Few people know that as a young boy, little Joseph Nguyễn Văn Lựu also once enjoyed having fun. But upon reaching adulthood, he changed, becoming a calm, gentle man and a spiritual support for countless people.

Born in 1790 into a pious family in the Cái Nhum congregation (Vĩnh Long), at the age of ten, he followed his parents to the new land of Mặc Bắc to make a living. Marrying and having seven children, Mr. Lựu lived up to his responsibilities and was trusted and elected as the head of the Mặc Bắc congregation. Thanks to his tolerant nature, he had a special talent for resolving disputes within the village and the congregation. Particularly, he regularly sought ways to shelter and arrange safe hiding places for missionaries and priests whenever an edict to arrest Christians was issued.

In March 1851, Emperor Tự Đức issued a more severe edict prohibiting Christianity. A few ill-intentioned individuals within the congregation, wanting to claim the reward money, reported to the provincial mandarin that the Mặc Bắc congregation was harboring religious leaders.

On the night of February 26, 1853, soldiers raided the home of the congregation head. Despite being brutally tortured, he and his wife steadfastly refused to reveal the hiding place of the priests. At that time, Father Philip Phan Văn Minh was hiding inside a trunk; witnessing his spiritual children suffering because of him, he came out and surrendered. Everyone in the house was taken to Vĩnh Long province.

In prison, day after day, the elderly congregation head endured all kinds of horrific treatment: torture, enticement, and intimidation. But none of it could shake his faith in God. Due to his advanced age and weakness, compounded by illness, Mr. Joseph Nguyễn Văn Lựu breathed his last on the night of May 2, 1854.

His body was brought back and buried within the foundation of the old church of the Mặc Bắc congregation – a place that had just been razed. Nearly 150 years later, on June 19, 1988, that humble congregation head was elevated to the rank of sainthood.