Saint Thomas Trần Văn Thiện
Feast day: November 24
Saint Thomas Trần Văn Thiện, a seminarian martyred at 18, one of the 117 Vietnamese Martyrs (24/11).
Who is he?
Saint Thomas Trần Văn Thiện is one of the youngest of the 117 Vietnamese Martyrs. He was a seminarian, which means a young man studying to prepare to become a priest. He died for the faith at 18, under King Minh Mạng.
Life story
He was born in 1820 in the village of Trung Quán, Quảng Bình province, into a devout family that had been Catholic for many generations. One of his aunts was a sister of the Lovers of the Holy Cross. From the age of about 8 or 9, young Thiện studied Chinese characters, and then Latin with a priest. He was hardworking, well-behaved and loved God very much.
At the end of 1837, Father Kim (Candalh), a French missionary priest, opened a small seminary at Di Loan, and Thiện was accepted as a student. But before long, someone reported it, and the seminary had to close. In June 1838, while he was trying to find his way to Father Kim, Thiện was arrested by soldiers along with many other Catholics and taken to Quảng Trị.
The mandarin saw that he was bright and good-looking, so he tried to tempt him: if he gave up his faith, he could marry the mandarin’s daughter and become an official. According to the accounts, Thiện answered that he wanted only an office in heaven and did not care for any earthly office. The mandarin was angry and had him beaten and put in a cangue and chains. The boy stayed calm, prayed and accepted all the pain for God.
In prison, Thiện was kept together with Father Phan (Jaccard), a missionary priest who had also been arrested for the faith. The priest heard his confession, comforted him and gave him strength. On 21 September 1838, both of them were led out to the field of Nhan Biều, on the bank of the Thạch Hãn River. Thiện was put to death first, and then Father Phan. He was only 18 years old.
In 1900, Pope Leo XIII declared him Blessed. On 19 June 1988, Pope John Paul II canonized him together with 116 other Vietnamese martyrs.
Why is he a saint?
Saint Thomas Thiện was very young, with a bright future ahead of him. People promised him the mandarin’s daughter, titles and money. But he knew that Jesus is worth more than all of that, so he would rather die than deny the Lord. He bore witness to the faith with his own life.
A lesson for you
- When friends invite you to do something wrong so you can “get ahead,” have the courage to say no, like Saint Thomas Thiện.
- Study hard and learn your catechism well: his faith grew during years of hard study.
- Pray for seminarians, and ask God whether he is calling you to the priesthood or religious life.
Identifying marks
- A palm leaf: the palm branch martyrs hold in Vietnamese pictures and statues, a sign that he won the victory by daring to die for God.
- A wooden cross held to his chest: he would rather die than step over the cross to deny his faith.
- A teenager with his hair in a bun, a dark áo dài and white trousers: the clothes of a 19th-century Vietnamese student; he was a seminarian (someone studying to become a priest), not yet ordained, so he wears no stole.
- The bank of the Thạch Hãn River, bamboo hedges and small boats: he died at Nhan Biều, on the bank of the Thạch Hãn River, Quảng Trị.
- A small book or a Rosary (*): some pictures show him holding a schoolbook or a Rosary, recalling that he was a seminarian.
(*) Only in some pictures and statues.
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