Today, the Church celebrates the Memorial of Saint Andrew Dung-Lac and his companions, martyrs of Vietnam. Born Trần An Dũng in 1795, he took the name Andrew at his baptism. On 15 March 1823, he was ordained a priest. This was a courageous thing for him to do, for the Church was not well regarded in that part of the world at that time.
Facing much persecution, Andrew Dũng changed his name to Lạc in order to avoid capture. Eventually though, he was executed by beheading in the reign of Minh Mạng. Pope Leo XIII Beatified Andrew on 24 November 1900 and Pope John Paul II named him a Saint on 19 June 1988. Today, we celebrate all the Vietnamese martyrs who perished during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries because of their insistence on remaining faithful to the gospel.
From their place in heaven, may they help us today to see the world as Jesus sees it, to look lovingly on others as He does and to trust that every one of us is destined for the beauty and joy of rising to new life.
Have a great day.
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