St Matthêô Lê Van Gam was a Vietnamese martyr born in 1813 in Gò Công, Biên Hòa, Vietnam and died on May 11 1847 in Cho Ðui, Dong Nai, Vietnam. We celebrate his feast day on May 11 every year in the Catholic Church.
St. Matthêô Lê Van Gam Biography |
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| Date of Birth | 1813 AD |
|---|---|
| Place of Birth | Gò Công, Biên Hòa, Vietnam |
| Profession | missionary |
| Place of Work | Vietnam |
| Date of Death | May 11 1847 |
| Place of Death | Cho Ðui, Dong Nai, Vietnam |
| Feast Day | May 11 |
| Beatification | Beatified by Pope Leo XIII on May 27 1900 |
| Canonization | Canonized by Pope John Paul II on June 19 1988 |
Saint’s Biography
Saint Matthêô Lê Van Gam was born in 1813 in Gò Công, Biên Hòa in Vietnam. His parents were very devoted and determined to keep their faith. At fifteen, Matthêô attended the seminary of Lai Thieu, but being the first-born, family obligations caused him to return home. He married a good girl from his own village, from whom he had four children, two of whom were murdered for being Christians.
Matthêô betrayed his wife, but immediately afterward he sincerely repented. His wife forgave him, and he decided that the best thing would be become closer to the Church, to serve in his diocese, and to help the missionaries. During the persecutions of emperor Thiêu Tri in 1846, He was a skilled sailor and would smuggle a group of threatened seminarians out of the county to Malaysia.
The authorities suspected that he had taken goods prohibited by the government; Therefore, Matthêô was pursued. He was arrested and tortured. When he refused to renounce his faith, he was imprisoned for 10 months, regularly tortured, and killed for the crime of helping the missionaries.
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