution under King Tự Đức’s reign, with arrests aiming at eliminating the clerics and Christians in Vietnam. To work closely with Dominican missionaries in the evangelizing mission, in 1857 Fr. Joseph joined the Order of Preachers (his religious brothers called him Fr. Hoan). In 1858 Fr. Joseph professed the solemn vow and became an exemplary member of the religious order.
* Teaching Love
Faced with the violent persecution of King Tự Đức and caring for the deserted flock, Fr. Joseph Tuân went into hiding to quietly minister to the flock during this difficult period. Early 1861 when he was still serving Ngọc Đồng parish, a gravely ill elderly woman sent her son out for the priest to give her the last rite. Unfortunately, the son became a traitor out of his lust for reward. He denounced the priest to the district magistrate for money. The magistrate arrested the priest and took him to the governor of Hưng Yên.
At the tribunal, no matter what punishments, tortures, and shackles were pressed on him, Fr. Joseph Tuân remained loyal to the Holy Teacher. He adamantly gave testimony of his faith to Jesus even if he had to sacrifice his life. Honored with the imminent martyrdom, he continued to preach God’s love regardless of sufferings. He encouraged and energized the spirit of fellow Christian inmates, consoled and blessed parishioners who quietly came to visit him.
* In the Love of God
Finally the heroic soldier had reached his destination. After many tortures and months in jail, the death sentence by beheading was approved by King Tự Đức. On 4/29/1861 he was taken to the execution site in Hưng Yên. At the execution site, a Christian witness, Mrs. Anna Bình, had testified in the investigation of cause of beatification as followed:
“I saw God’s servant (Fr. Joseph Tuân) going to receive the death sentence with a solemn, brave, and joyful attitude. He walked slowly and with difficulty because his legs were in heavy shackles. At the execution site, he knelt down, and said the most holy name Jesus expressing his love and trust, then serenely awaited death. Many persons had witnessed his heroic death. I approached and used a piece of cloth to soak his blood just spilling out.”
Exactly 90 years to the day the hero of faith went to Heaven, on 4/29/1961 Pope Pius XII elevated Fr. Joseph Tuân to the rank of blessed along with 24 other Vietnamese martyrs.
Hoàng Tôn Thất
Saint Joseph TUÂN (HOAN)
Dominican Priest
(1811-1861)
* Witness of Love
“God have always continued to create the beautiful spring and to allow for crops to be plentiful. Similarly, from His authoritative and benevolent hands, God will disseminate on each successive generation virtues of compassion to console those who are in despair and to rescue those who are in danger. The future will be built on love, for sooner or later, love will triumph over hatred.” (Francis Xavier Rongin)
Rev. Joseph Tuân had lived and died with honor to give witness to God of all creation, and man is a creation that God so loves that He gave his son, Jesus Christ, so that the world could be resurrected into the eternal life with Him. (John 10:10)
Joseph Tuân was born circa 1811 in the village of Cao Xá, Hưng Yên province (presently Hưng Hải). Although his farmer family was poor, but his parents were Piusus and molded well their children. From that loving cradle, Joseph Tuân grew up in faith and love of God, of his parents and others.
Early on, Joseph Tuân was accepted into a “House of God”, a preparatory school training future religious, to study and live according to the Gospels. He was then chosen for seminary training, and later ordained into the priesthood becoming a minister of the Good News during the most brutal persecution under King Tự Đức’s reign, with arrests aiming at eliminating the clerics and Christians in Vietnam. To work closely with Dominican missionaries in the evangelizing mission, in 1857 Fr. Joseph joined the Order of Preachers (his religious brothers called him Fr. Hoan). In 1858 Fr. Joseph professed the solemn vow and became an exemplary member of the religious order.
* Teaching Love
Faced with the violent persecution of King Tự Đức and caring for the deserted flock, Fr. Joseph Tuân went into hiding to quietly minister to the flock during this difficult period. Early 1861 when he was still serving Ngọc Đồng parish, a gravely ill elderly woman sent her son out for the priest to give her the last rite. Unfortunately, the son became a traitor out of his lust for reward. He denounced the priest to the district magistrate for money. The magistrate arrested the priest and took him to the governor of Hưng Yên.
At the tribunal, no matter what punishments, tortures, and shackles were pressed on him, Fr. Joseph Tuân remained loyal to the Holy Teacher. He adamantly gave testimony of his faith to Jesus even if he had to sacrifice his life. Honored with the imminent martyrdom, he continued to preach God’s love regardless of sufferings. He encouraged and energized the spirit of fellow Christian inmates, consoled and blessed parishioners who quietly came to visit him.
* In the Love of God
Finally the heroic soldier had reached his destination. After many tortures and months in jail, the death sentence by beheading was approved by King Tự Đức. On 4/29/1861 he was taken to the execution site in Hưng Yên. At the execution site, a Christian witness, Mrs. Anna Bình, had testified in the investigation of cause of beatification as followed:
“I saw God’s servant (Fr. Joseph Tuân) going to receive the death sentence with a solemn, brave, and joyful attitude. He walked slowly and with difficulty because his legs were in heavy shackles. At the execution site, he knelt down, and said the most holy name Jesus expressing his love and trust, then serenely awaited death. Many persons had witnessed his heroic death. I approached and used a piece of cloth to soak his blood just spilling out.”
Exactly 90 years to the day the hero of faith went to Heaven, on 4/29/1961 Pope Pius XII elevated Fr. Joseph Tuân to the rank of blessed along with 24 other Vietnamese martyrs.
Hoàng Tôn Thất