For the missionaries in the Diocese of Tây Đàng Ngoài in the 19th century, death was always present as a “providential opportunity” to live out their vocation fully. And for Father Jean Louis Bonnard – whose Vietnamese name was Hương – this was even more special, because he not only accepted it but also yearned for it.
Born in 1824 in a village in the city of Lyon (France), at the age of 22, the young man entered the Seminary of the Mission Étrangère de Paris (MEP – Hội Thừa Sai Paris (Paris Foreign Missions Society)) and later became a missionary priest, receiving his mission in the distant region of Bắc Kỳ.
In May 1850, under the guidance of Bishop Liêu, Father Hương was trained in the Vietnamese language so he could preach. Afterwards, he was assigned to care for two parishes, Kẻ Báng and Kẻ Trình. Bishop Liêu once described Father Hương as a virtuous and gentle person, obedient, honest, and possessing a fervent and humble heart.
In 1851, King Tự Đức issued an edict banning the religion. While many priests had already been arrested for their faith, Father Hương was not afraid. On the contrary, he wished that he himself would be granted the same “honor.” During Lent in 1852, he was arrested together with two helpers in the village of Bối Xuyên, right after having just celebrated Holy Mass. Early the next morning, the district chief brought the arrested individuals to Nam Định province.
At the court, the official interrogated him about his name, his homeland, his route to come to An Nam, and the places he had passed through. Father Hương replied: “I have traveled to many places and cannot remember them all, and even if I did remember, I would not say.” Faced with threats of being beaten if he did not confess, he maintained his stance: “If you want to beat me, then beat me, but do not think that I will say anything that harms the faithful.” The official then urged him to step over the crucifix to avoid being beaten and executed; he answered frankly: “I am not afraid of beatings, nor am I afraid of death. How could I, having come to preach the faith in An Nam, step over the crucifix and abandon the religion, setting a bad example for the faithful?”
In his final days, Father Hương wrote a letter to comfort his parents. He advised them not to complain because their son had to die for the faith, since the Holy Apostles along with countless others had used their own blood to bear witness that the Lord Jesus Christ is the true religion. Even though he was young, he still longed for the grace of martyrdom and asked his parents not to weep for him, but to use the teachings of the faith to comfort themselves.
On May 1, 1852, the executioner beheaded Father Hương. At midnight, the officials had his body thrown into the river. The fishermen, seeing that the officials’ boats had returned, retrieved the body and head of the priest and brought them to Vĩnh Trị. The next day, Bishop Liêu had Father Hương’s body buried discreetly in a garden, known only to the priests and a few of the faithful.
Missionary priest Jean Louis Bonnard – Hương was raised to the rank of Blessed on May 27, 1900, and was canonized as a Saint 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.