Saint Peter Hoàng Khanh: The Martyr Priest Who Remained Faithful to His Title of "Religious Leader" - The Saints Martyred for the Faith in Vietnam

Saint Peter Hoàng Khanh was born in 1780 in Hoa Duệ, Nghệ An province, into a virtuous family that worked as merchants. The family later moved to the village of Lương Khế, Anh Sơn prefecture, Thanh Chương district, in the same province.

At the age of 22, he longed to dedicate himself to God, asking to become a catechist and assist Father Đạc at the parish house. Later, Catechist Khanh entered the seminary to prepare for the priesthood and was ordained around 1820.

As a priest, Father Khanh was known for his zeal, wholehearted love for the faithful, and for frequently helping the poor in the parishes of Trại Lê, Thuận Nghĩa, Thọ Kỳ, Làng Truông, and Ngàn Sâu. He paid special attention to fostering religious vocations, finding teachers of Chinese characters and Latin for the seminarians. Eight of his spiritual sons became priests, serving the Church.

On January 29, 1842, while in Ngàn Sâu, the priest received a letter of invitation from Vicar Masson-Nghiêm and boarded a boat to the Xã Đoài Major Seminary. On the return journey, his boat was stopped and searched. Seeing him as dignified and handsome for his age, and carrying prayer books, holy oil, stole, etc., the platoon commander asked if he was a doctor or what his profession was. Father Khanh answered straightforwardly: "I am a religious leader." Immediately, he was shackled and imprisoned.

In prison, the officials, who admired him and wanted to save him, advised him to declare himself a doctor. But the priest refused: "If you tell me to declare that I am a doctor, later on if someone allows me to act as a religious leader, who would listen to me anymore?"

Though imprisoned, shackled day and night, and even having his feet put in stocks at night, the priest persistently prayed and kindly helped his fellow prisoners. He prepared medicines that cured many serious illnesses, causing officials, the platoon commander, and soldiers to trust him and spread the word that "the religious elder's medicinal decoctions are very effective."

The death sentence by beheading was carried out on July 12, 1842, in Hà Tĩnh, during the reign of Emperor Thiệu Trị. The priest was taken to the execution ground at Cồn Cổ, near the rear gate. A gong sounded, and the executioner beheaded him. The body of the witness of faith – Priest Peter Hoàng Khanh – was taken to the Kẻ Gốm parish and buried at the site of the old church.

He was raised to the rank of Blessed by Pope Pius X on May 2, 1909, and canonized as a Saint by Pope John Paul II on June 19, 1988.