Saint José Fernández de Ventosa

Saint José Fernández (born José Fernández de Ventosa; September 3, 1775, in Ventosa de la Cueva, Ávila, Spain; died July 24, 1838, in Nam Định, Vietnam) was a Dominican friar, missionary, martyr, and saint of the Catholic Church. José Fernández came from a religious family. He was sent on a mission to the Far East, arriving first in Manila. Later, he traveled to Macau with three other Dominicans, then arrived at the port of Turane on an English ship. From there, he traveled on foot to his destination: a Dominican mission in northern Vietnam. During a period of persecution, he was forced into hiding and frequently changed locations. In one of his hideouts, he met Father Peter Nguyễn Bá Tuần. Due to Fernández's poor health, Peter Nguyễn Bá Tuần decided to stay with him, and they traveled together from then on. They were imprisoned in June 1838 and faced trial multiple times. José Fernández refused to trample on the cross and was beheaded on July 24, 1838. His feast day is November 24, as part of the group of 117 Vietnamese Martyrs. He was beatified by Leo XIII on May 27, 1900, and canonized by John Paul II on June 19, 1988, as one of the 117 Vietnamese Martyrs.