Patronal Saint of the ViệtNamese Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota
- A 71 year old man, Dominican Priest, with great devotion to the Cross,
- Bestowed with special gift to advice others to repent and come bacah to God,
- “I’m a priest, I exhort the faithful never to commit this great sin (violate the cross) against the Lord. How can I...” Decapitated on May 09, 1840
(by Rev. Cothonay)
Do Quang Hien was born in the village of Quan Anh in the Province of Nam Dinh, about 1775. He made his profession in the Dominican family on October 13, 1813.
When the persecution of Minh Menh broke out, the zealous missionary was obliged to hide in divers places. It was a hard life. He said one day: “I must flee and hide, but if God permits me to be taken and to suffer martyrdom, it will certainly be best.”
When Trinh Quan Khanh’s troops were sent to surround the village, the servant of God was informed. He then retired to his hiding place, taking with him the sacred vessels. Soon the town crier was heard proclaiming: “The Grand mandarin orders all men eighteen years and over to assemble at the village prison, under pain of death.”
The place where the missionary was hidden was so well concealed and so cleverly contrived that he anh his hosts felt confident that he would no be discovered. God had ordered it otherwise. The traitor had given such minute directions that the hiding place was discovered, and Father Hien was captured.
He was immediately brought before the mandarin, with his host and the sacred vessels. He was at once ordered to trample on the cross. The priest of Jesus Christ replied wth simplicity: “I adore my Lord, therefore I will not tremple on the cross.”
Beside himself with rage the tyrant swore by all his idols that he would make Father Hien change his mind. He commanded the servant of God to be laid on the ground, attached to three stakes, and beaten with the rattan. The followers of the mandarins struck him forty times with such cruelty that his flesh was all lacerated and the blood flowed abundantly. He made no complaint, only murmured the holy name of Jesus.
Becoming more and more furious the tyrant ordered that a heavy yoke should be placed round Father Hien’s neck, and that he should be taken to the villlage prison. He remained there two days, and then he was conducted to Nam Dinh, where he was put into the public prison with criminals.
He stayed there five months, transforming it into an earthly paradise by preaching, reconciling apostates, hearing confessions, catechizing the heathens and then baptizing them.
He also painted little pictures of the Crucifixion, which he distributed to the Christians who came to visit him, exhorting them always to hold the sign of our redemption in great veneration. The desire of the faithful to have these crosses was so great that with the help of a fellow prisoner, Father Hien made a mould, and from that printed them on paper, linen, handkerchiefs, and everything presented to him by Christians. Some are still preserved in the convent of Manila.
The faithful used the crossed to encourage the sick to have a firm hope of finding the way of repentance and of receiving the Last Sacraments. Two cases are recorded in which the grace of receiving the Last Sacraments is attributed to the virtue of the said crosses.
BEFORE THE COURT
Several days after his arrival he was cited before the tribunal of the mandarins, who made every effort to persuade him to reveal the hiding place of Father Hermosilla and to apostatize by trampling on the cross. “I know not,” replied the confessor of the Faith, “where he for whom you are searching is to be found. As to trampling the cross underfoot, I am a priest, and as such I exhort the faithful never to commit this great sin against the Lord of Heaven; how, then, can the mandarin expect me to trample on the cross? I am ready to die, that so I may correspond to the love of the Lord, who died for me.”
For this answer he was beaten with the rattan rod, and when his body was nothing but one great wound, he was again asked if he would consent to pass over the cross. He replied briefly: “I am willing to die, but not to pass over the cross.” In vain they tried flattery, promises, deceit, and the most cruel torture. Strengthened from above, the confessor of Christ came out victorious. Filled with rage, the tyrants urged the executioners to beat him harder, but their gentle victim replied: “I am already advanced in age, and therefore I do not fear death. I desire to die in order to correspond to the love of the Lord who died for me. Rest assured, I will not pass over the cross.”
The ministers of Satan then tried a new torture. It was the coldest season of the year. At Nam Dinh the thermometer descended at times to fory decrees above zero. They ordered the guards to pour little by little cold water on the naked and bleeding body of the martyr. He bore it patiently for a long time, but feeling he was about to die, and wishing to give his life publicly for his religion to strengthen the faith of the Christian, he said to the soldiers: “ A reward for you; take me back to prison; if not, I shall die.”
After four more months in prison the mandarins, despairing of triumphing over a faith so firm, pronounced his death sentence. It resembled all the others. It declared that knowing this religion was forbidden by the king, not only did Hien practice it himself, but he also exhorted others to do so. He was therfore an evil-doer, absolutely refusing to pass over the cross, and he must die.
Three days before his martyrdom Father Hien was brought before the tribunal and given his choice of passing over the cross or being beheaded. He courageously replied: “I will not trample underfoot the cross of Jesus Christ. I will accept death cheerfully, and until then I will persevere in the religion of Jesus Christ.”
On hearing this response, the mandarins ordered him to be attached to two stakes and beaten till he should decide to pass over the cross. This order was executed with such cruelty that pieces of his flesh were scattered about ang the blood flowed in streams.
Seeing that the persecutors were prevented from killing him, Father Hien turned to the mandarins and said: “ I have declared to you several times that I am willing to die, but not to pass over the cross. Now is the time for me to receive that which I have so much desired. I await only death that I may prove my love to my Lord Jesus. I ask the mandarins to act according to the law, and not lose their time in tempting me uselessly.”