Saint Dominic Nguyễn Văn Xuyên

Dominic Nguyễn Văn Xuyên, also called Doãn, was born in 1786 in Hưng Lập, in the Nam Định area. Bishop Ignacio Delgado (Y) helped him go to school. In 1819 he was ordained a priest, and then joined the Dominican Order.

He served the parishes of Phạm Pháo, Kẻ Mèn and Đông Xuyên. At Kẻ Mèn he helped found the Catholic community of Thanh Minh. Then he helped at the seminary of Ninh Cường, teaching the seminarians.

After that, he was put in charge of the vicariate’s affairs: the books, the property, the common business. That is exactly why, when the bishops were arrested, he was the one the mandarins especially wanted to question. He knew too much.

On August 18, 1838, after celebrating Mass in the Catholic hamlet of Phú Đường, he was recognized and handed over to the mandarin.

The prefect demanded a ransom. He answered:

“I do not have a single coin on me; if you release me I thank you, if you arrest me I accept it.”

The faithful wanted to pool their money to ransom him. But he, the manager of the vicariate’s property, knew well the value of every coin. He said:

“Keep the money for the parish; do not waste money ransoming me for nothing.”

In any case, the matter had already gone up to the province, and ransom was no longer possible.

The mandarin questioned him about the vicariate’s property and the bishops’ hiding places. He was beaten many times, at times until he lost consciousness. They revived him, only to resume the questioning.

He told them nothing. When the governor demanded that he renounce his faith, he said:

“In life or in death, I will not give up my religion.”

And:

“I choose death so as to live for ever, rather than listen to you and live a little longer only to be destroyed for all eternity.”

In the end, he was held together with Father Thomas Đinh Viết Dụ, another Dominican. The two prayed together and heard each other’s confessions before the day of execution. Two shepherds, in captivity, became each other’s shepherd.

And Father Xuyên still wrote poems. Plain folk-song verses, easy to remember and learn by heart, to encourage the faithful to hold fast to the faith. The keeper of the books turned out to have a poet’s soul.

On November 26, 1839, Father Dominic Xuyên and Father Thomas Dụ were beheaded at the Bảy Mẫu execution ground. Father Xuyên’s body was first buried at the place of execution, and in 1841 it was taken to Lục Thủy.

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

Father Xuyên managed the vicariate’s property and knew that every coin came from the hard-working hands of the faithful. That is why he did not want anyone to spend money ransoming him. “Keep the money for the parish.” He held the life of the community more precious than his own.

And in prison he still wrote poems. Perhaps that was his way of telling everyone: even in the dark, there is still room for beauty, for hope, for song.