Ignacio-Clemente Delgado (+1838)

Biography

He was ordained bishop in Tonkin, today Vietnam, when the persecution of Christians began. Although he did not receive subsidies or support from Spain or the Congregation of Propaganda Fide, he was not deterred by difficulties. Entrepreneurial and detached from everything, he took responsibility for his Christian community and his activity as a pastor of souls. His detailed reports remain that he sent periodically to his superiors, from the order of Saint Dominic in Manila. He admires the fidelity and perseverance, the veracity and accuracy with which he explains the state of his mission in the various historical moments in which he lived. In his evangelizing work, his interest in the formation of native clergy and the adequate preparation of lay Christians to assume responsibilities as catechists and other services stands out. The persecution of Christians in Tonkin raged for a time and then subsided as the bishop and the few remaining priests had to carry out their work with caution. Bishop Delgado himself had to overcome difficulties to skillfully free himself from the hands of his persecutors and he managed to do so until May 29, 1838, the date on which he was taken prisoner. After suffering many physical humiliations and a long trial, he was sentenced to be beheaded. The last 43 days of his life were spent in a barred cage in inhumane conditions, where he died overwhelmed by heat and deprived of food and medicine. After his death he was beheaded. He had served God and souls for 50 years in the missions and 43 years as a bishop. On June 19, 1988, John Paul II canonized Ignatius-Clement with a group of one hundred and sixteen martyrs, Dominican and Tonkinese missionaries, of the Dominican Family, who died in Vietnam between 1745 and 1862.