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30-06-2006, 08:21 AM
August 01
Saint Bernard VŨ VĂN DUỆ
Priest
(1755-1838)
* The Old Prisoner Sacrificed Willingly.
In a Nam Định prison in the fall of 1838, a prisoner, already 83 years old, still considered very lightly the harshness of prison life. On cold, windy, and stormy nights, even as his place of sleeping was soaked with rain, with no rainwater, he still did not move as ordered by prison guards. From the first day of imprisonment, he slept on the sedge mat on the ground, refusing blankets, and then a week later, he also gave up the sedge mat and slept on the ground.
The old man was Fr. Bernard Vũ Văn Duệ. To him, self-imposed sacrifices were not only necessary to augment unavoidable sacrifices, but were also means by which willpower could be developed to confront last challenges at the execution field. Also to him, contemplating Jesus’ Passion had to lead toward sharing God’s sufferings through practice. He said: “This place where I am lying now is much more comfortable than the old Jesus’ cross.”
* An Austere Priest.
Bernard Vũ Văn Duệ was born in 1755 in Quần Anh Hạ (Quần Phương) village, Nam Định province, into a Catholic family. At an early age he had offered his life to God, and started to prepare toward the priesthood. However, his studies were interrupted many times by the persecutions under the Lord Trịnh and under King Cảnh Thịnh. He was ordained a priest in 1795 at the age of 40. Fr. Bernard Duệ served the Church and Christians in his pastoral ministry for 37 years. In 1832 at the age of 77, the bishop considered his poor health, and allowed him to retire at Trung Lễ parish.
Unable to actively serve the Church, Fr. Bernard Duệ had offered his remaining days to pray for the Church. Even with his advanced age, everyday he read, meditated, shared the Good News, and advised Christians of the surrounding communities. He even imposed more self-sacrifice: abandoning bed for the dirt floor, foregoing mosquito net... Many people advised against it because of his age, he responded: “such self-sacrifice is nothing. Since I do not have any opportunity to do great things, I just do a few sacrifices.”
* The Worth of a Promise.
As King Minh Mạng ordered Governor Trịnh Quang Khanh to persecute priests, Bishop Delgado Y of the east vicariate had to leave his post in Bùi Chu. One day on the road to Kiên Lao, the bishop stopped in Trung Lễ to visit Fr. Bernard Duệ, the bishop half jokingly said: “Are you strong enough to go with me to the provincial city of Nam Định?” Fr. Bernard Duệ understood right away that the bishop meant martyrdom, so he replied: “Bishop, when you are arrested, please let me accompany you.”
Probably the bishop was joking and he forgot about the reply, but Fr. Bernard Duệ never forgot his words. Ever since 5/28/1838 when the bishop was arrested in Kiên Lao, Fr. Bernard Duệ had cried and wished to give himself up in order to be martyred with the bishop. He was already 83 at the time and too blind to go alone, but no one wanted to help him to the authority.
Hence, whenever he heard footsteps on the outside, he yelled out: “Let the authorities know that I am here. I am a priest, come and arrest me.” Parishioners asked him to keep quiet to avoid implicating them, he said: “I cannot remain silent because I had promised the bishop.” One day, soldiers heard his voice and entered the house. The priest said: “Now you have a priest, arrest and hand him to the mandarin.” A catechist standing nearby said: “That is my paternal grandfather. Don’t pay attention to him. He is confused because of his old age, so he calls himself a priest.” Seeing a bed-ridden old man of over 80, soldiers believed the catechist and left. Even after soldiers had been long gone, old Fr. Bernard Duệ kept on complaining that people had lost him an opportunity to be arrested.
In the following days, Fr. Bernard Duệ continued to beg passersby to tell the authority to arrest him. Seeing no hope in keeping him quiet and after discussions among themselves, Christians took him to a hut located in a field and asked a religious woman to care for him, because they sensed that soldiers would never search that area. Ironically on 7/4/1838, a team of soldiers unintentionally passed by the area, heard his voice, and entered the hut. The priest said: “Are you looking for priests? I am a priest.” Nobody was there to repudiate his admission, so he was arrested and taken to Governor Trịnh Quang Khanh.
* Hard as a Rock.
The governor laughed at the sight of an old man being escorted by soldiers, he had a crucifix laid on the ground and said: “You old man, walk over the cross and I will let you go home.” Fr. Bernard Duệ replied: “I beg His Highness to not tell me to do such thing. No matter what, I cannot obey your command.” It was almost dark, the governor had the priest jailed in a temple nearby and let him starved all evening. The next morning, the priest was taken to Nam Định where the judicial mandarin also asked the priest to walk over the cross and received the same result. The judicial mandarin did not have him tortured because of his age, but had him put in a cangue and put in jail.
For most of his two months in jail, the mandarin sent people in to advise him to reject his faith, but he emphatically refused. His early days in the cramped and moldy cell, Fr. Bernard Duệ slept on a sedge mat on the dirt floor, a Christian who felt sorry for him brought in a blanket to keep him warm, but the priest refused and said: “This place where I am lying now is much more comfortable than the old Jesus’ cross.” One day, rain soaked his place of sleep, the guard told him to move, but he refused: “Just leave me stay at this wet place, don’t worry. I only worry about the things after life and wish to shed blood for Christianity.”
On July 12, Even though Bishop Delgado Y passed away in prison, but his body was still brought out to the execution site to be beheaded. Hearing of the bishop’s death, Fr. Bernard Duệ abandoned the mat for the dirt floor, he said: “The bishop as father had been executed; I, as a son, have no right to sleep on a sedge mat.” Fr. Bernard Duệ had chosen to self-sacrifice to prepare himself for his martyrdom. At this time, Fr. Hạnh of the Dominican Order was also incarcerated in the same jail. Because, Fr. Hạnh, only 66 years old, was younger, he often talked on behalf of the old priest. After sensing that it was impossible to change the two priests’ minds, the mandarins decided to propose a sentence to the royal capital:
“We had interrogated two persons, Vũ Văn Duệ and Nguyễn Văn Hạnh. They had been deceived by the Europeans into believing in Christianity for a long time. Not only did they believe, but they also preached the religion to many others... That religion seemingly had taken root deep inside them that they could not reject it. Therefore, we decided to sentence them to death in order to let others know how severe their crimes were and they must be punished as such.”
Saint Bernard VŨ VĂN DUỆ
Priest
(1755-1838)
* The Old Prisoner Sacrificed Willingly.
In a Nam Định prison in the fall of 1838, a prisoner, already 83 years old, still considered very lightly the harshness of prison life. On cold, windy, and stormy nights, even as his place of sleeping was soaked with rain, with no rainwater, he still did not move as ordered by prison guards. From the first day of imprisonment, he slept on the sedge mat on the ground, refusing blankets, and then a week later, he also gave up the sedge mat and slept on the ground.
The old man was Fr. Bernard Vũ Văn Duệ. To him, self-imposed sacrifices were not only necessary to augment unavoidable sacrifices, but were also means by which willpower could be developed to confront last challenges at the execution field. Also to him, contemplating Jesus’ Passion had to lead toward sharing God’s sufferings through practice. He said: “This place where I am lying now is much more comfortable than the old Jesus’ cross.”
* An Austere Priest.
Bernard Vũ Văn Duệ was born in 1755 in Quần Anh Hạ (Quần Phương) village, Nam Định province, into a Catholic family. At an early age he had offered his life to God, and started to prepare toward the priesthood. However, his studies were interrupted many times by the persecutions under the Lord Trịnh and under King Cảnh Thịnh. He was ordained a priest in 1795 at the age of 40. Fr. Bernard Duệ served the Church and Christians in his pastoral ministry for 37 years. In 1832 at the age of 77, the bishop considered his poor health, and allowed him to retire at Trung Lễ parish.
Unable to actively serve the Church, Fr. Bernard Duệ had offered his remaining days to pray for the Church. Even with his advanced age, everyday he read, meditated, shared the Good News, and advised Christians of the surrounding communities. He even imposed more self-sacrifice: abandoning bed for the dirt floor, foregoing mosquito net... Many people advised against it because of his age, he responded: “such self-sacrifice is nothing. Since I do not have any opportunity to do great things, I just do a few sacrifices.”
* The Worth of a Promise.
As King Minh Mạng ordered Governor Trịnh Quang Khanh to persecute priests, Bishop Delgado Y of the east vicariate had to leave his post in Bùi Chu. One day on the road to Kiên Lao, the bishop stopped in Trung Lễ to visit Fr. Bernard Duệ, the bishop half jokingly said: “Are you strong enough to go with me to the provincial city of Nam Định?” Fr. Bernard Duệ understood right away that the bishop meant martyrdom, so he replied: “Bishop, when you are arrested, please let me accompany you.”
Probably the bishop was joking and he forgot about the reply, but Fr. Bernard Duệ never forgot his words. Ever since 5/28/1838 when the bishop was arrested in Kiên Lao, Fr. Bernard Duệ had cried and wished to give himself up in order to be martyred with the bishop. He was already 83 at the time and too blind to go alone, but no one wanted to help him to the authority.
Hence, whenever he heard footsteps on the outside, he yelled out: “Let the authorities know that I am here. I am a priest, come and arrest me.” Parishioners asked him to keep quiet to avoid implicating them, he said: “I cannot remain silent because I had promised the bishop.” One day, soldiers heard his voice and entered the house. The priest said: “Now you have a priest, arrest and hand him to the mandarin.” A catechist standing nearby said: “That is my paternal grandfather. Don’t pay attention to him. He is confused because of his old age, so he calls himself a priest.” Seeing a bed-ridden old man of over 80, soldiers believed the catechist and left. Even after soldiers had been long gone, old Fr. Bernard Duệ kept on complaining that people had lost him an opportunity to be arrested.
In the following days, Fr. Bernard Duệ continued to beg passersby to tell the authority to arrest him. Seeing no hope in keeping him quiet and after discussions among themselves, Christians took him to a hut located in a field and asked a religious woman to care for him, because they sensed that soldiers would never search that area. Ironically on 7/4/1838, a team of soldiers unintentionally passed by the area, heard his voice, and entered the hut. The priest said: “Are you looking for priests? I am a priest.” Nobody was there to repudiate his admission, so he was arrested and taken to Governor Trịnh Quang Khanh.
* Hard as a Rock.
The governor laughed at the sight of an old man being escorted by soldiers, he had a crucifix laid on the ground and said: “You old man, walk over the cross and I will let you go home.” Fr. Bernard Duệ replied: “I beg His Highness to not tell me to do such thing. No matter what, I cannot obey your command.” It was almost dark, the governor had the priest jailed in a temple nearby and let him starved all evening. The next morning, the priest was taken to Nam Định where the judicial mandarin also asked the priest to walk over the cross and received the same result. The judicial mandarin did not have him tortured because of his age, but had him put in a cangue and put in jail.
For most of his two months in jail, the mandarin sent people in to advise him to reject his faith, but he emphatically refused. His early days in the cramped and moldy cell, Fr. Bernard Duệ slept on a sedge mat on the dirt floor, a Christian who felt sorry for him brought in a blanket to keep him warm, but the priest refused and said: “This place where I am lying now is much more comfortable than the old Jesus’ cross.” One day, rain soaked his place of sleep, the guard told him to move, but he refused: “Just leave me stay at this wet place, don’t worry. I only worry about the things after life and wish to shed blood for Christianity.”
On July 12, Even though Bishop Delgado Y passed away in prison, but his body was still brought out to the execution site to be beheaded. Hearing of the bishop’s death, Fr. Bernard Duệ abandoned the mat for the dirt floor, he said: “The bishop as father had been executed; I, as a son, have no right to sleep on a sedge mat.” Fr. Bernard Duệ had chosen to self-sacrifice to prepare himself for his martyrdom. At this time, Fr. Hạnh of the Dominican Order was also incarcerated in the same jail. Because, Fr. Hạnh, only 66 years old, was younger, he often talked on behalf of the old priest. After sensing that it was impossible to change the two priests’ minds, the mandarins decided to propose a sentence to the royal capital:
“We had interrogated two persons, Vũ Văn Duệ and Nguyễn Văn Hạnh. They had been deceived by the Europeans into believing in Christianity for a long time. Not only did they believe, but they also preached the religion to many others... That religion seemingly had taken root deep inside them that they could not reject it. Therefore, we decided to sentence them to death in order to let others know how severe their crimes were and they must be punished as such.”