Saint of the day and spiritual life #persécution

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.

Every year on September 16, the Catholic Church celebrates Saint Cornelius, Pope and Martyr, and Saint Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage and Martyr. These two iconic figures of the 3rd century Christian era embody unity, perseverance, and faith in the face of Roman persecution.

Agatha was born around 231 AD in Catania, Sicily, into a noble and wealthy family. From a young age, she stood out for her beauty, piety and devotion to God. She decided to dedicate her life to Christ and took a vow of chastity, refusing to marry despite the many proposals she received.