Saint Michael Ho Dinh Hy (1808 - 1857) - Vietnamese Martyr Saint

Saint Michael Ho Dinh Hy was born in 1808 in Nhu Lam village, Thua Thien prefecture. His father was the high-ranking mandarin Joseph Ho Dinh Duyet. Hy was the youngest of 12 siblings, but only 5 survived. As a child, he was named Thuc, but changed his name to Hy after getting married.

From his youth, he studied Confucian classics and was appointed as a 9th rank mandarin at just 19 years old. The following year, he married the virtuous Lucy Tan from Son Cong village and they had 5 children together. However, influenced by ill-behaved mandarins, he had an affair with a young woman and fathered 3 more children out of wedlock. To atone, he had the children baptized and raised them as his own, while also striving to do good works to make up for his sins.

Following his parents' moral spirit and compassion for the poor, Hy's family sheltered two bishops, François Pellerin-Phan and Sohier-Binh. Bishop Phan appointed Hy as head of the congregation in the capital Hue. Hy quietly took on the responsibility and tried his best to fulfill his duties.

By 1865, jealousy and hatred toward the high mandarin Ho Dinh Hy grew among courtiers, as he prevented them from embezzling public funds and oppressing the populace. His colleagues falsely accused him of secretly contacting Westerners and plotting a rebellion with Christian support to overthrow Emperor Tu Duc.

During trials on May 18 and 21, 1857, Hy was brutally tortured to force him to renounce his faith. Overcome by pain, he inadvertently revealed some Christians' names. Though arrested, some still apostated. Realizing his mistake, Hy felt remorseful and begged God's forgiveness, resolving to atone with his blood.

On the morning of May 22, 1857, Hy was taken from the Palace to the execution grounds by An Hoa Bridge and beheaded. His remains were interred at the old Phu Cam parish church.

Ho Dinh Hy was beatified on May 2, 1909 and later canonized a saint on June 19, 1988.