Saint François-Isidore Gagelin
French missionary priest strangled at Hué in 1833
- Rank
- Saint
- Kind
- Martyr, Priest, Missionary
- Life
- 1799 – 1833
- Era
- 19th century
- Feast
- 24 November
- Countries
- France, Vietnam
Life story
François-Isidore Gagelin was born on 10 May 1799 at Montperreux in the Doubs, France. He studied at Pontarlier, Nozeroy, Dôle and the major seminary of Besançon, and entered the Paris Foreign Missions seminary in 1819. On 7 November 1820, still a subdeacon, he was sent to Cochinchina and arrived in September 1821, teaching at the minor seminary of Phuong-ruou. He was ordained a priest on 28 September 1822 at Nhut-dong.
He taught while also working in parishes, and in 1823 moved to Lower Cochinchina as persecution threatened. King Minh Mang summoned him to Hué on the pretext of scientific service, but in effect he was kept under watch for about a year, until the viceroy of Saigon obtained his release. From 1828 he worked again in Lower Cochinchina, and in 1830 he was sent to central Cochinchina, where Bishop Taberd named him provicar.
In early 1833 a persecution edict was issued and he took refuge at Phuong-hoa. To encourage Christians who were abandoning the faith under torture, he gave himself up to the sub-prefect of Bong-son in late May 1833. He was held at Hué from 23 August, questioned several times, and sentenced to strangulation for preaching Catholicism. He was executed on 17 October 1833 on the bank of the Hué river at Bai-dau. His remains were taken to France in 1847. He was beatified in 1900 and canonized on 19 June 1988.
Works and witness
- Sent to Cochinchina in 1820, arrived 1821, taught at the Phuong-ruou minor seminary
- Ordained a priest on 28 September 1822
- Kept under watch at Hué for about a year on King Minh Mang's order
- Gave himself up in late May 1833 to encourage believers
- Strangled on 17 October 1833; canonized in 1988
Saints from the same country
References
- IRFA (Institut de recherche France-Asie), missionary record 0342, 'GAGELIN François-Isidore' (irfa.paris/en/missionnaire/0342-gagelin-francois-isidore/)
Written by Anawim from documented history. Some details about ancient saints rest on tradition and are marked as such.