Saint Dominic Trần Duy Ninh, layperson (1841 - 1862), date of martyrdom: June 2. He declared: "If children are not permitted to disrespect their parents, then how dare a believer trample on the image of the Lord who created heaven and earth?"
Saint Dominic Trần Duy Ninh was born in 1841 in Trung Linh village, Nam Định province (now part of Trung Linh parish, Bùi Chu diocese). He was a virtuous Catholic youth. At age 20, he married a young woman from the village.
Every day, anh Ninh diligently worked in the fields; after finishing dinner in the evening, he would gather with others to pray together in the parish. He lived a simple, peaceful life. However, the lives of the faithful were disrupted by the harsh anti-Catholic decree of Emperor Tự Đức.
On September 16, 1861, at age 21, anh Ninh, along with many other Catholics, was surrounded and arrested by officials and soldiers, then taken to Xuân Trường prefecture. The prisoners steadfastly professed their faith and refused to trample on holy images. The prefect ordered the two characters "tả đạo" (heretical religion) carved onto their cheeks and sent them into exile. Anh Ninh was exiled to Đông Trị village, Đông Quan district. These heroes of faith were also forced to change their places of exile many times.
For over 9 months in prison, despite countless tortures, beatings with rods, and sweet temptations, the young hero of faith Trần Duy Ninh could not be shaken. He courageously answered the magistrate: "If children are not permitted to disrespect their parents, then how dare a believer trample on the image of the Lord who created heaven and earth. Do what you want, Magistrate, but do not force me to commit the sin of trampling on the Lord's Holy Cross."
Faced with the courage and forthrightness of the hero of faith Dominic Trần Duy Ninh, Governor-General Nguyễn Đình Tân ordered him beheaded on June 2, 1862, at An Triêm execution ground, Nam Định province, under Emperor Tự Đức.
The witness of faith Dominic Trần Duy Ninh was beatified on April 29, 1951, by Pope Pius XII and was canonized by Pope John Paul II on June 19, 1988.
The content about the saint in this post is summarized and paraphrased from the book “Hạnh Các Thánh Tử Đạo Việt Nam” - Lives of the Vietnamese Martyrs (Vietnamese Bishops’ Conference, edited by Bishop Peter Nguyễn Văn Khảm, Tôn Giáo Publishing House, 2018). This post is not a verbatim copy but a re‑presentation based on the original source.