Saint Peter Phan Hữu Đa – The Faithful Carpenter to His Last Breath - Martyrs for the Faith in Vietnam
Saint Peter Phan Hữu Đa was born around 1802 in Ngọc Cục village, Nam Định province (now part of Ngọc Tiên parish, Bùi Chu Diocese). He came from a poor but devout working-class family, always willing to help those around him.

After marrying and making a living as a carpenter, Phan Hữu Đa was an exemplary parishioner: devout in attending Mass, diligent in educating his children, and fervent in serving the community—from ringing the church bell to arranging liturgical items.

After the edict prohibiting the faith was issued, on June 27, 1861, he was arrested and taken to Xuân Trường prefecture. Six days later, he was imprisoned in Quá Linh village. Despite enduring imprisonment and torture, he remained steadfast in his faith, refusing to step on the Crucifix.

When the governor-general tried to persuade him, he replied clearly: "If the magistrate spares me and allows me to return to my family, I will be grateful; but as for stepping on the image of my Lord, I will absolutely never obey the magistrate."

On June 17, 1862, he was led to the execution ground to be burned alive. When the flames were nearly spent, the soldiers saw that he appeared to still be alive, so they beheaded him to finish the execution. His body was buried right at the execution ground by his wife and fellow believers, and one year later it was reinterred in his homeland.

The faithful carpenter Peter Phan Hữu Đa was declared Blessed by Pope Pius XII on April 29, 1951, and was canonized by Pope John Paul II on June 19, 1988.