Saint Joseph Tran Van Tuan (1824 - 1862) - Vietnamese Martyr Saint

Saint Joseph Tran Van Tuan was born in 1824 in Nam Dien village, Phu Nhai region, into a virtuous farming family. His Catholic life, like many other Catholics at that time, faced many difficulties due to the influence of the anti-Catholic decrees issued by King Tu Duc.

At the age of 36, Mr. Tuan was arrested and taken to the Xuan Truong prefecture. He was later exiled to An Bai village, Thuy Anh district. In August 1861, while enforcing the anti-Catholic decree, soldiers carved the words "heretic" on his left cheek, and the name of his village on his right cheek. During his months in prison, suffering from hunger and thirst, Mr. Tuan's health seriously deteriorated. The superior mandarin thought at this point the prisoner would lose heart and renounce his faith in order to live in peace. But he was mistaken, as Mr. Tuan remained steadfast, showing no fear in the face of the death sentence.

Mr. Tuan, an ordinary farmer but with extraordinary faith, always firmly professed his faith in Christ. He did not step on sacred images but knelt down and reverently kissed the image of the Lord.

On June 7, 1862, on the way to the execution grounds in Nam Dinh, he silently knelt on a mat of flowers, whispering the name of Jesus before being beheaded. Two years later, his remains were brought back by the faithful and buried at the Nam Dien church.

On April 29, 1951, Tran Van Tuan was beatified, and later on June 19, 1988 he was canonized a saint.