Augustin Phan Viet Huy, a soldier from Ha Linh, Bui Chu, Nam Dinh, was born in 1795. In 1839, he was arrested for following Catholicism. After being stretched on a rack and sawed in half, he was martyred in Thua Thien on 13/06/1839. In 1900, he was beatified. His feast day is June 13.
In the 19th year of Minh Mang's reign, King Minh Mang issued an edict forcing officials to expel Catholic soldiers from the military. The governor of Nam Dinh, Trinh Quang Khanh, was tasked with this mission. The king's edict ordered Khanh to arrest all priests hiding in the province and purge all Catholic soldiers in the army to the last one. King Minh Mang did not want to kill the Catholic soldiers but wanted them to renounce their faith.
Trinh Quang Khanh was a cruel man who often used horrific punishments to terrorize the followers of the faith. He summoned 500 Catholic soldiers to stand trial before forcing them to renounce their faith through various means.
Despite Khanh's threats and intimidation, some steadfastly refused to renounce their faith and accepted execution.
To get the Catholic soldiers to apostatize, Trinh Quang Khanh only asked them to step on the cross. If they did so, they would be reinstated in the army and no one would mention Catholicism to them again in the future. However, they stubbornly refused.
Many terrified Catholic soldiers apostatized out of fear. However, a number of them steadfastly clung to their faith and refused to step on the cross, even when forcibly dragged across it. Some even tried to bribe their way out of having to step on the cross.
After the chaotic trial, the officials were elated that most of the Catholic soldiers had apostatized. However, those who had renounced their faith were racked with guilt and regretted it for the rest of their lives.
Some cried with remorse each time they went to confession, even 40 years later. One even told the missionary priest that he regretted trampling the cross of Christ, and therefore, would not commit any other sins.
This incident demonstrated the power of faith and human conscience.
Of the 500 Catholic soldiers, 15 steadfastly refused to step on the cross, professing themselves as Christians. They were beaten, tortured, starved, and coerced by their friends, wives, children, and fellow soldiers who had apostatized.
However, these 15 remained staunch in their faith. They were dragged across the cross and brutally beaten. Six of them could no longer endure and begged to apostatize.
This event illustrated the courageous faith and steadfast loyalty of Vietnamese Catholics during the anti-Catholic persecutions.
Of the 15 who refused to step on the cross, only 9 remained. Among these 9, Augustinô Huy was the most valiant.
Huy had declared his faith twice before, but still felt guilty for having two wives. He tried to bribe his way home to resolve his family matters and confess to the parish priest.
He met with Father Thieu, who was ministering in Phu Duong village near Huy's home. Father Thieu made Huy write a statement renouncing his second wife. He also comforted Huy and advised him to steadfastly endure suffering for the faith.
Huy obeyed Father Thieu. After receiving the sacraments, he returned to jail the next morning to prepare for his third profession of faith.
That day, the 9 Catholic soldiers were again summoned before the court. Governor Trinh Quang Khanh tried every means to persuade them to apostatize, but only 5 steadfastly refused.
Enraged, Governor Trinh Quang Khanh ordered the soldiers to brutally beat the 5 men. They were battered until their flesh split open, their fingers smashed with hammers, and subjected to other tortures. They suffered excruciating pain but still refused to abandon their faith.
Seeing his failure, the furious governor cursed them and ordered them imprisoned.
King Minh Mang did not want to execute Huy, The, and Dat. He issued an edict ordering officials to persuade the three men to abandon their faith by all means.
The officials obeyed the king's edict and paraded the three men in heavy cangues around the city gates for public humiliation. They also pretended to execute the men by slashing their backs to frighten them.
But Huy, The, and Dat remained loyal to the Catholic faith. They refused to apostatize.
In October 1838, Governor Trinh Quang Khanh resumed his post in Nam Dinh. He also petitioned the king to execute the three men.
King Minh Mang still refused. He scolded Governor Trinh Quang Khanh, "You cannot make three common lowly soldiers submit, how can you govern a whole province?"
Huy, The, and Dat were paraded outside the city gates and humiliated for 21 consecutive days. They were then jailed and tortured, coerced to abandon their faith. Governor Trinh Quang Khanh also jailed their relatives and village guards to persuade the three men. But the three remained staunch Catholics.
An enraged Governor Trinh Quang Khanh cursed the guards and relatives, "It is because of you all that these three men remain defiant." The terrified guards and relatives begged the governor for a month to persuade the three men. The three also asked to be jailed separately to facilitate their persuasion. The governor granted a month's reprieve and jailed the three men separately.
After a month, Governor Trinh Quang Khanh thought the three men must have softened by now. He summoned them to court. But Huy, The, and Dat remained staunch Catholics.
Seeing this, the governor ordered a village guard from Kien Trung to be flogged. Witnessing the beating of his fellow villager, The took pity and said to the governor, "Your Excellency, please spare him. We will obey whatever you order."
The governor declared that The had apostatized. Delighted officials applauded and unshackled The.
They then urged Huy and Dat to follow The's example. An official said to Dat, "Just imitate The and step on the cross. Before, all three of you resisted together, now The has obeyed the king, why do you remain stubborn?"
Dat then reluctantly bent to the officials' wishes and stepped on the cross.
But Huy persevered in his Catholic faith, even as both friends had apostatized. The officials did not despair and tried to persuade him.
That night, an official sent someone to Huy's cell to persuade him, "You must obey the king like the other two, then no one can laugh at or ridicule you. You have endured steadfastly to your utmost limits. The king does not wish to kill you, but also will not spare you if you do not apostatize. If you just step on it once, you will avoid all these troubles." Huy reluctantly complied.
After Huy's apostasy, the governor gave each man 10 quan and released them.
For over eight months, the three soldiers had endured extreme torments and coercion to abandon their faith, yet remained steadfast. The news of their apostasy was unbelievable to many, who thought they must have been bewitched.
After apostatizing, the three men were racked with guilt. They discussed among themselves and decided to travel to the provincial capital and reaffirm their faith.
At the governor's office, they prostrated themselves and said, "The faith of the Lord of Heaven is the true faith, the Lord we worship is the most noble one with boundless miracles and teachings. We were foolish to have apostatized, betraying our Lord. Now we offer to return the money to the king and officials, and sincerely desire to remain in the faith of the Lord of Heaven."
An enraged Governor Trinh Quang Khanh jailed the three men when he heard they reaffirmed their faith. He ordered the soldiers to persuade them but to no avail.
Unsure what to do since he had reported their apostasy to the royal court, the governor could only release the three men and send them home.
The three left feeling distressed, with restless consciences. They yearned only to die for their God. They increasingly devoted themselves to prayer, fasting, mortification, and works of charity, hoping to die a martyr's death.
They agreed among themselves, "If the governor will not let us die for our faith, we will go to the capital and beg the king to let us die for our faith, in order to make amends for the scandal we have caused."
Huy said, "If you two will not go, I will go alone."
The replied, "If you go, I will go with you."
The three soldiers Huy, The, and Dat discussed their plan to travel to the capital and reaffirm their faith with Father Tuyen. They confessed that they had apostatized due to their own weakness and coercion in Nam Dinh by Governor Trinh Quang Khanh. Only the provincial officials knew this, the royal court and king remained unaware. Therefore, they wished to see the king and publicly profess their faith before the people, so everyone would know they had stepped on the cross due to their own frailty, not because they wanted to obey the king and abandon their religion.
Father Tuyen wrote to Bishop Marti asking his opinion. In the letter, Father Tuyen also related that while the men were residing with him, he had received a letter from Father Jimeno. Father Jimeno was overjoyed and believed God would help the three soldiers.
Father Tuyen read this letter to all three men. They were determined to go to the royal palace. Huy even asked for a copy of the bishop's letter to read later. The three then discussed how best to travel to the capital.
The three soldiers Huy, The, and Dat strategized their plan to travel to the capital and reaffirm their faith. Dat suggested Huy and The go first while he remained in the province to handle things. Huy and The agreed and returned home to bid farewell to their families and friends. They also went to confession and received communion to prepare themselves.
In early March 1839, Huy and The traveled to the capital with Huy's son. They lodged at the home of a female follower named Mrs. Tam. Here they fasted, prayed, and prepared themselves to enter the capital and request martyrdom.
The two men submitted petitions to the Tribunal of Rites. The officials accepted their petitions but did not interrogate them further. After waiting a while without being questioned about their desire to reaffirm their faith, they wrote another petition to the Tribunal stressing that they had apostatized in Nam Dinh due to Governor Trinh Quang Khanh's coercion, not because they truly wanted to abandon their religion.
Huy and The petitioned the Tribunal of Rites but were not tried. They prostrated themselves by the roadside and petitioned King Minh Mang directly. The king ordered them jailed. He then ordered officials from the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Rites, and Ministry of War to investigate and persuade them to abandon their faith by any means. However, despite their efforts, the two men remained staunch.
When asked about Dat, they replied, "He also did not apostatize. Due to difficulties in Nam Dinh province, he could not come with us, but his intentions are the same as ours. He told us, 'However my brothers act, I will act the same.'"
The officials memorialized the king, who was very surprised but still hoped to make the two men change their minds. He ordered the three high ministers to combine their efforts to make the two men apostatize, but to no avail.
Finally, the king ordered the officials to bring out 10 bars of gold, a cross, and a sword, saying, "Choose as you wish. If you step on the cross, you will be rewarded with 10 gold bars. If not, you will be sliced in half across the back with this sword and your corpses thrown into the sea."
Huy and The both chose the cross, requesting to be put to death.
Some officials reported to King Minh Mang that two soldiers from Nam Dinh province named Pham Viet Huy and Bui Duc The still followed Catholicism despite having been forced to trample the cross last year. Now they persisted in keeping the faith and asked to die for it. After repeated unsuccessful attempts by the officials to dissuade them, the enraged King Minh Mang ordered the two men to be sliced in half across their backs and their corpses thrown into the sea. He also ordered an investigation into another man named Dinh Dat to see if he had truly abandoned his faith in order to report back.
On June 12, 1839, Huy and The were taken to the Thuận An seashore for their execution. Along the way, they cheerfully greeted everyone, astonishing the crowds. Upon arrival, the officials had them board a boat and rowed offshore. At this time, the officials still urged the two men to abandon their faith in exchange for their lives, but they steadfastly refused. The officials ordered their shackles removed and had them tied to the boat's oars. The two men recited prayers commending their souls. The executioners raised their swords and sliced the two men in half across their backs before decapitating them. Their corpses were chopped into four pieces and thrown into the sea.
Upon hearing of Huy and The's executions, Dat settled his affairs at home, recited prayers and meditated to prepare for death. A few days later, soldiers informed Dat that he had been condemned to death. He joyfully accepted the news and went to bid farewell to his relatives and friends, asking them to pray for him. His wife tried to dissuade her husband from seeking martyrdom, weeping and pleading with him to think of herself and their young daughter.
Dat was deeply moved by his wife and daughter's entreaties but said if he loved them more than God then he was unworthy. He told his wife God would provide for them and asked her to go to the Nhieu Quang's house so he could see his daughter one last time. After that, he went to receive the sacraments, thanked and bade farewell to his wife, child and siblings, and followed the soldiers to the village hall. At the hall, the village officials and residents had gathered to see him off. He prostrated himself and asked the officials to pray for him. When someone said he was abandoning his wife, child and homeland, he replied that he entrusted his family and village to God's holy will and asked the villagers to take care of his wife and child.
On the road to the provincial capital, Dat just kept reciting prayers and counting rosary beads to prepare himself mentally for death. His wife continued to follow behind weeping. He told her to go home and to not visit him anymore if she kept crying. At the capital, the high official told him the other two had been beheaded and tossed into the sea, and asked if Dat was afraid. Dat replied the other two were fortunate to have received great blessings and asked to be granted the same, refusing to abandon his faith. The official then ordered him shackled and jailed. On July 18, 1839 the king ordered Dat to be strangled. The official exhorted him but he still refused to recant and obey the national laws, so he was condemned to death by strangulation for stubbornly following Catholicism.
After the death sentence was passed, the official handed Dat over to the prison warden to carry out the execution. On the way there Dat just kept reciting prayers. Upon arrival he knelt on the mat and continued praying. After a while the official ordered his shackles removed and had Dat lie face down on the mat while the soldiers tied a rope around his neck. When all was ready the official signaled and the executioner pulled the rope until he died. Dat's home village of Phu Nhai brought his remains back and buried them with honor alongside his eldest brother. Later his relics were interred at Phu Nhai church. On May 27, 1900 Pope Leo XIII beatified Dat along with the other two men, and on June 19, 1988 Pope John Paul II canonized them as saints.