By T.K. Wilson
Vietnam, like many Asian countries, was hostile to Christianity because it shook up the status quo of the nation. Beginning in the 1600s, the Catholic Church was violently persecuted by the Vietnamese government, but that did not stop the church from growing. One of the main heroes of the Vietnamese church was Andrew Dung-Lac.
Born to a peasant family, Andrew (then An-Tran) moved to Hanoi at the age of 12 so his parents could find work. He was taken in by a Catholic, who showed him the truths of Christianity. Young An-Tran was baptized Andrew and became a priest at the age of 28. He lived an exemplary life of humility and virtue, that many became converts. The government couldn’t have that, and Andrew was arrested. Ransomed back by his congregation, he fled the area and changed his name. However, he was re-captured with another priest, Fr. Peter Thi, tortured and finally martyred in 1839.
Andrew is the chief named person in this group of martyrs, 117 in all, who represent between 100,000 to 300,000 martyrs in Vietnam. Many more were not killed but were forced to flee to places like France. It was through the testimony of these witnesses and European missionaries who made it out that we know anything about these heroes of the faith.
May we stand fearless in the face of all hostility to our faith, as Andrew and his Companions did.
Sources:
vaticannews.va/en/saints/11/24/sts–andrew-d_ng-lc–and-his-companions–martyrs.html
franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-andrew-dung-lac-and-companions/
mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/november-24-saint-andrew-dung-lac-and-his-companions-martyrs-memorial/
Picture: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Saint_Paul_Catholic_Church_(Westerville,Ohio)-_Saint_Andrew_Dung_Lac.jpg#mw-jump-to-license
LogoSophia Magazine 
Amen. Thank you. God bless Viet-Nam.
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