Saint Józef Đỗ Quang Hiển

Joseph Đỗ Quang Hiển, O.P. (Vietnamese: Giuse Đỗ Quang Hiển; born c. 1765 in Quần Anh Hạ, Nam Định Province, Vietnam – died May 9, 1840, in Nam Định, Vietnam) was a Dominican friar, martyr, and saint of the Catholic Church. After his priestly ordination, Joseph Đỗ Quang Hiển was sent to Manila for further studies. On October 12, 1812, he entered the Dominican Order. Upon returning to Vietnam, he served in several parishes. During a period of persecution, he was arrested and spent nine months confined in a cage. He was tortured for refusing to trample on the cross. He was subsequently transferred to a prison in Nam Định, where he spent five months. Beheaded on May 9, 1840, in Nam Định by decree of Emperor Thiệu Trị, he is one of the 117 Vietnamese Martyrs, victims of religious persecutions that claimed 113,000 lives between 1645 and 1886. He was beatified on May 27, 1900, by Pope Leo XIII and canonized by Pope John Paul II on June 19, 1988, as part of the group of 117 Vietnamese Martyrs.