Saint Dominic Nguyen Huy Nguyen (1800 - 1862) - Vietnamese Martyr Saint

Saint Dominic Nguyen Huy Nguyen

Saint Dominic Nguyen Huy Nguyen was born in 1800 in the parish of Ngoc Cuc, Nam Dinh province (now part of the parish of Ngoc Tien, Bui Chu Diocese).

He lived an exemplary Catholic life, came from a well-off family, and did many charitable works to help the poor and needy, earning the villagers' respect and affection. As a physician, Nguyen had many opportunities to practice charity when interacting with many people, both Catholic and non-Catholic.

On September 14, 1861, he was arrested while serving as the chief cantor of the Luc Thuy district. The Xuan Truong mandarin ordered him to trample on a crucifix, but he steadfastly refused to desecrate Christ. Furious, the mandarin exiled Nguyen to the village of Bach Coc, Vu Ban district, Nam Dinh province.

During over 7 months of imprisonment, he was shackled and chained, beaten and tortured many times, and had the words "left doctrine" carved onto his cheek. Yet, the heroic man of faith still firmly trusted in God and remained unshaken. To bolster their courage, Nguyen and his Catholic inmate companions diligently read prayers, made sacrifices, and confessed their sins while fasting to prepare themselves to receive the grace of martyrdom. Thus they experienced God's power and assistance amidst their trying ordeals.

Along with other martyr-saints like Andre Nguyen Manh Tuong, Vinsơn Nguyen Manh Tuong, Dominic Nguyen Duc Mao and Dominic Nguyen Duc Nhi, on June 16, 1862, chief cantor and physician Nguyen Huy Nguyen was beheaded at the Bach Coc execution grounds in Nam Dinh, during the reign of Tu Duc. The martyrs' bodies were buried at the place of execution then later reinterred in their hometown.

Chief cantor Saint Dominic Nguyen Huy Nguyen was beatified on April 29, 1951 and canonized on June 19, 1988.

Intertwined Fates

During the reign of King Tu Duc, in the Luc Thuy region of Nam Dinh province, Trung Dang Ngoai diocese, there were 13 Catholic parishes across 9 villages. Among them, Ngoc Cuc village had 2 parishes - Ngoc Cuc (patron feast: the Annunciation) and Phu Yen (patron feast: St Vincent).

Mr. Andre Tuong (b. 1812), Vinsơn Tương (b. 1814) and Dominic Nguyen Duc Mao (b. 1818) belonged to Phu Yen parish. Andre Tuong and Vinsơn Tuong were brothers, sons of Dominic Tien (village chief) and Maria Gương. Although Tuong was 2 years older, Tương held the position of district chief. Mao was the son of Dominic Gioi (village administrator) and Maria Nhien. When arrested, he was 44 years old and serving as security chief, overseeing order in the village.

Dominic Nguyen (b. 1800) and Dominic Nhi (b. 1822) belonged to Ngoc Cuc parish. Nguyen was the son of Dominic Due (village administrator). When arrested, he was the chief cantor of Luc Thuy district. His son Dominic Trinh (35 years old) was also arrested and martyred a day after him. Nhi was the son of Dominic Vuong and Catarina Van, the youngest of the group (22 years old).

All five men were married, well-off Catholic farmers respected by fellow villagers. Thanks to his medical profession, Nguyen often practiced Catholic charity, even towards non-Catholics. It is unclear if they knew each other before their arrests. But given their similar status, they were the first targets of the Royal Edict on Disbanding Catholic Communities issued by Tu Duc on May 5, 1861.

The edict contained 5 points: disperse Catholic villages, merge parishes into non-Catholic villages, confiscate Catholic lands, tattoo Catholic faces, and place Catholics under communal custody. When arrested on September 14, 1861 and forced to trample the crucifix, the brave men steadfastly protected their Catholic faith. Furious, the mandarins exiled them to Bach Coc village, Vu Ban district for beheading.

Imprisonment and Witnessing the Faith

After seven and a half months shackled in chains with heavy collars around their necks, enduring countless painful lashes, the five heroic men of faith remained steadfast in their Catholic beliefs. Per the Royal Edict, red-hot iron rods branded the words “left doctrine” on the right cheek of these witnesses of Christ, and their village names on the left. Words cannot fully capture the pain and humiliation they bore. Pain from the searing wounds, humiliation of being marked with contempt for their faith. Yet they patiently endured, as long as their souls could remain loyal to God.

To be supported by the Lord, every day they gathered to pray the Rosary and collectively offered their absolute Profession of Faith to God, entrusting their lives to His will. Through such fervent prayers they found strength and courage to overcome dangers and trials. They also confessed their sins to each other and fasted three days a week to prepare themselves to receive the grace of martyrdom.

In a letter dated August 2, 1862, Father Estévez Nam described the persecution in Nam Dinh at that time: Catholic laity were expelled from their homes, captured in groups of five to serve in the army, allowed to bring only enough rice for two days... 300 Catholics were jailed without food, causing 240 to starve to death in days, the rest on their deathbeds... On May 18, Governor Nguyen Dinh Tan ordered 21 decapitations, 43 on May 22, 67 on May 26... On May 30, 112 people were bound and drowned, 112 more the next day... District mandarins did likewise. Hundreds of Catholics were beheaded, burned alive, or thrown down wells in pairs till dead...

With the 5 main martyr-heroes, officials still tried persuading them. On June 15, 1862, they were ordered to trample the crucifix but refused. They were then tied up all day without food or water. The next morning, gentle words urged them to apostatize but Mr. Mao responded: “Please stop tempting us. If we feared suffering and abandoned our faith, we would have done so immediately instead of enduring misery here. Now do what you will, but we shall never forsake our religion.”

Receiving Glorious Blessings

Furious at their resolute words, the officials immediately ordered the executions of the five loyal servants of God. The martyrs were escorted to the Bach Coc village execution grounds in Nam Dinh province. There they prayed and entrusted their souls to God, asking for strength to face the final ordeal. Indeed, they showed extraordinary courage. Aside from Dominic Nhi, the other four requested to be decapitated in three blows instead of one, to honor the Holy Trinity.

On June 16, 1862, the five heroic men of faith were martyred at the execution grounds. Their bodies were buried there and transferred back to their home parish church a year later.

On April 29, 1951, Pope Pius XII beatified the martyrs. Finally on June 19, 1988, Pope John Paul II canonized them as saints.