Bernard Vo Van Due, was a priest born in 1755 in Quan Anh, Nam Dinh, died on August 1st 1838 in Ba Toa. Originally a convert, he studied in the seminary and was ordained a priest. After many years of missionary work, he retired to live humbly until he felt called to turn himself in to the soldiers, confessing he was a priest, and was executed at age 83. He was canonized in 1900 with feast day on August 1st.
The voluntary sacrifice of an elderly prisoner
Bernard Vu Van Due, an 83-year-old priest imprisoned in Nam Dinh jail in the fall of 1838, seemed to still consider the harshness of the prison camp as light - on rainy windy nights, where he lay was dripping with rainwater but he still refused to move to a different spot per the guard's orders. From the first day in prison, he laid out a mat on the ground, refusing blankets and other beddings. Then about a week later, he discarded the mat and lay on the bare ground; to him, there must be voluntary sacrifices to supplement the involuntary ones - those sacrifices were methods to strengthen his will to face the final challenges on the execution grounds. He believed that meditating on the Passion of Jesus Christ must lead to participating in and sharing Christ's suffering in practice. He said "Where I'm lying now is still more comfortable than Jesus Christ's cross back then."
The austere priest
Bernado Vu Van Due was born in 1755 in Quan Anh Ha village, Nam Dinh in a Catholic family. From early on he dedicated himself to God and prepared to become a priest, but his studies were interrupted many times due to the persecution under Lord Trinh and King Canh Thinh's reigns. It wasn't until 1795 at the age of 40 that he was ordained a priest; Father Due served the church and souls in his duties as a pastor for 37 years until 1832 at the age of 77 when he retired to Trung Le parish due to health reasons per the Bishop's decision. Unable to serve directly anymore, he offered his elderly days in prayers for the Church. He still read books and provided guidance to the laity daily, while also increasing his ascetic practices such as sleeping on the bare ground and not using a mosquito net despite many people's dissuasion citing his old age. But he replied there was no opportunity for great works so he chose just a little hardship.
The value of a promise
Since King Minh Mang ordered Trinh Quang Khanh to hunt down priests, Bishop Delgado Y of the Eastern Diocese had to flee his headquarters in Bui Chu and go into hiding. One day on his way down to Kien Lao, he stopped by Trung Le and met Father Due. The Bishop jokingly half-seriously asked if he would follow him to the Nam Dinh capital to face martyrdom. Understanding the Bishop's desire to speak of martyrdom, Father Due replied he would follow when the Bishop was captured. From May 28, 1838 when he heard of the Bishop's arrest in Kien Lao, Father Due wept and wanted to turn himself in to face martyrdom with the Bishop as promised, but no one was willing to take the 83-year old blind man there. From then on, anytime he heard people's footsteps, he would call out announcing himself a priest, asking to be arrested to help, but the faithful pleaded him to stay silent to avoid implicating others. He said he couldn't because he had promised the Bishop. Once some soldiers heard Father Due's call and entered, but a catechist explained that the elderly priest was babbling nonsense, so the soldiers believed him and left. This caused the Father to complain about missing an opportunity. The faithful then moved him to a leper's hut in the fields. On July 4, 1838 a troop of soldiers heard Father Due's call and entered; with no one denying this time, he was arrested and handed over to Trinh Quang Khanh.
Firm as a rock
The 83-year old Bernado Vu Van Due was escorted to meet the Governor. Seeing the frail old man, the Governor placed an image of Jesus on the ground and ordered Due to step over it in exchange for his freedom, but Father Due asserted he would never obey such an order no matter what. He was imprisoned that night in a nearby temple and starved. The next morning he was taken to Nam Dinh. The judge also demanded he step on the Cross but the Father still refused. Feeling sympathy for the old age, the judge didn't beat him but only shackled him and sent him to the prison camp. After nearly 2 months in prison, he was tempted many times to renounce his faith but the Father firmly rejected those attempts. At first he had to sleep on a mat on the damp, low ground of the camp. Someone brought him a blanket for warmth but he declined, saying his resting place was still much more comfortable than Christ's Cross. One time it rained and dripped on his sleeping area but he refused to move, saying he only cared about the afterlife and looked forward to shedding his blood for Christ. On July 12 when Bishop Y was martyred, Father Due discarded his mat and slept on bare ground, saying the Bishop was the father and if he had been executed, how could the son sleep on a mat? Father Due had chosen to sacrifice himself to welcome his own martyrdom. After seeing they could not sway either priest, the judges decided to behead both Fathers Due and Hanh as deterrence.
Glorious victory
By the laws of the time, at 83 years old Father Due should not have received the death penalty, but King Minh Mang still signed for his execution. Upon hearing this news, Father Due rejoiced, increasing his ascetic practices to prepare for the long-awaited day of his martyrdom. On July 24, Father Hanh was imprisoned separately, but on August 1 both fathers appeared in court together one last time before being taken away for execution. Both fearlessly professed their faith. Due to extreme weakness, Father Due had to be carried there. As they reached the city gates, since the presiding judge had not yet arrived, they had to stand outside in the sun for hours. Someone offered a mat for shade but the Father declined. All along the way he made the Sign of the Cross and prayed.
At the site, after praying together, they were tied to stakes and beheaded. The faithful collected their blood. Their bodies were buried at the execution grounds then later moved to Luc Thuy. Thus Father Due fulfilled his promise to follow the Bishop to the end in order to share eternal happiness. On May 27, 1900, together with Bishop Y, Father Due was beatified, and on June 19, 1988 he was canonized.