[Image from Vietnamese Martyrs Church, Phoenix, Arizona.]
"Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven" (Matthew 5:10).
Today we honor the 117 Vietnamese martyrs of the 18th and 19th centuries whose stories have been sufficiently documented. Some died after enduring extensive gruesome, inhuman torture.
Saint Paul Le-Bao Tinh wrote: "In the midst of these torments, which usually terrify others, I am, by the grace of God, full of joy and gladness, because I am not alone — Christ is with me."
Collect Prayer:O God, source and origin of all fatherhood,
who kept the Martyrs Saint Andrew Ďung-Lac
who kept the Martyrs Saint Andrew Ďung-Lac
and his companions
faithful to the Cross of your Son,
even to the shedding of their blood,
grant, through their intercession,
that, spreading your love among our brothers and sisters,
we may be your children both in name and in truth.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
faithful to the Cross of your Son,
even to the shedding of their blood,
grant, through their intercession,
that, spreading your love among our brothers and sisters,
we may be your children both in name and in truth.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.