Andrew Dung-Lac, Priest and Martyr

Saint Andrew Dung-Lac and his 116 companions represent the more than one hundred thousand martyrs killed during the persecutions of Christians which took place periodically beginning in the 17th Century and running though most of the 19th Century in Viet Nam. He was born Dung An Trân around 1795 to a poor pagan family in northern Viet Nam. He was instructed in the Christian faith and, three years later, he was baptized, taking the name Andrew at that time. As a parish priest, Andrew lived a simple life, fasting often and providing a model for the people in his town, many of whom were baptized by him. He was imprisoned and killed for his faith in 1938.

Saint Andrew and his companions, as well as the many thousands of unnamed martyrs in Viet Nam, provide powerful examples of the perseverance that strong faith can bring to those who are persecuted. Even today in Viet Nam, as well as elsewhere, persecution of Christians continues, but prayer can strengthen our faith.