Saint Martino Tran Ngoc Tho (1787 - 1840) - Vietnamese Martyr Saint

Saint Martino Tran Ngoc Tho was born in 1787 in Ke Bang village, Vu Ban district, Nam Dinh province. His real name was Nho, and Tho was the name of the ninth child in the family.

In his tax collection work, he lived with integrity, not accepting bribes or kowtowing to superiors. He also cultivated his own fields, raising silkworms to earn extra income. The extra money earned, he used to help the poor or contribute to the common work of the village and parish. He often advised his children: "Living justly is not enough, you must also have charity."

Under the reign of King Minh Mang, when the ban on Catholicism was strictly enforced, his family remained steadfast in keeping the faith, welcoming priests and catechists into their home and keeping sacred images. When the authorities destroyed churches, chapels and other religious facilities, Mr. Tho took responsibility for protecting the Ke Bang parish house, moving his wife, children and farming tools inside to live there and prevent the parish house from being destroyed.

After visiting the remains of two martyrs, coadjutor Nguyen Tien Dich and captain Nguyen Huy My, he advised his children: "If God allows me to follow in their footsteps, you should rejoice. And if you are arrested, be courageous in keeping the faith."

On May 30, 1840 at the Ke Bang village communal house, he was arrested for the crime of sheltering the parish priest. Under the shade of a banyan tree in the courtyard, he was consoled to meet with Fathers Ta Duc Thinh, Nguyen Ngan, Nguyen Dinh Nghi and Mr. Tran Ngoc Con. The five of them along with 20 other parishioners were shackled and escorted to the Nam Dinh prison camp.

On November 8, 1840, together with Saint John Baptist Tran Ngoc Con, he was beheaded at the Bay Mau court under King Minh Mang's reign. The remains of the two saints were brought back for burial at Ke Bang parish.

On May 27, 1900, the witness of faith Martino Tran Ngoc Tho was beatified, and later canonized as a saint on June 19, 1988.