Saint Andrew Dung-Lac: Courage to keep the faith

Opening

Does courage mean never feeling afraid? Saint Andrew Dung-Lac's life shows that courageous people may avoid danger and accept help. But when forced to choose between denying their faith and remaining faithful, he did not turn away.

The story

Andrew Dung-Lac was born around 1795 into a poor family in northern Vietnam. His childhood name was Dung. As a young man, a Catholic catechist cared for him, educated him, and introduced him to the faith. Dung was baptized with the name Andrew and later studied to serve the Church. He was ordained a priest in 1823.

Father Andrew lived simply, taught diligently, and cared for the poor. At that time many Christians in Vietnam were being forced to deny their faith. He was once arrested, but parishioners raised money to free him. He changed his name from Dung to Lac and moved elsewhere to continue caring for communities. Accepting help and seeking safety shows that he did not seek death; he wanted to serve as long as possible.

In 1839 Father Andrew was arrested again with Father Peter Thi. The two priests would not deny their faith and were sentenced to death. Father Andrew died in Hanoi on December 21, 1839. On June 19, 1988, Saint John Paul II canonized him with 116 other martyrs. The Church celebrates the Vietnamese Martyrs on November 24. This lesson uses facts from the canonization record and does not add unverified stories about his final hours.

Virtue

Today's action

Prayer