June 30
Vicente Dô Yên (+1838)
Martyr
Vietnamese Dominican martyr.
Biography
He was ordained a priest at the age of forty by San Clemente Ignacio Delgado. In the midst of persecution, he joined the Order of Preachers. He was arrested on June 8, 1838 and the mandarins suggested that he claim to be a doctor if he wanted to save his life. "I am not a doctor," he stated decisively, "I am a priest, my job is to offer sacrifices to God and preach the faith of Jesus Christ for which I will gladly die; I do not want to escape martyrdom at the cost of lies." Already on the way to the torture, everyone was amazed that the 74-year-old man walked upright with great joy. It is said of him in the beatification process "that he had wonderful softness of character, his countenance was joyful and his mercy without limits, and that he was prudent, peaceful, virtuous: his life edified many and led them to conversion. Leo XIII beatified him in May 1900 and John Paul II canonized him on June 19, 1988.
Practical advice
As soon as you have the opportunity, calmly defend a truth that others prefer to keep silent about without leaving for tomorrow the good that you can do today.