Saint Jean Théophane Vénard - Ven (1829 - 1861) - Vietnamese Martyr Saint

Saint Jean Théophane Vénard was born on November 21, 1829 in the village of Saint-Loup-sur-Thouel, in the southwestern region of France. His birth date coincided with the Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and later Fr. Jean Théophane Vénard had a special devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

From a young age, young Théophane loved to read books, especially stories about the saints. One day, the parish priest had him copy a book about the missionaries who went to spread the Good News to non-believers, including the story of St. Jean Charles Cornay, a priest from the same diocese who was martyred in China on September 20, 1837. Instead of being afraid, young Théophane nurtured a desire to die for the faith like Fr. Cornay.

Seeing their son's wish to become a priest, Théophane's parents were overjoyed. They arranged for him to study basic Latin with the parish priest, then sent him to the minor and major seminaries. In 1852, Jean Théophane Vénard was ordained a priest.

Fr. Théophane was sent to do missionary work in Dai Nam, serving in the Diocese of West Tonkin. He was a gentle, sincere man who loved the poor and was wholeheartedly devoted to spreading the Good News.

In the early years of King Tu Duc's reign, the king issued a decree banning Catholicism. The officials took advantage of this opportunity to arrest Catholics in order to extort money for themselves, so there was a popular saying: "If the Westerners don't see it, the money-makers do plenty."

On July 13, 1854, Fr. Théophane was sent to the Ke Vinh community house to assist Bishop Retord, Coadjutor Bishop Khiem, and study Vietnamese. In 1855-1856, during pastoral visits with Bishop Retord, Fr. Vénard contracted tuberculosis.

On July 20, 1857, the military surrounded and arrested people at the Ke Vinh community house, capturing Fr. Tinh, Brother Luong, and two chief catechists. At that time, Bishop Retord, Fr. Doai, and Fr. Vénard were also there and had to secretly flee and hide in parishioners' homes.

Amidst the intense persecution, Fr. Vénard continued tirelessly to administer the sacraments to Catholics in remote areas. Seeing him weakened by illness, many advised him to rest, but he said: "While I am still alive, I must strive to work; when I die, I will be able to rest in heaven."

By 1858, the Catholic schools in Hoang Nguyen, Ke Non, and Ke Vinh were destroyed. Fr. Vénard had to flee, hiding for a month at the But Dong house, then going to Phuc Chau village, then to Ke Beo to hold a parish mission for about a month, before returning to But Son village. While administering sacraments in Kim Bang village, he was arrested along with some catechists by guides leading them to Ke Beo.

Fr. Vénard was taken to the governor's residence in Ly, then transferred to Hanoi. When meeting the official in charge of arresting Catholics, he said: "Your profession of arresting Catholics is despicable, for the books say: 'Those who put righteousness before profit are human, those who put profit before righteousness are shameful.' So you should know that an official's nine-rank insignia is like a flower that blooms in the morning and withers at night, not lasting long."

Bishop Chieu wrote to Fr. Thinh saying: "When Fr. Vénard's sentence is announced, if you know in advance, you must go immediately to the province. When Fr. Vénard walks 300 steps from the city gate and raises his hand to his chest, you should absolve him."

However, on February 2, 1861, Fr. Vénard was taken to the execution grounds before Fr. Thinh could arrive as planned. Fr. Vénard was beheaded and his head hung for three days before being thrown into the river. A group of fishermen found his body and gave it a proper burial. Later, his remains were transferred to a chapel of the Paris Foreign Missions Society for veneration.

Fr. Jean Théophane Vénard was beatified on May 2, 1909 and canonized on June 19, 1988.