PDA

View Full Version : Ngày 16/6: Thánh Andrew Tường, Vincent Tương, Dominic Mạo, Dominic Nguyên,Dominic Nhi


admin
06-06-2006, 08:26 PM
June 16
Saint Andre TƯỜNG
Famer
(1812-1862)

Saint Vincent TƯƠNG
Canton Chief
(1814-1862)

Saint Dominic NGUYỄN ĐỨC MẠO
Farmer
(1818-1862)

Saint Dominic NHI
Farmer
(1822-1862)

Saint Dominic NGUYÊN
Community Leader
(1800-1862)

* Faith Was Witnessed.

The following excerpt from the letter to the Jews seemed to describe the lives of the five martyrs: Andrew Tường, Vincent Tương, Dominic Nguyễn Đức Mạo.

“Some were tortured and would not accept deliverance, in order to obtain a better resurrection.
Others endured mockery, scourging, even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, sawed in two, put to death at sword's point; they went about in skins of sheep or goats, needy, afflicted, tormented. The world was not worthy of them. They wandered about in deserts and on mountains, in caves and in crevices in the earth. Yet all these, though approved because of their faith, did not receive what had been promised.” (Hebrews 11: 35,37,39).

Succumbed under the edict of Segregation and Integration, together these five Christians of the same parish had suffered and together received glory in Heaven. God had witnessed their faith.

* Attached Destinies.

During King Tự Đức’s reign, Lục Thuỷ parish in Nam Định province, vicariate of Mid Tonkin, was composed of 13 communities scattered in 9 villages. Ngọc Cục village was home to two Catholic communities, Ngọc Cục (with Feast of Assumption as patron) and Phú Yên (with St. Vincent as patron).

Three men Andrew Tường, Vincent Tương and Dominic Nguyễn Đức Mạo belonged to the community of Phú Yên. Andrew Tường, born in 1812, and Vincent Tương, born in 1814, was brothers. Their father, Mr. Dominic Tiên, was leader of the community council, and their mother was Mrs. Maria Gương. Mr. Vincent Tương, two years younger than his brother, once was canton chief. Mr. Dominic Nguyễn Đức Mạo, born in 1818, was the son of Mr. Dominic Giỏi, district magistrate, and Mrs. Maria Nhiên. He was 44 at his arrest and responsible for security of the village.

Messrs. Dominic Nguyên and Dominic Nhi belonged to the community of Ngọc Cục. Dominic Nguyên, born in 1800, was the son of Mr. Dominic Duệ who was a district magistrate. At his arrest he was the leader of the parish council of Lục Thuỷ parish. His son, Mr. Dominic Trình (35 years old), also arrested, was martyred a day after his execution. Mr. Dominic Nhi, born in 1812, was the son of Mr. Dominic Vương and Mrs. Catherine Vân.

The five men had families and were generous and wealthy Catholic farmers who were well respected by villagers. Especially Mr. Dominic Nguyên, with his additional knowledge in medicine, had ample opportunities to practice his charity even to pagans in the area. It is unclear whether the men were close acquaintances before their arrests, but with their similarities, they were the first subjects being looked at when the edict of Segregation and Integration was applied in Ngọc Cục village.

The edict of Segregation and Integration issued by King Tự Đức on 8/5/1861 had 5 major directives: Separating Catholic villages; integrating them into pagan villages; confiscating properties and farms; tattooing on the cheeks of Catholics then handed them over to pagans. Against that background, the five men were arrested on 9/14/1861. The mandarin of Xuân Trường prefecture ordered them to trample on the cross. But God’s disciples resolutely refused to offend God. Angrily, so the mandarin angrily sent them to Bạch Cốc village in the district of Vụ Bản, Nam Định province.

* Prison and Testimony.

For 7 months in jail, carrying a yoke around the necks, hands and feet in chains, scourged brutally, but the five heroes still maintained their loyalty to God. As ordered by the edict of Segregation and Integration, soldiers used a red-hot iron to tattoo on their cheeks the words “perverse religion” and hometown. It was utterly shameful and painful, but the men patiently endured and held on to their faith.

To ask for God’ support and providence, the men gathered around to pray and to recite the Rosary. Through their prayers, they found the determination and courage to overcome all trials and hardships. Besides, they helped one another atone for their past mistakes and denied themselves by fasting three days a week to prepare for martyrdom.

In the letter of 8/2/1862, Fr. Estevez Nam described the persecution in Nam Định as followed:

“In Nam Định province, Catholics were driven out of their own homes; soldiers bound them into groups of five and allowed enough rice to last for a couple of days... 300 Catholics were arrested, Governor Nguyễn Đình Tân disallowed food assistance and only a few days later, 240 persons died while the rest were near death... On May 18, 1862, the governor ordered 21 persons executed; on the 22, 43 were beheaded; on the 26, 67 persons were executed... On May 30, he had 112 persons bound and thrown in the river followed by 112 other persons the following day...

admin
07-06-2006, 04:29 AM
The governor’s act was followed by other district magistrates, so the number of Catholic subjected to death amounted to the hundreds, some were beheaded, some burned in jail; those trying to flee were stopped by executioners and forced to stay in the fire with their sabers. On one occasion, 150 persons were ordered executed, but due to the executioner’s inexperience, only 20 were beheaded, the rest were pushed into the river. A number of persons were lucky enough to scramble ashore; but they were stopped by soldiers, tied in groups of two, and thrown into a well to die.[1] (http://www.gpnt.net/diendan/newreply.php?do=newreply&noquote=1&p=1593#_ftn1)

To the five soldiers of faith: Andrew Tường, Vincent Tương, Dominic Mạo, Dominic Nguyên, and Dominic Nhi, the governor was more lenient. On June 15, 1862, the governor once more urged them to walk over the cross, but the men again refused. The governor then had the men tied up and exposed in the sun without giving them any food. The following morning, the governor changed tactics by enticing them with sweet words into rejecting their faith. Though hungry, thirsty and exhausted, Mr. Dominic Mạo responded for the group: “Why do Your Honor seduce us like that? You probably think that we are still little children afraid of pain, so you try to entice us to renounce our faith? If we had wanted to avoid arrest and torture by walking over the cross, we had done it while we were still at our village, not foolishly going through hardships here. Now Your Honor should do what you will, we will never abandon our faith.”

* Welcoming Glory.

Enraged at those words, the governor ordered immediate executions of God’s loyal servants. Soldiers took them to the place of execution in Bạch Cốc, Nam Định province. The five witnesses of faith happily entrusted their soul to God and asked for strength to overcome the last trial. In fact they were extremely brave; instead of asking for one cut, they asked for three cuts to show their veneration of the Trinity.

It was June 16, 1862 the remains of the five heroic martyrs were handed to their families who buried them right at the site of execution. Their remains were exhumed the following year and brought back to their hometown church.

On April 29, 1951 Pope Pius XII solemnly elevated the five martyrs: Andrew Tường, Vincent Tương, Dominic Nguyễn Đức Mạo, Dominic Nguyên, and Dominic Nhi to the rank of blessed.



Hoàng Tôn Thất

-----
[1] (http://www.gpnt.net/diendan/newreply.php?do=newreply&noquote=1&p=1593#_ftnref1) M. Gispert: Historia de Les Missiones Dominici en Tonkin, Avila 1928, pp. 610-612.