Strongly Remembered

In Vietnam, Christianity's vibrancy is rooted in the labors and fidelity of generations of catechists who continued to serve Christ and the Gospel for centuries, long after foreign missionaries had been expelled and native clergy prohibited from exercising their ministry.

Among the 44 martyrs declared "blessed" by Pope John Paul II during the very first beatification of the Jubilee Year 2000 was Andrew the Catechist of Vietnam. Though he preached for only a few years, his witness of faith was so strong he has been remembered by millions of Vietnamese faithful for more than 350 years.

The story of seventeenth century Christianity in Cocicina, Vietnam, and of Andrew's place in it, was told by Jesuit missionary Father Alexander de Rhodes. Fr. de Rhodes was for Vietnam what Matteo Ricci was for China. He compiled the first dictionary of the national language and developed the written characters still used today.

Fr. de Rhodes was also an eyewitness to the imprisonment, condemnation to death, and martyrdom of Andrew. And it was he who wrote down the first account five years later.

The Making of a Young Catechist

Son of a devoutly Christian mother, Andrew was born in 1625 in Ran Ran, Vietnam. He was the youngest son, and had a rather weak constitution but he exhibited a keen mind, sound judgment, and a soul that tended towards goodness.

At the insistence of Andrew's mother, Fr.de Rhodes accepted him among his students, and Andrew applied himself to the study of Chinese characters to such a degree that he soon surpassed his fellow students.

He received baptism along with his mother, only three years before his death, at the age of 19 or 20. One year later, he became a Catechist, and in 1643, along with other catechists, he made a vow to serve the Church for the rest of his life.

Christianity Forbidden

When the king of Annam (Vietnam's ancient name) ordered a halt to the spread of Christianity in his kingdom, the natives were forbidden to join the "new" religion. In late July 1644, the Mandarin Ong Nghè Bo had come back to the province carrying with him the order to halt the expansion of Christianity, and decided to act immediately and aggressively against the Vietnamese catechists.

On the evening of July 25, 1644, soldiers were sent to Fr. de Rhodes' house with orders to pick up a catechist named Ignatius, but when he was not there, they broke into the priest's residence. Finding young Andrew, they beat him, bound him, and brought him to the Mandarin explaining that he was a catechist just like Ignatius, since "he had always spoken of the law of Christ to everyone in the village, exhorting them to receive it."

Detained, Andrew was counseled to "give up his idiotic opinion," and to renounce his faith. The intrepid catechist responded that he was a Christian, and was willing to suffer anything, rather than "abandon the law he professed." Urging them to prepare any torture, he firmly stated that for his beliefs he would willingly embrace "both the suffering and the most glorious death." He was condemned to death.

The following day, Fr. Rhodes and some Portuguese merchants arrived at the house where Andrew was being held and found him serene and happy to be able to suffer for Christ. With tears in their eyes, they offered him their prayers, and Andrew asked them to pray for themselves too, that God might grant them the grace to remain faithful to him and to the "infinite love of the Lord who gave his own life for mankind." He repeated these thoughts and then concluded, saying, "Let us give love for love to our God, let us give life for life."

The Death of a Catechist

In the afternoon of July 26, 1644, thirty soldiers arrived and ordered him follow them to the place where they would execute him. Andrew thanked the Lord that the hour of his sacrifice had arrived, and bid farewell to those with him in prison. Fr. de Rhodes, following the customs of the land, asked for and received permission to spread a mat out under the body of Andrew to catch his blood. But Andrew refused, preferring that his blood fall to the ground, in imitation of Christ. Fr. de Rhodes knelt beside him.

Andrew continued to encourage the Christians present to remain firm in their faith, not to be saddened on account of his death, and to help him with their prayers to be faithful to the end. Spears pierced the left side of his body, and when a soldier brandished a scimitar to decapitate him, he exclaimed in a loud voice, "Jesus!" bearing witness to his Christian faith and love.

Fr. De Rhodes retrieved the body, which was shipped to Macao for burial. When pirates attacked the transport ship, it struck a rock, and a hole was torn in the hull. Miraculously, a large stone rolled into the gap, holding out the water, and the ship was able to deliver its cargo.

Despite the passing of centuries, Vietnamese Catholics have never forgotten this young catechist, whom they consider to be the first martyr of their country, and a powerful intercessor for their fidelity to the faith.

Reprinted with permission from the book Saints of the Jubilee