Saint Peter Trương Văn Đường

Peter Trương Văn Đường (born c. 1808 in Kẻ Sở, Hà Nam province, Vietnam; died December 18, 1838, in Sơn Tây, Ha Tay province, Vietnam) was a catechist, martyr, and saint of the Catholic Church. Peter Trương Văn Đường was born in Kẻ Sở, Hà Nam province, into a poor but devout family. From childhood, he was prepared for the religious life. At the age of 15, he was sent to the Bầu Nọ parish under the guidance of Father Marette, where he studied Latin. The following year, Bishop Havard admitted him as a catechist, even though he was only 16 years old. He continued to serve at the Bầu Nọ parish under the guidance of Father Jean-Charles Cornay until his arrest. Peter Trương Văn Đường was strangled to death alongside the catechist Peter Vũ Văn Truật. His feast day is November 24, as part of the 117 Vietnamese Martyrs. He was beatified on May 27, 1900, by Pope Leo XIII and canonized by Pope John Paul II on June 19, 1988, as one of the 117 Vietnamese Martyrs.