Saint Francesco Gil Federich (1702 - 1745) - Vietnamese Martyr Saint

Saint Francesco Gil Federich was born on December 14, 1702 in Tortosa, Spain. At the age of 16, he dedicated himself to God, took vows in the Dominican Order and was ordained a priest on March 29, 1727. In 1733, Father Federich went to Manila and joined the Province of the Most Holy Rosary, the province dedicated to missionary work among the peoples of the Far East.

Recognizing Father Federich's talents and virtues, the Provincial Father Diego Saeng appointed him as the provincial secretary for two years, 1733-1735, but his heart was still drawn to missionary work. In the fall of 1735, Father Federich set sail, crossing the sea to the Tonkin region (modern-day northern Vietnam), preaching the Gospel in the mission territories of Truc Ninh (Nam Dinh), Vu Tien (Thai Binh), Ke Men Bac Trach, and Luc Thuy.

When he learned that the mission had been surrounded by government troops, concerned for the safety of the faithful, on June 3, 1837, Father Federich voluntarily surrendered himself after Mass at the Luc Thuy church. The reason was that someone had denounced him, a person who had long harbored resentment against the faith.

The faithful raised money to ransom him, but the accuser demanded too much and refused to release Father Federich, holding him captive in his house for over 10 days. As the situation escalated, the faithful ran to the local authorities to intervene. The official ordered the arrest of Father Federich and the accuser, but the accuser fled to Thang Long (Hanoi) and accused the local official of Son Nam of taking bribes and sheltering the Luc Thuy village that harbored the Western missionary. With the incident exposed, the local official had to escort Father Federich to Thang Long. In prison, Father suffered from severe malaria and the wounds on his legs from torture caused him great pain.

At the trial, the accuser asked to step on the Holy Cross to show that he did not follow the faith. The officials also pressured Father Federich to do the same, but he resolutely refused and even knelt down to kiss the Holy Cross. On July 10, 1738, the officials sentenced him to death for the crime of propagating the "heretical religion."

Due to many political upheavals, the death sentence against Father was forgotten by the busy court. The officials allowed him to visit the faithful outside the city and the capital region. The Bishop of the Diocese of West Tonkin wanted to appoint him as the Parish Priest of Ke Cho (Hanoi), but he declined. In 1741, the faithful were free to come and visit him, and he heard 2,767 confessions, baptized 44 adults and 41 children, and administered the sacrament of the anointing of the sick to 88 critically ill patients.

On January 22, 1745, during the reign of Lord Trinh Doanh in Thang Long, Father Federich received the execution order. His remains were then solemnly brought back to the Luc Thuy Community House.

The missionary priest Francesco Gil Federich was beatified on May 20, 1906, and canonized on June 19, 1988.