Author Topic: Autobiography of Archbishop Thuc (Read 1949 times)

Persto · « **Reply #20 on:** April 27, 2026, 08:38:28 PM »

https://www.cathinfo.com/crisis-in-the-church/thuc-heel-or-hero/
Pierre Martin was born on the eve of the Feast of Our Lady of Victory on October 6, 1897 in the Village of Phu-Cam in the city of Hué - the "mystic capital of Annam" in central Vietnam not far from the coast of the South China Sea. He was the son of Ngo-Dinh-Kha, who as the Archbishop wrote in his autobiography published by The Seraph in 1983 and which Bishop Giles, OFM has graciously given us permission to employ for this tribute, "No Vietnamese will forget the names of Ngo-Dinh-Kha, my father who suffered a thousand deaths for not having voted with other dignitaries of the court to depose the emperor Than-Thai which was illegally imposed by the representative of France at Annam (Central Vietnam), and of my oldest brother Ngo-Dinh-Khoi, who was buried alive together with his only son for having refused to serve as a minister in the first Communist ministry. He refused because he considered it incompatible with being a Catholic."

If only Catholics today had the courage and conviction of Pierre Martin's father, the Church would not be in the crisis it is. Because western civilization has caved, we do find ourselves compromised. There is much to say about the discipline, loyalty to family and Catholic upbringing of the faithful Orientals as His Excellency's own memoirs attest: "It was impossible to be a Catholic and a Communist functionary." If only the modern church had realized that before John XXIII ordered the total concession to Communism with the disastrous Pact of Metz in August of 1962. But we are getting ahead of ourselves for at the time of young Pierre's upbringing there were holy Popes sitting on the Chair of Peter. He was born in the last years of the pontificate of the valiant opponent of the Red Menace - Pope Leo XIII and came of age during the papacy of the holy Pope Saint Pius X.

Vietnam for over a millennium had been a vassaldom, if you will, of China, and that addresses the Mandarin way of life. Yet, to this day the Vietnamese and Chinese remain enemies. Archbishop Thuc put it succinctly, that the Vietnamese may have been "conquered, but never ceased to resist." For 200 years the Vietnamese were deprived of the Sacraments and yet kept the Faith alive because of the dedication of the families who passed down the Faith to their children and so on. It also helped that the ancient mandarins of each village passed down the necessary education so that when the French colonized Indochina during the Nguyen Dynasty - as the Royal Court in this photo illustrates the customs at the turn of the century and the young emperor below. You'll note the Nguyen Dynasty Dragon and if you'll note in the Archbishop's Coat of Arms he has three dragons, no doubt a tie to the Nguyen Dynasty in Annam.

There were those already knowledgeable in the Faith. One such was Thuc's father who, while owing his allegiance to the young king of his province Thanh-Thai, enthusiastically was one of the pioneers in spreading the education of the French tongue throughout Central Vietnam, which, at that time was called "Annam." It was Ngo-dinh-Kha who founded the national college of his country: Quoc-Hoc. Because of his position, his sons rose in the ranks of mandarin with few problems as His Excellency recorded in his autobiography titled after the first verse of Psalm 88: Misericordias Domini in Aeternum Cantabo translated to "The mercies of the Lord I will sing forever" and published exclusively in The Seraph late in 1982 and throughout 1983. The Archbishop, in the same, wrote:

I am a Vietnamese. This explains my character. Just as being French aids in understanding the spirituality of the Little Flower, St. Theresa; just as being Castillian explains the character of the great Teresa of Avila.

That should definitely describe and be the rationale for what the western mindset might term as inferior. In truth, we are the ones inferior for this man so maligned by so many who are ignorant of the truth, have wrongly accused him. It is akin to us living in the times after Christ's Ascension and questioning the authority of the Apostle Paul. How dare a Jew preach to Gentiles. How dare a humble and learned Oriental preach to the proud Occidental. This was most evident first in the attitude of the French toward the Vietnamese for they were not French citizens but vassals to the French. The Vietnamese have long memories and they naturally resented this considering they had been treated by the Chinese in the same manner. Thus the French had to work at being trusted. This most of the missionary priests did and great fruits were realized, but there also were those whose supposed superiority over these peasants of the rice paddies backfired. In retrospect, it is a clear answer to why France first failed, and then America failed in making Vietnam into a western-type country culturally. They already had their culture and this, even Rome didn't always recognize as His Excellency elaborated on several times in his autobiography. One reason the villagers were able to keep the Faith alive even without a priest or the sacraments over the centuries was because no one could overrule the village. This is important in not only understanding the mindset of the Vietnamese, but in realizing the futility of the French and more catastrophically the Americans in trying to subdue Vietnam and force it to become a democracy. Archbishop Thuc explains in his autobiography:

Ladislaus · « **Reply #21 on:** **Yesterday** at 12:22:46 AM »

I see that the wicked slanderers can't help themselves but to keep showing up and smearing Archbishop Thuc. They will be judged by God, and this is why I no longer post here, since it's overflowing with nasty wicked slanderers.

TomGubbinsKimmage · « **Reply #22 on:** **Yesterday** at 04:12:53 AM »

Quote from: Ladislaus on Yesterday at 12:22:46 AM

I see that the wicked slanderers can't help themselves but to keep showing up and smearing Archbishop Thuc. They will be judged by God, and this is why I no longer post here, since it's overflowing with nasty wicked slanderers.

You are such a cry baby.

MonsieurValentine · « **Reply #23 on:** **Yesterday** at 05:04:38 AM »

Quote from: TomGubbinsKimmage on Yesterday at 04:12:53 AM

You are such a cry baby.

Tom, you're like that overbearing family member who always has to get the last word in regardless of how much strife it causes.
I've seen your type in school, family gatherings, numerous workplaces, and just about every online forum.
It's a fragile ego that covets attention by wanting others to acknowledge them as the smartest person in the room. The village explainer.
Typically men like this are henpecked at home by their wives so internet forums allow them to compensate for the lack of power/control in other areas of their life.
Time for some self reflection friend

TomGubbinsKimmage · « **Reply #24 on:** **Yesterday** at 06:05:58 AM »

Quote from: MonsieurValentine on Yesterday at 05:04:38 AM

Tom, you're like that overbearing family member who always has to get the last word in regardless of how much strife it causes.
I've seen your type in school, family gatherings, numerous workplaces, and just about every online forum.
It's a fragile ego that covets attention by wanting others to acknowledge them as the smartest person in the room. The village explainer.
Typically men like this are henpecked at home by their wives so internet forums allow them to compensate for the lack of power/control in other areas of their life.
Time for some self reflection friend

Did you have time reflect on what a theological note of certainty is?
Or are you digging in your heels?

Rather than such verbose pseudo psychoanalysis (which is all total projection by the way), maybe I was right about Ladislaus.

Maybe he is a cry baby. Did you consider that before your effeminate interjection?

CathInfo.com

Author Topic: Autobiography of Archbishop Thuc (Read 1949 times)

Persto

Re: Autobiography of Archbishop Thuc

Ladislaus

Re: Autobiography of Archbishop Thuc

TomGubbinsKimmage

Re: Autobiography of Archbishop Thuc

MonsieurValentine

Re: Autobiography of Archbishop Thuc

TomGubbinsKimmage

Re: Autobiography of Archbishop Thuc