Théophane Vénard
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Jean-Théophane Vénard (November 21, 1829 at Saint-Loup-sur-Thouet,
Diocese of Poitiers The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Poitiers (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Pictaviensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Poitiers'') is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church in France. The archepiscopal see is in the city of Poitiers. ...
,
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
– February 2, 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, includi ...
,
Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
) was a French Catholic missionary to
Indo-China Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, 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 the west an ...
. He was a member of the
Paris Foreign Missions Society The Society of Foreign Missions of Paris (french: Société des Missions Etrangères de Paris, short M.E.P.) is a Roman Catholic missionary organization. It is not a religious institute, but an organization of secular priests and lay persons ...
. He was
beatified Beatification (from Latin ''beatus'', "blessed" and ''facere'', "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 nam ...
in company with thirty-three other
Catholic martyrs The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a p ...
, most of whom were natives of Tonkin, Cochin-China, or China.
Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
canonized Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christianity, Christian communion declaring a person worthy of Cult (religious practice), public veneration and enterin ...
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 West'' b ...
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 commune in the Maine-et-Loire 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 Anjou, a few kilometres from the great châteaux ...
. 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 an ...
, followed by theological studies at the major seminary in
Poitiers Poitiers (, , , ; Poitevin: ''Poetàe'') is a city on the River Clain in west-central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and the historical centre of Poitou. In 2017 it had a population of 88,291. Its agglomerat ...
. 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 deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...
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 river Đáy. History Phủ Lý was taken by the French canonnière ''l'Espingole'' and 28 men captained by Adrien-Paul Balny d'Avricourt on October 26 1873 ...
. 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 Apostasy (; grc-gre, ἀποστασία , 'a defection or revolt') is the formal disaffiliation from, abandonment of, or renunciation of a religion by a person. It can also be defined within the broader context of embracing an opinion that ...
and step on a
Fumi-e A was a likeness of Jesus or Mary onto which the religious authorities of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan required suspected Christians (Kirishitan) to step, in order to demonstrate that they were not members of the outlawed religion, other ...
. 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 Feb. 2, 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 is the principal house or community for a religious institute. It would normally be where the residence and offices of the religious superior In a hierarchy or tree structure of any kind, a superior is an individual or position at ...
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, May 2, 1909. He was canonized on June 19, 1988, by Pope
John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
.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 Year 929 ( CMXXIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * January 16 – Emir Abd-al-Rahman III of Córdoba proclaims himself caliph and create ...


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 Executed people from Poitou-Charentes French expatriates in Vietnam