Saint Peter Nguyen Van Tu (1796 - 1838) - Vietnamese Martyr Saint

Saint Peter Nguyen Van Tu was born in 1796 in Ninh Cuong village, now belonging to Ninh Cuong region, Nam Dinh province in the Diocese of Bui Chu. From a young age, little Tu asked to live in the parish house, and later entered the seminary and was ordained a priest in 1826 at the age of 30. The following year, on January 4, 1827, Father Tu joined the Dominican Order and took vows. For 12 years, he devotedly ministered to the faithful in various parishes entrusted to him.

Ke Mot village was entirely Catholic, so the mandarins suspected a priest was hiding there. Therefore, on June 29, 1838, they surrounded the entire village. Soldiers searched house-by-house for the priest but found only rosary beads, images, and vestments. The village elders had to pay a ransom to prevent the village from being destroyed. Some frightened parishioners renounced their faith. Finally, a doctor named Ninh could not withstand torture and revealed where Father Tu was staying.

On June 29, 1838, after Mass, Father Tu was arrested in Ke Mot parish along with catechist Bui Van Uy. At the district office, the mandarin demanded Father explain the confiscated religious items. Father Tu took the opportunity to preach about the Lord.

On August 9, 1838, the mandarin placed a crucifix on the ground with torture instruments, demanding Father Tu trample the image to be spared. But Father resolutely refused. On September 2, 1838, King Minh Mang sentenced him to death by beheading. Knowing his execution was near, Father Tu asked Father Phuong to hear his confession and give him Holy Communion.

On September 5, 1838, at the Co Me execution grounds, after his final Mass, Father Tu was beheaded. The faithful paid to retrieve his body for burial at Nghia Vu parish. Currently, his remains are kept at Trung Lai church in Viet Yen district, Bac Giang province.

Father Peter Nguyen Van Tu was beatified on May 27, 1900 and canonized on June 19, 1988.