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30-06-2006, 08:08 AM
July 24
Saint Joseph FERNANDEZ HIỀN
Dominican Priest
(1775-1838)
* A Reunion in Jail.
When questioned about missionaries, Fr. Fernandez Hiền immediately acknowledged the friendship with two bishops Delgado Ý and Henares Minh. The priest then asked to meet with the bishops who were jailed nearby. Each in their own cage, their meeting lasted an hour enough time for the three leaders of the east vicariate to talk, console, and encourage each other. Due to his failing health, Bishop Delgado Ý was not very talkative, but suddenly, he spoke aloud in Vietnamese as if he wanted the authority to hear: “Father Provincial, are you ready to let others cut your head off?” Without hesitation, Vicar Hiền replied: “Of course, I have been ready.” The authorities were extremely surprised at the calmness and even joy, to say the least, of the prisoners when they talked about their imminent deaths.
Two days later, Fr. Fernandez Hiền’s feelings were made clearer to the mandarins: “Please understand that I would never walk over the cross. About going back to my country (Spain), Christ, the only true faith that helps men to live right in this world and eternal happiness in afterlife, I am willing to use my blood to bear witness to Vietnamese that Christianity is a true religion. It is my purpose and my joy.”
* The Preaching Journey.
Joseph Fernandez Hiền was born on 12/3/1775 in a religious family in Ventoss de la Cuesta, Valladolid in the diocese of Avila, Spain. His parents were very happy at his joining the Dominican Order, and considered this as an honor and special gift from God. At St. Paul monastery in Valadolid, he professed the solemn vows on 8/2/1796 when he was 27 years old. Brother Fernandez finished his philosophy and theology studies and ordained a priest.
To fulfill his dream of promulgating the Good News in the Far East, Fr. Fernandez transferred to the Most Holy Rosary Province in Manila (the Philippines) on 4/16/1805. From there he went to Macao with three other Dominican priests: Louis Villanova, Jacob Matheo, and Manuel Gonzalez. On 2/18/1806 the four preachers embarked on an English ship to enter the Port of Cửa Hàn (Đà Nẵng) from where they walked separately to the East Tonkin because no boats were available due to storms. In June, Fr. Fernandez Hiền arrived at the sister province in Vietnam.
Vietnam was still ruled by King Gia Long, missionaries were relatively free to preach. After a few hours of learning Vietnamese, the young disciple enthusiastically plunged into missionary works. Due his innate friendliness, modesty, and graciousness, Fr. Hernandez Hiền was respected by everyone, both Christians as well as non-Christians. As a result, he helped a lot of pagans converted, especially in the village of Xuân Dục.
Fr. Hernandez Hiền spent most of his life at Kiên Lao where he elevated the number of Christians to 5,000 at the start of King Minh Mạng’s persecution when he was in charge of the seminary. In 1837 after a serious bout with dysentery, the Dominican Province assigned him superior of the Vietnamese chapter which he accepted with the assistance of Fr. Hermosilla Vọng. Although he was the superior for only a few months, but it was during the stormy persecution in the east vicariate because Fr. Viên’s letters had betrayed the presence of foreign priests in Nam Định province.
* Loneliness and Consolation.
During the repressive persecution of Governor Trịnh Quang Khanh in 1838, while at Ninh Cường seminary, Fr. Joseph Fernandez Hiền was requested by parishioners to relocate elsewhere: “Please love us and move away, because if they find you here, we will lose all our possessions and even our heads.” Hence, the 63 years old sick priest had to relocate to Quần Liêu with two catechists.
Arrived in Quần Liêu where Christians were as fearful of his presence as Ninh Cường’s Christians who asked him to move on. Once more Fr. Joseph Fernandez Hiền and the two catechists continued on aimlessly as Jesus had said: “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.” Fortunately, a Vietnamese priest appeared to help resolve their sticky situation.
Hearing of their predicament, Fr. Peter Tuần of Lác Môn parish went to Quần Liêu to intervene. He criticized Christians there for their ungratefulness and urged them to provide santuary to Fr. Joseph Fernandez Hiền for a few days. Fr. Peter Tuần also stayed to look for new hiding place for the missionary. Two days later the two priests crossed a river to enter Kim Sơn of the west vicariate of Tonkin where they were informed that the Nam Định governor had ordered the local authority to search for them. Therefore Kim Sơn’s parishioners dared not keep them; they led the priests to a small sampan and rowed it to a swamp nearby. Their hiding place was isolated and not searched by the authority, but it was smelly and muddy, hot during the day and full of mosquitoes at night.
Saint Joseph FERNANDEZ HIỀN
Dominican Priest
(1775-1838)
* A Reunion in Jail.
When questioned about missionaries, Fr. Fernandez Hiền immediately acknowledged the friendship with two bishops Delgado Ý and Henares Minh. The priest then asked to meet with the bishops who were jailed nearby. Each in their own cage, their meeting lasted an hour enough time for the three leaders of the east vicariate to talk, console, and encourage each other. Due to his failing health, Bishop Delgado Ý was not very talkative, but suddenly, he spoke aloud in Vietnamese as if he wanted the authority to hear: “Father Provincial, are you ready to let others cut your head off?” Without hesitation, Vicar Hiền replied: “Of course, I have been ready.” The authorities were extremely surprised at the calmness and even joy, to say the least, of the prisoners when they talked about their imminent deaths.
Two days later, Fr. Fernandez Hiền’s feelings were made clearer to the mandarins: “Please understand that I would never walk over the cross. About going back to my country (Spain), Christ, the only true faith that helps men to live right in this world and eternal happiness in afterlife, I am willing to use my blood to bear witness to Vietnamese that Christianity is a true religion. It is my purpose and my joy.”
* The Preaching Journey.
Joseph Fernandez Hiền was born on 12/3/1775 in a religious family in Ventoss de la Cuesta, Valladolid in the diocese of Avila, Spain. His parents were very happy at his joining the Dominican Order, and considered this as an honor and special gift from God. At St. Paul monastery in Valadolid, he professed the solemn vows on 8/2/1796 when he was 27 years old. Brother Fernandez finished his philosophy and theology studies and ordained a priest.
To fulfill his dream of promulgating the Good News in the Far East, Fr. Fernandez transferred to the Most Holy Rosary Province in Manila (the Philippines) on 4/16/1805. From there he went to Macao with three other Dominican priests: Louis Villanova, Jacob Matheo, and Manuel Gonzalez. On 2/18/1806 the four preachers embarked on an English ship to enter the Port of Cửa Hàn (Đà Nẵng) from where they walked separately to the East Tonkin because no boats were available due to storms. In June, Fr. Fernandez Hiền arrived at the sister province in Vietnam.
Vietnam was still ruled by King Gia Long, missionaries were relatively free to preach. After a few hours of learning Vietnamese, the young disciple enthusiastically plunged into missionary works. Due his innate friendliness, modesty, and graciousness, Fr. Hernandez Hiền was respected by everyone, both Christians as well as non-Christians. As a result, he helped a lot of pagans converted, especially in the village of Xuân Dục.
Fr. Hernandez Hiền spent most of his life at Kiên Lao where he elevated the number of Christians to 5,000 at the start of King Minh Mạng’s persecution when he was in charge of the seminary. In 1837 after a serious bout with dysentery, the Dominican Province assigned him superior of the Vietnamese chapter which he accepted with the assistance of Fr. Hermosilla Vọng. Although he was the superior for only a few months, but it was during the stormy persecution in the east vicariate because Fr. Viên’s letters had betrayed the presence of foreign priests in Nam Định province.
* Loneliness and Consolation.
During the repressive persecution of Governor Trịnh Quang Khanh in 1838, while at Ninh Cường seminary, Fr. Joseph Fernandez Hiền was requested by parishioners to relocate elsewhere: “Please love us and move away, because if they find you here, we will lose all our possessions and even our heads.” Hence, the 63 years old sick priest had to relocate to Quần Liêu with two catechists.
Arrived in Quần Liêu where Christians were as fearful of his presence as Ninh Cường’s Christians who asked him to move on. Once more Fr. Joseph Fernandez Hiền and the two catechists continued on aimlessly as Jesus had said: “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.” Fortunately, a Vietnamese priest appeared to help resolve their sticky situation.
Hearing of their predicament, Fr. Peter Tuần of Lác Môn parish went to Quần Liêu to intervene. He criticized Christians there for their ungratefulness and urged them to provide santuary to Fr. Joseph Fernandez Hiền for a few days. Fr. Peter Tuần also stayed to look for new hiding place for the missionary. Two days later the two priests crossed a river to enter Kim Sơn of the west vicariate of Tonkin where they were informed that the Nam Định governor had ordered the local authority to search for them. Therefore Kim Sơn’s parishioners dared not keep them; they led the priests to a small sampan and rowed it to a swamp nearby. Their hiding place was isolated and not searched by the authority, but it was smelly and muddy, hot during the day and full of mosquitoes at night.