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06-04-2006, 09:12 PM
May 22
Saint Michael HỒ ĐÌNH HY
Mandarin of Third Grade
(1808-1857)
A Living Portrait
Standing in front of the “Behold, the man” (Ecce Homo) depicting the presenting of Jesus by Pilate to the public after being scourged (John 19:5), Saint Therese of Avila described as followed:
“That lively painting depicting Jesus full of injuries had touched me the moment I viewed it. I felt my body trembled for sensing the sufferings God had endured for us. My heart was broken by the remorse for all my disloyalties which had hurt Him. In tears, I immediately knelt before Him once and for all asking for the strength to never again burdening Him...”
In the history of the Vietnamese Church, the painting “Behold, the man” was drawn not on cloth but on the portrait of Mr. Michael Đình Hy, full of injuries, being paraded through the open market and the inner citadel of Huế for three days as the soldier in front announced his name and crime of “tả đạo” or “perverse religion.” The saint had accepted the portrait to show his penitence and his faith.
A Loyal Public Servant
Michael Hồ Đình Hy was born in 1808 in Nhu Lâm, Thừa Thiên province, into a privileged bureaucrat family. He was the youngest among 12 siblings. He studied the Nho language at an early age. He seemingly knew some English and French as well. He started work as a secretary in the Ministry of Public Works. At 20 Michael Hy married Miss. Lucia Tân. Together they had five children of whom the eldest son, Thịnh, later studied at the major seminary in Penang, Malaysia, and was ordained a priest. Because of his effective work habits, he was promoted to increasing responsibilities. Under King Tự Đức’s reign, he was a mandarin with nationwide responsibility for the weaving industry. His prestige was growing at the same time that he was gaining the trust of the king. When a few courtiers became jealous and asked the king to demote Michael Hồ Đình Hy, King Tự Đức replied:
“It’s impossible to remove him because he has fulfilled his responsibilities conscientiously. Before this, no one could stay in that job for two years. Until now, I have nothing to criticize him, on the other hand I may raise his salary in commensuration with his responsibility.”
Despites being a mandarin during the persecution, he never hid his Catholic identity. At home, he placed the shrine with the icon of God at an appropriate place and decorated with flowers and candle. Nevertheless, he fell into a few bad habits and had an extramarital affair with a young woman with whom he had three children. To atone for his mistake, he brought them home and raised them in the Christian faith. He also spent a lot of time doing charity works as a penance for his sins. He once confided to friends: “I believe that even all the water from the world’s rivers could not cleanse away my sins. They might only be cleansed with my own blood.”
Here we can reminisce a few anecdotes of his life:
- A man was accused of stealing from the royal warehouse. Mr. Michael Hy intervened and the king pardoned the accused. The man went to Mr. Michael Hy’s home to show appreciation and put on the table a bag of money. But Mr. Michael Hy told him: “Take the money and get out of here or I will hand you over to justice immediately.” Hearing of the news, many people said: “We have never heard of such a good person.” The pardoned man unwittingly had offended the integrity of his benefactor.
- A gravely ill drug addict was taken to Mr. Michael Hy’s home where he welcomed and arranged for the sick person to live in a hut behind his house. Daily, before and after his workday, he stopped by to visit and took care of the sick person. When someone criticized this action, he responded: “We have to do a lot of charity work to pay for our sins. And once started, we should not do it in a perfunctory way but with good intentions to maintain our honor.” And he continued to care for the sick person until he died 15 days later. He then gave the dead a proper funeral.
- A family in the area was so poor that the parents sold two young girls to a pagan family. Hearing of the news, Mr. Michael Hy paid the pagan family to buy them back, raised them in his home. At maturity, one entered religious life and the other was married.
Bishop Pellerin Phan of the East Vicariate of the South confidently asked Mr. Michael Hy to provide assistance to catechists of Thừa Thiên province; the bishop later gave him the responsibility to care for all the diocesan properties and missions. With the new responsibility, he had generously given money and effort to the Church. Once the bishop was on a pastoral visit when the boat he was in was rammed by another boat whose owner demanded a payment, Mr. Michael Hy immediately removed the expensive coat he had on and gave it to the owner of the other boat even though he knew that the accident was the other person’s fault. He just wanted to protect the bishop.
Hoàng Tôn Thất
Saint Michael HỒ ĐÌNH HY
Mandarin of Third Grade
(1808-1857)
A Living Portrait
Standing in front of the “Behold, the man” (Ecce Homo) depicting the presenting of Jesus by Pilate to the public after being scourged (John 19:5), Saint Therese of Avila described as followed:
“That lively painting depicting Jesus full of injuries had touched me the moment I viewed it. I felt my body trembled for sensing the sufferings God had endured for us. My heart was broken by the remorse for all my disloyalties which had hurt Him. In tears, I immediately knelt before Him once and for all asking for the strength to never again burdening Him...”
In the history of the Vietnamese Church, the painting “Behold, the man” was drawn not on cloth but on the portrait of Mr. Michael Đình Hy, full of injuries, being paraded through the open market and the inner citadel of Huế for three days as the soldier in front announced his name and crime of “tả đạo” or “perverse religion.” The saint had accepted the portrait to show his penitence and his faith.
A Loyal Public Servant
Michael Hồ Đình Hy was born in 1808 in Nhu Lâm, Thừa Thiên province, into a privileged bureaucrat family. He was the youngest among 12 siblings. He studied the Nho language at an early age. He seemingly knew some English and French as well. He started work as a secretary in the Ministry of Public Works. At 20 Michael Hy married Miss. Lucia Tân. Together they had five children of whom the eldest son, Thịnh, later studied at the major seminary in Penang, Malaysia, and was ordained a priest. Because of his effective work habits, he was promoted to increasing responsibilities. Under King Tự Đức’s reign, he was a mandarin with nationwide responsibility for the weaving industry. His prestige was growing at the same time that he was gaining the trust of the king. When a few courtiers became jealous and asked the king to demote Michael Hồ Đình Hy, King Tự Đức replied:
“It’s impossible to remove him because he has fulfilled his responsibilities conscientiously. Before this, no one could stay in that job for two years. Until now, I have nothing to criticize him, on the other hand I may raise his salary in commensuration with his responsibility.”
Despites being a mandarin during the persecution, he never hid his Catholic identity. At home, he placed the shrine with the icon of God at an appropriate place and decorated with flowers and candle. Nevertheless, he fell into a few bad habits and had an extramarital affair with a young woman with whom he had three children. To atone for his mistake, he brought them home and raised them in the Christian faith. He also spent a lot of time doing charity works as a penance for his sins. He once confided to friends: “I believe that even all the water from the world’s rivers could not cleanse away my sins. They might only be cleansed with my own blood.”
Here we can reminisce a few anecdotes of his life:
- A man was accused of stealing from the royal warehouse. Mr. Michael Hy intervened and the king pardoned the accused. The man went to Mr. Michael Hy’s home to show appreciation and put on the table a bag of money. But Mr. Michael Hy told him: “Take the money and get out of here or I will hand you over to justice immediately.” Hearing of the news, many people said: “We have never heard of such a good person.” The pardoned man unwittingly had offended the integrity of his benefactor.
- A gravely ill drug addict was taken to Mr. Michael Hy’s home where he welcomed and arranged for the sick person to live in a hut behind his house. Daily, before and after his workday, he stopped by to visit and took care of the sick person. When someone criticized this action, he responded: “We have to do a lot of charity work to pay for our sins. And once started, we should not do it in a perfunctory way but with good intentions to maintain our honor.” And he continued to care for the sick person until he died 15 days later. He then gave the dead a proper funeral.
- A family in the area was so poor that the parents sold two young girls to a pagan family. Hearing of the news, Mr. Michael Hy paid the pagan family to buy them back, raised them in his home. At maturity, one entered religious life and the other was married.
Bishop Pellerin Phan of the East Vicariate of the South confidently asked Mr. Michael Hy to provide assistance to catechists of Thừa Thiên province; the bishop later gave him the responsibility to care for all the diocesan properties and missions. With the new responsibility, he had generously given money and effort to the Church. Once the bishop was on a pastoral visit when the boat he was in was rammed by another boat whose owner demanded a payment, Mr. Michael Hy immediately removed the expensive coat he had on and gave it to the owner of the other boat even though he knew that the accident was the other person’s fault. He just wanted to protect the bishop.
Hoàng Tôn Thất