A Modern Martyr: The Life of Saint Theophane Venard

by St. Theophane Venard

"I like Théophane Vénard even more than Saint
Louis de Gonzaga, because the life of Saint
Louis de Gonzaga was extraordinary and
Théophane Vénard's was quite ordinary...my
soul is like his. He is the one who has best
lived my way of spiritual childhood."

-- St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus

Théophane Vénard's example, particularly his way of accepting his martyrdom, was a valuable aid to Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, especially his words before "I do not rely on my own strength, but on the strength of Him who defeated the power of Hell and of the world through the Cross."

186 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2009

Reviews

[Melissa]

St. Théophane was a missionary priest to China and later to Vietnam where he was martyred because of his Catholic Faith. In the 1850/60s. Pray for us St. Théophane!

The Writing style of this book was dry. Too textbook like & slow moving for me at the moment in time that I tried to read it. DNF

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is equally a collection of letters from Theophane Venard as well as a biography of his life from him joining the seminary to his death as a missionary in Vietnam. The first half of the book, which is mostly comprised of Theophane's thoughts while he is in seminary to become a Catholic priest in France, was not as interesting to me. It is much more of his spiritual journey as he tries to follow his goals in life. The second half focuses on him traveling to Vietnam in the 1850s and his life there under persecution while trying to convert the Vietnamese. In the end, he is executed along with hundreds of other Christians in Vietnam. The first half I struggled to get through, but while the second part is brutal, it is extremely fascinating.