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06-06-2006, 08:37 PM
June 27
Saint Thomas TOÁN
Dominican Teriary and Catechist
(1764-1840)
* Courage of Old Age.
After 13 days of being exposed naked in the sun and dew and without any food, soldiers brought a tray full of delicious food and placed it in front of the prisoner and invited him to eat it. However the 76 years old man refused: “If I have to walk over the cross for the food, I will never eat.”
That courageous old man was Catechist Thomas Toán.
Born in 1764 in the village of Cần Phán, Thái Bình Province, Thomas Toán was a member of the Dominican Tertiary Confraternity as well as a trustworthy catechist ministering in Trung Linh. His religious order appointed him an assistant administrator of the community house there. During King Minh Mạng’s reign of terror, the catechist Toán was the trusted right hand of the elderly pastor Tuyên ministering to the faithful.
* Falling and Contrition.
Coveting the reward money, a medicine man named Tư in the village of Trung Linh informed the mandarin of Xuân Trường prefecture the existence of a priest in the village that led to the search by soldiers on 12/16/1839 soldiers. Luckily old Fr. Tuyên avoided capture by escaping into a trench. Catechist Toán, unable to get away, was arrested and taken to the holding area for identification. The catechist assumed a new name, Thi, and proceeded to sit among the villagers. However, with Mr. Tư’s guidance, soldiers went to him, yanking a cloth covering his head and announced: “This bald-headed is a priest.” Later they discovered that he was not a priest, but still imprisoned him for his refusal to walk over the cross.
His martyrdom was marked by his twice renouncing the faith:
¸ The first time happened after a month of torture, on 1/19/1840, for fear, he stepped over the cross. However, the governor did not release him, he still wanted to make certain if the catechist truly abandoned his faith. When soldiers took him back to jail, Fr. Joseph Hiển passionately counseled him to be contrite and to maintain his faith in God.
¸ The second time happened on April 18. Governor Trịnh Quang Khanh ordered two persons who had walked over the cross to help encouraging the catechist Toán, and threatened them with death if they were unsuccessful. These persons cried begging the catechist to save them from death, he once more walked over the cross. This time, feeling sorry for allowing himself to be fooled, he became contrite and shed so much tear that nobody could stop him. Fifteen days later, with the imprisonment of Fr. Dominic Trạch in the same cell, the priest consoled and heard his confession. From then on, the catechist became a new person having the strength to face more burdensome trials.
* Nothing Can Shake...
On May 9, before executing Fr. Joseph Hiển, Catechist Toán was also brought to the tribunal alongside the priest. After the two resolutely refused to walk over the cross, the mandarin had the elephant trainer bring two elephants to push on their backs. Catechist Toán and Fr. Hiển calmly stepped to the side, determined not to walk over the cross. Enraged, Governor Trịnh Quang Khanh ordered the catechist taken to jail, and ordered the priest led to the execution field for immediate execution.
One day the governor humorously told a soldier: “Bring the elderly Toán here so that he walk over the cross, for he might forget.” But the governor was disappointed, this warrior of faith was amazingly brave; even under savage tortures, the catechist still maintained his loyalty to God. After a bout of deadening beating soldiers dragged him over the cross, he immediately broke free and kneeled down to say the prayer of contrition. The governor furiously ordered him thrown into a different jail with no food or drink, and allowed soldiers to freely torture him anyway they wished.
As a result soldiers stripped him naked, tied two small crosses on his feet, and exposed him to the environment without any food. At the same time, they stood around and harassed him: pulling his beard, yanking his hair, pinching his ears, and squeezing his nose... When the catechist’s exhaustion due to intense hunger became noticeable, Mandarin Trịnh Quang Khanh deviously had a tray of delicious food brought to the catechist and said: “Eat it, then walk over the cross.” But the hero of faith would rather die of hunger than renounce his faith, he said: “If I have to walk over the cross for the food, I will never eat.” The mandarin ordered him back in jail and without food for an extra five days so that the catechist would die of hunger. A prison guard named Thám felt sorry for him and secretly gave him some food, however the guard’s act of kindness was discovered and punished.
* To the Last Breath.
From then on, the elderly Catechist Toán had to suffer from hunger and thirst until he fell and died in prison on 6/27/1840. Catechist Toán was buried with other prisoners. Seven months later, his body was exhumed and reburied in Lục Thuỷ with other martyrs.
Pope Leo XIII elevated Catechist Thomas Toán to the rank of blessed on 5/27/1900.
Hoàng Tôn Thất
Saint Thomas TOÁN
Dominican Teriary and Catechist
(1764-1840)
* Courage of Old Age.
After 13 days of being exposed naked in the sun and dew and without any food, soldiers brought a tray full of delicious food and placed it in front of the prisoner and invited him to eat it. However the 76 years old man refused: “If I have to walk over the cross for the food, I will never eat.”
That courageous old man was Catechist Thomas Toán.
Born in 1764 in the village of Cần Phán, Thái Bình Province, Thomas Toán was a member of the Dominican Tertiary Confraternity as well as a trustworthy catechist ministering in Trung Linh. His religious order appointed him an assistant administrator of the community house there. During King Minh Mạng’s reign of terror, the catechist Toán was the trusted right hand of the elderly pastor Tuyên ministering to the faithful.
* Falling and Contrition.
Coveting the reward money, a medicine man named Tư in the village of Trung Linh informed the mandarin of Xuân Trường prefecture the existence of a priest in the village that led to the search by soldiers on 12/16/1839 soldiers. Luckily old Fr. Tuyên avoided capture by escaping into a trench. Catechist Toán, unable to get away, was arrested and taken to the holding area for identification. The catechist assumed a new name, Thi, and proceeded to sit among the villagers. However, with Mr. Tư’s guidance, soldiers went to him, yanking a cloth covering his head and announced: “This bald-headed is a priest.” Later they discovered that he was not a priest, but still imprisoned him for his refusal to walk over the cross.
His martyrdom was marked by his twice renouncing the faith:
¸ The first time happened after a month of torture, on 1/19/1840, for fear, he stepped over the cross. However, the governor did not release him, he still wanted to make certain if the catechist truly abandoned his faith. When soldiers took him back to jail, Fr. Joseph Hiển passionately counseled him to be contrite and to maintain his faith in God.
¸ The second time happened on April 18. Governor Trịnh Quang Khanh ordered two persons who had walked over the cross to help encouraging the catechist Toán, and threatened them with death if they were unsuccessful. These persons cried begging the catechist to save them from death, he once more walked over the cross. This time, feeling sorry for allowing himself to be fooled, he became contrite and shed so much tear that nobody could stop him. Fifteen days later, with the imprisonment of Fr. Dominic Trạch in the same cell, the priest consoled and heard his confession. From then on, the catechist became a new person having the strength to face more burdensome trials.
* Nothing Can Shake...
On May 9, before executing Fr. Joseph Hiển, Catechist Toán was also brought to the tribunal alongside the priest. After the two resolutely refused to walk over the cross, the mandarin had the elephant trainer bring two elephants to push on their backs. Catechist Toán and Fr. Hiển calmly stepped to the side, determined not to walk over the cross. Enraged, Governor Trịnh Quang Khanh ordered the catechist taken to jail, and ordered the priest led to the execution field for immediate execution.
One day the governor humorously told a soldier: “Bring the elderly Toán here so that he walk over the cross, for he might forget.” But the governor was disappointed, this warrior of faith was amazingly brave; even under savage tortures, the catechist still maintained his loyalty to God. After a bout of deadening beating soldiers dragged him over the cross, he immediately broke free and kneeled down to say the prayer of contrition. The governor furiously ordered him thrown into a different jail with no food or drink, and allowed soldiers to freely torture him anyway they wished.
As a result soldiers stripped him naked, tied two small crosses on his feet, and exposed him to the environment without any food. At the same time, they stood around and harassed him: pulling his beard, yanking his hair, pinching his ears, and squeezing his nose... When the catechist’s exhaustion due to intense hunger became noticeable, Mandarin Trịnh Quang Khanh deviously had a tray of delicious food brought to the catechist and said: “Eat it, then walk over the cross.” But the hero of faith would rather die of hunger than renounce his faith, he said: “If I have to walk over the cross for the food, I will never eat.” The mandarin ordered him back in jail and without food for an extra five days so that the catechist would die of hunger. A prison guard named Thám felt sorry for him and secretly gave him some food, however the guard’s act of kindness was discovered and punished.
* To the Last Breath.
From then on, the elderly Catechist Toán had to suffer from hunger and thirst until he fell and died in prison on 6/27/1840. Catechist Toán was buried with other prisoners. Seven months later, his body was exhumed and reburied in Lục Thuỷ with other martyrs.
Pope Leo XIII elevated Catechist Thomas Toán to the rank of blessed on 5/27/1900.
Hoàng Tôn Thất