A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE MOST REVEREND PETER DOAN CONG QUY

The Most Reverend Peter Doan Cong Quy was born in 1826 at Bung Parish, Hung Thinh Village, Thu Dau Mot (currently known as Binh-Duong Province), South Vietnam. He was the youngest child of a family of six children, born to Anthony Doan Cong Mieng and Annette Nguyen Thi Thuong.

In His early adolescent years, He served as an altar boy at Bung Parish, and studied religion with Father Tam, the pastor at Bung Parish. Through Father Tam’s referral, the Most Reverend Peter Doan Cong Quy was introduced to Father John Mich, a religious intellect, for His further pursuit of religious and other classical studies. Subsequently, the Most Reverend Doan Cong Quy studied at St. Joseph Seminary in Thi Nghe City. One year later, He was sent abroad to study Philosophy and Theology at Penang Major Seminary, Malaysia. After seven years of classical studies and of religious vocational training, He came back to Vietnam to teach Catechism and await for His Priesthood Ordination.

That was 1855, the year of His Most Reverence returning to Vietnam from Malaysia---however, a year of great sorrow. On personal level, it was the year when the Most Reverend Peter Doan Cong Quy learned of the news of His own father’s passing away. On a larger scale, it was the beginning of a religious persecution era. The Vietnamese Royal Court, mandated by His Majesty King Tu-duc, mandated the arrest and imprisonment of all Christians. Church and other religious establishments were subjected to confiscation and destruction. During this dark era for all Christians, Catholics in the particular, His Most Reverend Peter Doan Cong Quy was assigned by His Superior to various local parishes to teach and to further assist Catholics to reaffirm their belief in Jesus Christ, our Lord. He was then ordained to priesthood in 1858; His first pastoral assignment dictated by the local Bishop was to serve at Dau Nuoc, a small and nearby parish, City of Cu Lao Gieng, of the An Giang Province.

On day, in the year of 1859, while His Most Reverend Peter Doan Cong Quy was temporarily residing at Ong Trum Phung (a parishioner who was later canonized and known as "Emmanuel Le Van Phung") the then Head Provincial Mandarin ordered the arrest of His Most Reverence at the subject residence. Although He could have avoided the arrest; nonetheless, His Most Reverend Doan Cong Quy decided to face the challenge by staying at said residence and subjected himself to the arrest. He was then arrested and imprisoned among other Christians. The Royal Court engaged in various tactics to induce His Most Reverence to denounce Himself from His firm religious belief in Christ; nonetheless, He stood firm.

Unable to persuade His Most Reverence otherwise, on July 31, 1859, the Royal Court ordered the beheading of the Most Reverend Peter Doan Cong Quy. He was sent to Persecution Court and beheaded. His holy body was temporarily buried at Nang-gu Parish. Subsequently, His holy body was exhumed and buried at Cu Lao Gieng Seminary in 1959.

Aside from being known as a devout Catholic, a Martyr, the Most Reverend Peter Doan Cong Quy was also known as a pious son, a music lover, and a poet at heart. He’d taught music and written poems. For the reasons set forth, he was selected by the Tam Bien Choir to be its Patron Saint.

In 1909, only 50 years later, from the date of His Martyrdom, the Most Reverend Peter Doan Cong Quy was canonized by the Holy Father Pio X. On June 19, 1988, Pope John Paul II elevated Him, along with other Martyrs, to Sainthood. The Mass of Commemoration of the Most Reverend Doan Cong Quy is celebrated annually on the 31st day of July.