admin
30-06-2006, 08:11 AM
July 28
Saint Joseph Melchior Garcia SAMPEDRO XUYÊN
Dominican Bishop
(1821-1858)
* Painting a Portrait.
Saint Joseph Sampedro Xuyên was 37 years old, with 9 years of evangelizing, 3 years as bishop (2 of those years as Coadjutor...). These are relatively small numbers, but his accomplishments are astounding, because at the time he was responsible for the biggest diocese (154,000 Christians) that was also persecuted the most. Moreover, his life is always a shining model of a man who lived with reason and love, who paid attention even to little details, led an austere life, committed to evangelizing, prayed constantly, and especially adored the Blessed Mother.
* A Child of Promise.
Joseph Melchior Garcia Sampedro Xuyên was born on 4/29/1821 in San Pedro Arrijo, Oviedo, Spain in an aristocratic but impoverished family. At an early age, Melchior Sampedro had revealed his piety. He liked to gather little children to teach them prayers. During his family nightly prayer, he took on the responsibility of starting the rosary and prayers, and knelt through out the session.
At 12, Melchior Sampedro expressed his desire to become a priest. Though poor, his parents still sent him to study Latin with the religious named Alvares. To save his parents’ money, he decided to walk to school everyday. In his days off, he helped his parents working on the farm. In 1835, he entered the University of Oviedo. To ease his financial difficulty, he tutored and borrowed textbooks. With his diligence, he always passed exams with high grades.
Starting in 1842, even though he was still a student, he was hired to teach literature, Latin, and music at San Jose. In 1844 after completing philosophy and theology, he was assigned an assistant professor teaching morality to new students. When school was out, he went home and worked in the field to share the financial burden with his parents. When students expressed their surprise, he replied: “No work is dishonored, if it is not against God. Even God of Heaven had chosen to be born in a manger.”
During the summer, he taught catechism to children to prepare them for sacraments. Villagers respected him and often called him “praying man” for the long time that he knelt before the Eucharist as well as his lifelong habit of reciting and contemplating the 15 Prayers of the Holy Rosary daily.
* A Preacher.
However, Professor Melchior Sampedro was not satisfied, he felt God’s calling for him to dedicate his life to the evangelization to the pagans. He joined the Dominican Province of the Most Hoy Rosary to spread the Good News in the Far East against the strong opposition of his family, discouragement and tears. He received the Dominican habits on 8/16/1845 at the age of 24. He professed the solemn vows on 8/18/1846.
Because he already finished his theology studies at Oviedo, Brother Melchior Sampedro was ordained a priest on 5/29/1847 in Madrid and celebrated the thanksgiving mass on June 6 in Ocana. Nine months later Fr. Melchior Sampedro embarked the ship Victoria from Cadiz for Manila on 7/25/1848 on Saint Jacob feast day. In Manila, his superior had arranged for him to teach philosophy at the university of Saint Thomas, but after expressing his desire to evangelize in Vietnam, the superior relented.
Three months later, he boarded a ship for Macao and reached Đông Xuyên, Vietnam, on 2/28/1848 carrying two apostolic letters from the Holy See appointing bishops Hermosilla Liêm and Marti Gia to the newly created east and west vicariates, respectively. After spending some time with Bishop Hermosilla Liêm, Fr. Melchior Sampedro was given a Vietnamese name Xuyên.
Bishop Hermosilla Liêm then sent the priest to Nam An to learn Vietnamese and to work until March 1850 when he was assigned as director of Cao Xá seminary by Bishop Sanjuro An. In July 1852 he was appointed superior of the Dominican chapter in Vietnam. In addition to fulfilling his teaching responsibilities, Fr. Sampedro also led by example the life of a missionary. He followed the Dominican Order’s vows of chastity and fasting, wore the habits and performed many acts of sacrifices. Besides, he published many booklets to teach Christianity to the pagans. Bishop Sanjuro An confirmed that a new mission of 54 families and 500 Christians near Cao Xá was the result of Fr. Superior Sampedro Xuyên’s commitment.
* Bishop During the Persecution.
In August 1852, Bishop Sanjurjo An succeeded Bishop Marti Gia who passed away on the 26 of August. Due to the large number of Christians, Bishop Sanjuro An asked the Holy See to appoint Fr. Sampedro Xuyên to be his assistant bishop, the titular bishop of Tricomia. The consecration mass was solemnly celebrated on September 16, 1855 in Bùi Chu village with two consecrator bishops, 49 priests, and a many Christians. In his new responsibility, Bishop Sampedro Xuyên was even more committed to evangelization. During the cholera plague, providing baptism services to sick children was accelerated. In 1855 alone, 35,349 children were baptized.
Even under difficult circumstances, Bishop Sampedro Xuyên still secretly visited parishes and most his services were conducted at night. In May 1857 when Bishop Sanjuro An was arrested, attempting to free him Bishop Sampedro Xuyên sent letters to the priest coordinating the evangelization in China appealing to diplomatic missions of France and Spain to intervene. Unfortunately, when ships of the allied forces came, the bishop had been executed on July 20.
The persecution became more violent. The authorities destroyed churches in Bùi Chu, Lục Thuỷ, Phú Nhai, hospitals, orphanages, and seminaries. Governor Nguyễn Đình Tân campaigned vigorously to captures all the bishops and priests in his province. Bishop Sampedro Xuyên’s head was priced so high that people everywhere were trying to arrest him.
On the other hand, fearing that the diocese would be leaderless, Bishop Sampedro Xuyên chose Fr. Berri Ochoe Vinh as his Coadjutor bishop. The once in a lifetime ordination of the “bamboo staff and paper mitre” was celebrated secretly in a Christian’s home on 6/13/1858 in Ninh Cường.
Leading the diocese during the persecution, Bishop Sampedro Xuyên’s piety and spirituality was even more prominent. He often called himself a “miserable sinner.” He often advised others: “Look at others’ mistakes to improve one’s life, and willingly listen to others’ opinions.” The bishop always wore sackcloth, meditated the Holy Rosary and prayed to Our Lady of Sorrows, the Queen of the martyrs and the link to Christ’s sufferings. Because of his special reverence for the Blessed Mother, he always started letters and speeches with the words AVE MARIA.
Saint Joseph Melchior Garcia SAMPEDRO XUYÊN
Dominican Bishop
(1821-1858)
* Painting a Portrait.
Saint Joseph Sampedro Xuyên was 37 years old, with 9 years of evangelizing, 3 years as bishop (2 of those years as Coadjutor...). These are relatively small numbers, but his accomplishments are astounding, because at the time he was responsible for the biggest diocese (154,000 Christians) that was also persecuted the most. Moreover, his life is always a shining model of a man who lived with reason and love, who paid attention even to little details, led an austere life, committed to evangelizing, prayed constantly, and especially adored the Blessed Mother.
* A Child of Promise.
Joseph Melchior Garcia Sampedro Xuyên was born on 4/29/1821 in San Pedro Arrijo, Oviedo, Spain in an aristocratic but impoverished family. At an early age, Melchior Sampedro had revealed his piety. He liked to gather little children to teach them prayers. During his family nightly prayer, he took on the responsibility of starting the rosary and prayers, and knelt through out the session.
At 12, Melchior Sampedro expressed his desire to become a priest. Though poor, his parents still sent him to study Latin with the religious named Alvares. To save his parents’ money, he decided to walk to school everyday. In his days off, he helped his parents working on the farm. In 1835, he entered the University of Oviedo. To ease his financial difficulty, he tutored and borrowed textbooks. With his diligence, he always passed exams with high grades.
Starting in 1842, even though he was still a student, he was hired to teach literature, Latin, and music at San Jose. In 1844 after completing philosophy and theology, he was assigned an assistant professor teaching morality to new students. When school was out, he went home and worked in the field to share the financial burden with his parents. When students expressed their surprise, he replied: “No work is dishonored, if it is not against God. Even God of Heaven had chosen to be born in a manger.”
During the summer, he taught catechism to children to prepare them for sacraments. Villagers respected him and often called him “praying man” for the long time that he knelt before the Eucharist as well as his lifelong habit of reciting and contemplating the 15 Prayers of the Holy Rosary daily.
* A Preacher.
However, Professor Melchior Sampedro was not satisfied, he felt God’s calling for him to dedicate his life to the evangelization to the pagans. He joined the Dominican Province of the Most Hoy Rosary to spread the Good News in the Far East against the strong opposition of his family, discouragement and tears. He received the Dominican habits on 8/16/1845 at the age of 24. He professed the solemn vows on 8/18/1846.
Because he already finished his theology studies at Oviedo, Brother Melchior Sampedro was ordained a priest on 5/29/1847 in Madrid and celebrated the thanksgiving mass on June 6 in Ocana. Nine months later Fr. Melchior Sampedro embarked the ship Victoria from Cadiz for Manila on 7/25/1848 on Saint Jacob feast day. In Manila, his superior had arranged for him to teach philosophy at the university of Saint Thomas, but after expressing his desire to evangelize in Vietnam, the superior relented.
Three months later, he boarded a ship for Macao and reached Đông Xuyên, Vietnam, on 2/28/1848 carrying two apostolic letters from the Holy See appointing bishops Hermosilla Liêm and Marti Gia to the newly created east and west vicariates, respectively. After spending some time with Bishop Hermosilla Liêm, Fr. Melchior Sampedro was given a Vietnamese name Xuyên.
Bishop Hermosilla Liêm then sent the priest to Nam An to learn Vietnamese and to work until March 1850 when he was assigned as director of Cao Xá seminary by Bishop Sanjuro An. In July 1852 he was appointed superior of the Dominican chapter in Vietnam. In addition to fulfilling his teaching responsibilities, Fr. Sampedro also led by example the life of a missionary. He followed the Dominican Order’s vows of chastity and fasting, wore the habits and performed many acts of sacrifices. Besides, he published many booklets to teach Christianity to the pagans. Bishop Sanjuro An confirmed that a new mission of 54 families and 500 Christians near Cao Xá was the result of Fr. Superior Sampedro Xuyên’s commitment.
* Bishop During the Persecution.
In August 1852, Bishop Sanjurjo An succeeded Bishop Marti Gia who passed away on the 26 of August. Due to the large number of Christians, Bishop Sanjuro An asked the Holy See to appoint Fr. Sampedro Xuyên to be his assistant bishop, the titular bishop of Tricomia. The consecration mass was solemnly celebrated on September 16, 1855 in Bùi Chu village with two consecrator bishops, 49 priests, and a many Christians. In his new responsibility, Bishop Sampedro Xuyên was even more committed to evangelization. During the cholera plague, providing baptism services to sick children was accelerated. In 1855 alone, 35,349 children were baptized.
Even under difficult circumstances, Bishop Sampedro Xuyên still secretly visited parishes and most his services were conducted at night. In May 1857 when Bishop Sanjuro An was arrested, attempting to free him Bishop Sampedro Xuyên sent letters to the priest coordinating the evangelization in China appealing to diplomatic missions of France and Spain to intervene. Unfortunately, when ships of the allied forces came, the bishop had been executed on July 20.
The persecution became more violent. The authorities destroyed churches in Bùi Chu, Lục Thuỷ, Phú Nhai, hospitals, orphanages, and seminaries. Governor Nguyễn Đình Tân campaigned vigorously to captures all the bishops and priests in his province. Bishop Sampedro Xuyên’s head was priced so high that people everywhere were trying to arrest him.
On the other hand, fearing that the diocese would be leaderless, Bishop Sampedro Xuyên chose Fr. Berri Ochoe Vinh as his Coadjutor bishop. The once in a lifetime ordination of the “bamboo staff and paper mitre” was celebrated secretly in a Christian’s home on 6/13/1858 in Ninh Cường.
Leading the diocese during the persecution, Bishop Sampedro Xuyên’s piety and spirituality was even more prominent. He often called himself a “miserable sinner.” He often advised others: “Look at others’ mistakes to improve one’s life, and willingly listen to others’ opinions.” The bishop always wore sackcloth, meditated the Holy Rosary and prayed to Our Lady of Sorrows, the Queen of the martyrs and the link to Christ’s sufferings. Because of his special reverence for the Blessed Mother, he always started letters and speeches with the words AVE MARIA.