Saint Michael Nguyen Huy My (1804 - 1838) - Vietnamese Martyr Saint

Saint Michael Nguyen Huy My was born in 1804 at the Dai Dang camp, Van Sang district, in what is now Ninh Binh province. He was the eldest son of Mr. Ly My, whose real name was Nguyen Huy Dieu, from Ke Vinh village.

At the age of 10, Mr. My lost his father and at 12 he lost his mother, having to live with his aunt. His aunt had him study Confucian classics and medicine. At 20 years old, he married Mrs. Thi Men, the daughter of Mr. Dich from Ke Vinh village. Although still young, Mr. My was already renowned for being intelligent, talented, and eloquent.

When Ke Vinh village needed to elect a new head, the people nominated Mr. My but he declined. Later, following Bishop Du's advice, Mr. My accepted the position of village chief to protect the church and help the people during the religious persecution. From then on, people called him Ly My.

From a young age, Mr. My had good morals and virtues. When he started a family, his faith became even stronger. He did not drink alcohol or gamble, only focusing on work, family and faith. He and his wife lived in harmony, loving each other. He often helped the poor. Bishop Lieu from the Western Diocese testified that the church and people of Ke Vinh were greatly helped by Mr. My. Whenever he helped someone, he never accepted any repayment. He never took bribes, judged cases fairly, punishing the guilty without favoritism. Thanks to this, Ke Vinh village was considered more peaceful than others.

During Mr. My's time as village chief, King Minh Mang was fiercely persecuting Catholicism. Despite this, he remained steadfast in his faith and frequently encouraged others to persevere. When the Nam Dinh provincial governor Trinh Quang Khanh forced baptized soldiers to trample on the cross, the distant Mr. My sent a letter advising them not to do so.

On the morning of May 11, 1838, when Khanh's soldiers surrounded Vinh Tri village, Mr. My informed his father-in-law, saying: "Father and son, we are born together and will die together. What the Lord has ordained has come." Khanh was sitting on a boat at the village hall, summoning the villagers for a roll call and to arrest the "leaders of the religion", threatening beheading for non-compliance. Mr. My promised to hand over the leaders if caught.

Soon after, Khanh arrested Father Nam and Mr. Dich and had them brought forth. Mr. My was beaten, shackled and taken with the two others to the provincial capital for interrogation. Despite being tortured, he remained steadfast in his faith.

On August 12, 1838, after hearing the death sentence from King Minh Mang, all three prepared themselves spiritually and received the Holy Communion before being beheaded that same day at the Bay Mau court in Nam Dinh.

Mr. Nguyen Huy My was beatified on May 27, 1900 and canonized on June 19, 1988.