Daily Saint

St. Andrew Dung-Lac (1795–1839) was a Vietnamese priest and martyr whose steadfast faith in Christ cost him his life. He was born into a poor, non-Christian family in Bac Ninh, Vietnam. In search of work, his family moved to Hanoi, where a Christian missionary gave St. Andrew a place to live and educated him. Deeply moved by Christian teachings, he converted to Christianity. He chose the name “Andrew” at baptism.

Diligent in his studies, St. Andrew applied himself to learning Latin and became a catechist. He was chosen to study theology and was ordained a priest in 1823. As a parish priest, he preached with enthusiasm and lived an exemplary life of Christian values that led many to receive baptism.

St. Andrew dedicated himself to serving his people with humility by providing catechesis and the Sacraments. During this time of violent persecution of Christians in Vietnam under the harsh rule of Emperor Minh-Mang, the Catholic Faith was seen as a foreign threat. Many believers faced arrest and threats to their lives.

St. Andrew was imprisoned multiple times, and at least once, his parishioners raised money as ransom for his return. Over time, the persecutions intensified. Eventually, in 1839, he was captured alongside another priest, Peter Thi, and both men were brutally tortured before being beheaded in Hanoi.

Andrew Dung-Lac, along with 116 other martyrs, was canonized by Pope St. John Paul II in 1988. This group of Vietnamese citizens and missionaries from various countries includes bishops, priests, seminarians, catechists, and laity. They represent an unknown number of Catholics, estimated in the hundreds of thousands, who courageously witnessed to their faith in Christ in Vietnam and were martyred between the 17th and 19th centuries.

St. Andrew Dung-Lac and his companions remind us that the Christian faith often grows strongest in times of persecution and sacrifice. Their courage and fidelity to the Truth allow us to draw strength from the communion of saints who have gone before us.