Théophane Vénard
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Jean-Théophane Vénard (21 November 1829 at Saint-Loup-sur-Thouet, Diocese of Poitiers, France – 2 February 1861 in
Tonkin Tonkin, also spelled Tongkin, Tonquin or Tongking, is an exonym referring to the northern region of Vietnam. During the 17th and 18th centuries, this term referred to the domain '' Đàng Ngoài'' under Trịnh lords' control, including both the ...
, Vietnam) was a French Catholic missionary to
Indo-China Mainland Southeast Asia (historically known as Indochina and the Indochinese Peninsula) is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to th ...
. He was a member of the
Paris Foreign Missions Society The Society of Foreign Missions of Paris (, , MEP) is a Catholic Missionary order, missionary organization. It is not a religious institute, but an organization of secular clergy, secular priests and Laity, lay persons dedicated to missionary wo ...
. He was
beatified Beatification (from Latin , "blessed" and , "to make") is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name. ''Beati'' is the ...
in company with thirty-three other Catholic martyrs, most of whom were natives of Tonkin, Cochin-China, or China.
Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...
canonized Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of sa ...
him, with nineteen other martyrs, in 1988.


Life

Vénard was one of six children born to the local schoolmaster and his wife. One of Theophane's brothers, Eusebins, later became cure of the parish of Assai, a small village not far from Saint Loup. His sister Melanie entered a religious community at Amiens. As a young boy, he read of the martyrdom of
Jean-Charles Cornay Jean-Charles Cornay (; 27 February 1809 – 20 September 1837) was a French missionary of the Paris Foreign Missions Society who was martyred in Vietnam. He was executed in Ha Tay, Tonkin, now Vietnam,''A New Dictionary of Saints: East and Wes ...
and was inspired to become a missionary. Having learned the basics of Latin from the local parish priest, in 1841 Vénard commenced studies at the college of
Doué-la-Fontaine Doué-la-Fontaine () is a former Communes of France, commune in the Maine-et-Loire Departments of France, department in western France. On 30 December 2016, it was merged into the new commune Doué-en-Anjou. It is located in the heart of Duchy of ...
. At the age of eighteen he began philosophical studies at the seminary in
Montmorillon Montmorillon () is a commune in central-western France, in the Vienne department of which it is a sub-prefecture, in Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Its inhabitants are called ''Montmorillonnaises'' ''and Montmorillonnais''. Montmorillon is a Book town a ...
, followed by theological studies at the major seminary in
Poitiers Poitiers is a city on the river Clain in west-central France. It is a commune in France, commune, the capital of the Vienne (department), Vienne department and the historical center of Poitou, Poitou Province. In 2021, it had a population of 9 ...
. He entered the Paris Seminary for Foreign Missions as a sub-deacon and was ordained a
priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...
on 5 June 1852. He left Paris for the Far East on 19 September, embarking from Antwerp. The vessel was driven by a heavy gale into Plymouth, England, and after some delay sailed October 10 for the East, arriving at Singapore on New Year's Day, 1853. After spending three weeks here, Venard was sent to Hong-Kong, where he remained fifteen months studying the Chinese language. A change in plans resulted in his being sent to assist Bishop Pierre-André Retord, at his mission in West Tonkin (northern Vietnam).Walsh, James Anthony. "Bl. Théophane Vénard." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 14. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 2 December 2021
Shortly after Vénard's arrival a new royal edict was issued against Christians, and bishops and priests were obliged to seek refuge in caves, dense woods, and elsewhere. Vénard headed for the mountains, where he continued to exercise his ministry, mostly at night. On 30 November 1860, he was captured and sent to the city of
Phủ Lý Phủ Lý is the capital city of Hà Nam Province of Vietnam 60 km south of Hanoi on the Day River, river Đáy. History Phủ Lý was taken by the French gunboat, canonnière ''l'Espingole'' and 28 men captained by Adrien-Paul Balny d'Avricourt ...
. From there he was taken to the prefecture in Hanoi. Tried before a
mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
, he refused to apostatize and step on a Fumi-e. He was sentenced to be beheaded. Vénard remained a captive until 2 February, and during this interval lived in a cage, from which he wrote to his family beautiful and consoling letters, joyful in anticipation of his crown. Towards evening, he was sometimes allowed to go outside to hear confessions from the priests in the prison or to walk around reciting the rosary and singing hymns of thanksgiving, to the amazement of the guards. Jean-Théophane Vénard was beheaded 2 February 1861. On the way to martyrdom Vénard chanted psalms and hymns. To his executioner, who coveted his clothing and asked what he would give to be killed promptly, he answered: "The longer it lasts the better it will be". His head, after exposure at the top of a pole, was secured by the Christians and is now venerated in Tonkin. The body rests in the crypt at the
motherhouse A motherhouse or mother house is the principal house or community for a Catholic religious community.YourDictionaryMotherhouse/ref> One example is the Missionaries of Charity's motherhouse in Kolkata, which functions as the congregation's headquart ...
of the Paris Foreign Mission Society in Paris, France.


Veneration

The cause of his beatification was introduced at Rome in 1879, and he was declared Blessed, 2 May 1909. He was canonized on 19 June 1988, by Pope
John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...
.Duffy, Patrick. "Feb 2 – St Théophane Vénard (1829-61)", ''Catholic Ireland'', 2 February, 2012
/ref> Roman Martyrology: "In Hanoi, Tonkin, now Viet Nam, Saint Jean-Theophane Vénard, priest of the Paris Society for Foreign Missions and martyr, who, after six years of clandestine ministry marked by hardship and suffering, locked in a cage and condemned to death under Emperor Tự Đức, went peacefully to his martyrdom."Arduino, Fabio. "San Giovanni Teofane Venard Sacerdote e martire", Santi e Beati, February 1, 2007
/ref>


References


Sources


Walsh, James A., ''Thoughts from Modern Martyrs''
* F. Trochu,'' Le Bienheureux Théophane Vénard''. Ouvrage couronné par l' Académie française. Lyon, Paris, Édit. E. Vitte, 929


External links


Archives of the Paris Foreign Missions Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Venard, Theophane 1829 births 1861 deaths French Roman Catholic missionaries French Roman Catholic saints Vietnamese Roman Catholic saints Paris Foreign Missions Society missionaries People executed by Vietnam by decapitation 1861 in Vietnam 19th-century Christian saints 19th-century Roman Catholic martyrs 19th-century executions by Vietnam French people executed abroad Roman Catholic missionaries in Vietnam People from Deux-Sèvres French expatriates in Vietnam Victims of anti-Catholic violence in Vietnam