Saint Dao Dinh Toan (1764 - 1840) - Vietnamese Martyr Saint

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Saint Dao Dinh Toan (1764 - 1840) - Vietnamese Martyr Saint

Thomas Dao Dinh Toan was born in 1764 in Can Phan village, Thai Binh province. He was beatified on May 27, 1900, and canonized as a saint on June 19, 1988.

Saint Thomas Dao Dinh Toan was born in 1764 in Can Phan village, Thai Binh province. Previously, he was both a member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic and a respected catechist in evangelization in Trung Linh.

On December 16, 1839, the prefect of Xuan Truong sent soldiers to search Trung Linh village. Toan was arrested and forced to step on the cross. He refused and was taken to Xuan Truong prefecture. There, unable to withstand torture, on January 19, 1840, he stepped on the cross.

However, Governor-General Trinh Quang Khanh was skeptical due to Toan's hesitant attitude. He ordered two people who had abandoned their faith to cry pitifully, begging Toan to help them. If he didn't renounce his faith, they would be beheaded. They also spoke many offensive words about God. To stop them from speaking blasphemously, Toan stepped on the cross again. Afterward, he repented and wept for his foolish act. Fifteen days later, Father Dominic Trach was arrested and imprisoned with Toan. The priest consoled and absolved him.

When facing Governor-General Trinh Quang Khanh, Toan proclaimed his Christian faith boldly. Astonished, the governor ordered a brutal beating. When soldiers dragged him across the cross, he rose up, knelt to kiss the holy image, and loudly recited an act of contrition. The governor ordered his clothes stripped off, continued the beating, tied two crosses to his feet, and had him exposed to the sun without food or water, while being insulted and cursed by everyone. Toan endured silently without complaint.

When Toan was starving, the governor offered him a feast of meat and wine, inviting him to eat and then step on the cross. Toan firmly stated, "If eating means abandoning my faith, I will never eat."

On June 27, 1840, he died in prison in Nam Dinh, during the reign of Emperor Minh Mang. His body was taken by the faithful and buried in Luc Thuy parish.
Thomas Dao Dinh Toan was beatified on May 27, 1900, and canonized as a saint on June 19, 1988.