Andrew Dũng-Lạc

Saint Andrew Dũng-Lạc was born around 1795 to a poor family in Bắc Ninh province in northern Vietnam. When his family moved to Hanoi, the young Trần An Dũng was welcomed by a Catholic catechist who sheltered him, taught him the faith, and led him to baptism, when he received the name Andrew. Drawn to serve Christ more deeply, he was ordained a priest on March 15, 1823. His humble life and fervent preaching brought many to the Church, even as persecution intensified under Emperor Minh Mạng, who outlawed missionaries and demanded public denial of the faith. Arrested in 1835, Father Andrew was ransomed by the faithful and took the name “Lạc” while moving to avoid capture, yet he continued his ministry. In 1839 he was seized again in Hanoi with Father Peter Thí; after imprisonment and torture, both were beheaded on December 21, 1839. Canonized in 1988 among the 117 Vietnamese Martyrs, he is venerated as a patron of Vietnam, persecuted Christians, and Vietnamese Catholics. His feast day is November 24.