Saint Thomas Đinh Viết Dụ

Thomas Đinh Viết Dụ was born in 1783 in the village of Phú Nhai, Nam Định province, a region with a long tradition of faith. After his ordination as a priest, he joined the Dominican Order and made his profession on December 21, 1814.

He was sent to serve the parish of Liễu Đề. In those years he quietly did a priest’s work: celebrating Mass, hearing confessions, teaching the catechism, visiting the sick.

In 1839, under Emperor Minh Mạng, the persecution grew harsher by the day. On May 20, someone went and reported to the mandarin that there was a priest in the village.

At that moment, Father Dụ had just finished celebrating Mass in the house of a woman named Thu. Soldiers came and surrounded the village. He quickly disguised himself as a hired hand and went out to sit weeding in the garden.

Picture the scene: a priest of fifty-six who had just taken off his vestments, now stooping in a weedy garden, pulling up weeds one by one, his heart pounding. The soldiers walked past.

But the informer following the soldiers recognized him.

He did not run, did not deny it. He stood up and said in a calm voice:

“I am the priest. It is my duty to care for the faithful here.”

He did not say “I have preached the religion”. He said “it is my duty to care for the faithful”. For him, being a priest was not a rank, but a responsibility toward each person.

He was held for about six months. Many times the mandarin questioned him and ordered him to step over the cross. He would not.

In prison he met another priest, Father Dominic Nguyễn Văn Xuyên. Both were Dominicans, both from Nam Định. They prayed together, helped each other prepare their souls, and heard each other’s confessions.

The mandarin drew up the case and sent it to the capital. The sentence read: “The priest Đinh Viết Dụ is condemned to beheading for spreading the perverse religion of Jesus. He has become hardened beyond cleansing.”

“Hardened beyond cleansing.” To the mandarin, that was a condemnation. To us today, it is the finest praise of faithfulness.

On November 26, 1839, Father Thomas Dụ was beheaded at the Bảy Mẫu execution ground, Nam Định, together with Father Xuyên. His remains are now venerated at Phú Nhai, his home village.

He was beatified on May 27, 1900, and canonized on June 19, 1988. His own feast day is November 26.

Some might ask: why would a saint disguise himself and hide? But that very detail makes Father Dụ close to us. He was not seeking death. He wanted to live so he could keep caring for the faithful. He hid because his flock needed him.

But once he was recognized, he did not deny it. He rose from the weedy garden and stepped onto the road God had chosen for him. That is wisdom and courage, both at once.