Saint Andrew Dŭng-Lạc, Priest, and Companions

Introduction

Today we celebrate the Memorial of St. Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions, the Vietnamese Martyrs, honoured on 24 November. Between the 17th and 19th centuries, the Church in Vietnam suffered terrible persecutions. From this time of trial emerged a great cloud of witnesses—bishops, priests, religious, and lay faithful—who gave their lives for Christ. Among them was Fr. Andrew Dung-Lac, a convert and diocesan priest, who was martyred in 1839. In total, 117 martyrs—Vietnamese and missionary—were canonised together by Pope St. John Paul II in 1988, representing hundreds of thousands who shed their blood for the faith. Their witness reminds us that the Gospel is a treasure worth every sacrifice, and that through suffering, the Church in Vietnam became a powerful sign of fidelity and hope.

Opening Prayer

O God, source and origin of all fatherhood, who kept the Martyrs Saint Andrew Dŭng-Ląc and his companions faith 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, God, for ever and ever.