Francis Xavier Truong Buu Diep (
Vietnamese: Cha Phanxicô Trương Bửu Diệp or Cha Diệp, January 1, 1897 - March 12, 1946) was a
Vietnamese Catholic priest who served the people of
Bạc Liêu Province.
History
Born on January 1, 1897, in
An Giang Province, Diep was ordained in 1924 after completing his studies at
Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh (; km, ភ្នំពេញ, ) is the capital and most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since the French protectorate of Cambodia and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its economic, indus ...
Major Seminary in
Cambodia.
Upon his return to
Vietnam, Diep taught at a local seminary and served as a
pastor of Tac Say
parish for 16 years. He also founded many parishes in Cambodia and Vietnam.
Father Diệp was arrested and killed in 1946 by two of three Japanese soldiers who, after the 1945
surrender of Japan
The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally signed on 2 September 1945, bringing the war's hostilities to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy ...
, had defected to
Cao Đài general Cao Trường Phát. Earlier, father Diệp had helped the local church reclaim illegally occupied lands and earned the hatred of Boss Cận, the occupier. Boss Cận went to general Phát and accused father Diệp of colluding with the French who would exterminate the Cao Đài. General Phát's two Japanese subordinates and other Cao Đài soldiers imprisoned the Christians in a barn and plotted to burn them all alive, yet father Diệp offered himself to be killed alone so other Christians could live; so the Japanese murdered him and threw his naked, mutilated body into a shallow pool. Father Diệp's body was later drawn out and buried. Shocked by the Japanese's murderous inclination, General Phát later had all three Japanese killed.
Canonization
In
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
, investigation was made to prepare for the
canonization
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 ...
of Father Diep.
On October 31, 2014, the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a ''
nihil obstat'' statement approving the process for Father Diep's canonization.
Memorial
On March 12, 2016, Can Tho Diocese held the 70th anniversary of Father Diep's death. The event was attended by a large number of
bishops
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
- including
Bishop of Can Tho Diocese,
Stêphanô Tri Bửu Thiên; Bishop of Da Lat Diocese,
Antôn Vũ Huy Chương; Bishop of My Tho Diocese,
Phêrô Nguyễn Văn Khảm; and Bishop of Da Nang Diocese,
Giuse Châu Ngọc Tri.
THÁNH LỄ KHAI MẠC GIỖ LẦN THỨ 70 CHA F.X. TRƯƠNG BỬU DIỆP
/ref>
Legacy
Referred to as ''Father Diep'', he is venerated by devotees and even non-Christians in the Mekong Delta
The Mekong Delta ( vi, Đồng bằng Sông Cửu Long, lit=Nine Dragon River Delta or simply vi, Đồng Bằng Sông Mê Kông, lit=Mekong River Delta, label=none), also known as the Western Region ( vi, Miền Tây, links=no) or South-weste ...
. His shrine in Bạc Liêu is a pilgrimage destination. Some report that they were healed after praying for his intercession and visiting his shrine.
Although Catholic, because of his supposed supernatural powers, he is also worshipped by people of folk religions, sometimes alongside non-Christian indigenous Vietnamese divinities.
References
20th-century Vietnamese Roman Catholic priests
1946 deaths
1897 births
People from An Giang Province
Folk saints
Vietnamese Servants of God
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