Saint Vincent Pham Hieu Liem (1732 - 1773) - Vietnamese Martyr Saint

Saint Vincent Pham Hieu Liem was born in 1732 in Tra Lu village, Thien Truong district, Son Nam province (now part of Phu Nhai parish, Bui Chu Diocese). His father was Anton Doan, a respected scholar in the village. His mother was a virtuous woman dedicated to educating her children.

At 12 years old, Liem began his religious training. Being intelligent and pious, he was chosen to study abroad at the University of Letran in Manila, Philippines. In 1754, Brother Liem took his solemn vows in the Dominican Order with the religious name Vincent of Peace. After being ordained as a priest in 1758, Father Liem returned to his country to serve and was appointed to teach at Trung Linh Seminary.

During his missionary work, Father Liem was responsible for the parishes of Quat Lam, Luc Thuy, Trung Le, Trung Lao, and the entire Lai On region. He was beloved by the parishioners for always caring for his flock, despite all difficulties and dangers. Although very successful in his pastoral work, he remained humble and never self-satisfied.

In 1767, during the reign of King Le Canh Hung, Lord Trinh Sam ordered the execution of a Buddhist monk who had committed a crime and also ordered the arrest of Catholic priests to avoid accusations of religious favoritism. On October 2, 1773, while administering sacraments in Luong Dong parish, Father Liem was arrested along with two deacons, Vu and Bich. They were imprisoned and taken to Lord Trinh Sam in Thang Long for trial.

In Thang Long, an official related to Lord Trinh Sam organized a debate between four religions: Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Catholicism. The debate lasted for 3 days to discuss the origin and purpose of human beings.

Afterwards, Lord Trinh Sam's mother invited the two priests to come and preach about their faith. She asked what would happen to non-believers after death, and Father Liem replied "the fiery pit of hell." She became angry and ordered her son, Lord Trinh Sam, to execute the two priests.

On November 7, 1773, Father Liem and Father Castañeda were beheaded at Dong Mo execution ground. Father Liem was 41 years old. His remains were taken back and buried in Trung Linh.

On May 20, 1906, Father Vincent Pham Hieu Liem was beatified, and on June 19, 1988, he was canonized as a saint.