Saint of the day and spiritual life #Missionnaire

Between the 17th and 19th centuries, the Church in Vietnam endured one of the longest and most brutal persecutions in its history. Several emperors, including Gia Long, Minh Mạng, Thiệu Trị, and Tự Đức, promulgated anti-Christian edicts prohibiting: the practice of the faith, the presence of foreign missionaries, the construction of churches, baptism, and catechism. Christians were forced to trample on a crucifix to prove they renounced their faith. Those who refused were arrested, tortured, imprisoned, or executed. It is in this context that the luminous figure of Saint Andrew Dũng-Lạc emerges, surrounded by numerous Vietnamese martyrs and foreign missionaries.

Saint Obadiah (also known as Obadiah or Obadiah of Babylon) is a saint in the early Christian tradition. According to several traditional accounts, he was one of the seventy-two disciples sent by Jesus to proclaim the Gospel. After Pentecost, the Apostles chose him to become the first bishop of Babylon, one of the oldest Christian communities located in the Persian Empire. Although his story is partly based on ancient traditions, Saint Obadiah has been venerated for centuries for his missionary zeal and his faithfulness to the message of Jesus.

Saint Peter Claver was born on June 26, 1580, in Verdú, Catalonia (Spain), into a devout peasant family. Early on, he showed a deep desire to dedicate his life to God. At the age of 22, he entered the Jesuit novitiate in Tarragona (1602). After studying philosophy in Majorca, he met Brother Saint Alphonsus Rodriguez, porter of the Jesuit college, who encouraged him to go on a mission to the New World.

Saint Anschar (or Ansgar in Old Norse) was a central figure in evangelization in Scandinavia in the 9th century. A missionary, bishop and archbishop, he worked tirelessly to introduce Christianity to the still largely pagan Nordic lands.