Trương Bửu Diệp

In this Vietnamese name, the surname is Trương, but is often simplified to Truong in English-language text. In accordance with Vietnamese custom, this person should be referred to by the given name, Diệp.

Servant of God Trương Bửu Diệp
A statue of Father Diệp in Tắc Sậy parish.
Born	(1897-01-01)January 1, 1897 Long Xuyên, Cochinchina, French Indochina (now An Giang, Việt Nam)
Died	March 12, 1946(1946-03-12) (aged 49) Bạc Liêu, Cochinchina, French Indochina

Francis Xavier Truong Buu Diep (Vietnamese: Phanxicô Xaviê Trương Bửu Diệp or Cha Diệp, January 1, 1897 – March 12, 1946) was a Vietnamese Catholic priest who served the people of Bạc Liêu Province.

History

Born on January 1, 1897, in An Giang Province, Diep was ordained in 1924 after completing his studies at Phnom Penh Major Seminary in Cambodia.

Upon his return to Vietnam, Diep taught at a local seminary and served as a pastor of Tắc Sậy parish for 16 years. He also founded many parishes in Cambodia and Vietnam.

Father Diệp was arrested and killed in 1946 by two of three Japanese soldiers who, after the 1945 surrender of Japan, defected to Cao Đài general Cao Trường Phát. Earlier, Father Diệp enlisted French land surveyors to help Tắc Sậy's church reclaim illegally occupied lands and earned the hatred of Boss Cận, the occupier. Boss Cận went to general Phát and accused Father Diệp and other Christians of colluding with the French who would exterminate the Cao Đài. General Phát's two Japanese subordinates and other Cao Đài soldiers imprisoned the Christians in a barn and plotted to burn them all alive, yet Father Diệp offered himself to be killed alone so other Christians could live; so the Japanese murdered him, mutilated his body, and threw his naked body into a shallow pool. Father Diệp's body was later drawn out and buried. Shocked by those two Japanese's atrocities and fearing they would likewise kill him, General Phát later had all three Japanese killed.

Canonization

In 2012, investigation was made to prepare for the canonization of Father Diep.

On October 31, 2014, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a nihil obstat statement approving the process for Father Diep's canonization.

Memorial

On March 12, 2016, Can Tho Diocese held the 70th anniversary of Father Diep's death. The event was attended by a large number of bishops – including Bishop of Can Tho Diocese, Stephen Tri Bửu Thiên; Bishop of Da Lat Diocese, Anton Vũ Huy Chương; Bishop of My Tho Diocese, Pierre Nguyễn Văn Khảm; and Bishop of Da Nang Diocese, Joseph Châu Ngọc Tri.

Legacy

Referred to as Father Diep, he is venerated by devotees and even non-Christians in the Mekong Delta. His shrine in Bạc Liêu is a pilgrimage destination. Some report that they were healed after praying for his intercession and visiting his shrine.

Although Catholic, because of his supposed "supernatural powers," he is also worshipped by people of folk religions, sometimes alongside non-Christian Indigenous Vietnamese divinities.