Saint Francesco Gil Federich was born on December 14, 1702, in Tortosa, Spain. At the age of 16, he dedicated himself to God's service, professed his vows in the Order of Saint Dominic, and was ordained a priest on March 29, 1727. In 1733, Father Federich arrived in Manila and joined the Province of the Most Holy Rosary – the province responsible for missionary work in the Far East.

The Provincial Superior, Father Diego Saeng, valued his talent and virtue, appointing him as the province's secretary from 1733 to 1735. However, his heart yearned to go out on missions. In the autumn of 1735, Father Federich – Tế* crossed the sea to Đàng Ngoài, preaching the Gospel in the parishes of Trực Ninh (Nam Định), Vũ Tiên (Thái Bình), Kẻ Mèn Bắc Trạch, and Lục Thủy.

On June 3, 1737, after celebrating Mass, upon hearing that soldiers had surrounded the parish and fearing the faithful would be implicated, Father Tế voluntarily presented himself at the Lục Thủy church and was arrested. The reason was that a person who held a grudge against the faith had denounced him.

The faithful collected money for his ransom, but the accuser demanded more and refused to release him. Father Tế was detained at this person's home for over ten days. The parishioners appealed to the district mandarin to intervene. The mandarin ordered the arrest of both Father Tế and his accuser, but the latter had fled to Thăng Long, falsely accusing the Sơn Nam district mandarin of accepting bribes and tolerating the Lục Thủy Christian village for harboring a "Western priest." The situation exposed, the district mandarin was forced to send Father Federich – Tế back to Thăng Long. In prison, he suffered from severe malaria and injuries from torture on his legs.

At the trial, the accuser requested to trample on an image of the cross to prove he did not follow the faith. The mandarins also pressured Father Federich – Tế to trample on the holy image, but not only did he refuse, he knelt down to kiss and venerate the Holy Cross. On July 10, 1738, the judge sentenced him to execution by beheading for the crime of spreading a "false religion."

Due to political upheaval, the sentence was forgotten. While awaiting execution, Father was permitted to visit the faithful around the capital. The Bishop of the Western Đàng Ngoài Diocese wanted to appoint him as Pastor of Kẻ Chợ (Hà Nội), but Father humbly declined. In the year 1741 alone, he heard the confessions of 2,767 people, baptized 44 adults and 41 children, and administered the last rites to 88 terminally ill patients.

Finally, on January 22, 1745, under Lord Trịnh Doanh, the sentence was carried out. Father Tế was executed by beheading in Thăng Long. His remains were solemnly escorted back to the Lục Thủy Church residence.
The missionary priest Francesco Gil Federich – Tế was beatified by Pope Pius X on May 20, 1906, and canonized a saint by Pope John Paul II on June 19, 1988.

*"Tế" is the Vietnamese name used for Father Federich in the text.