Catholic saint biography
St. John Baptist Cỏn
- Lived:
- Vietnam
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Biography
John Baptist Cỏn was a farmer of modest means at Kẻ Báng and served as a village official. His personal religious observance was sometimes irregular, but he readily helped priests reach sick people, including difficult journeys through rain and darkness. During persecution he sheltered clergy. When the elderly Father Martin Thịnh needed refuge, John arranged lodging with his nephew Chiền and promised to accept responsibility.
After officials captured Martin and two other priests, John acknowledged his part in sheltering them. He and another Catholic householder were taken in chains to Nam Định. John refused demands to abandon Christianity and was beheaded at Bảy Mẫu in 1840. Catholics returned his body to Kẻ Báng. He was canonized by John Paul II in 1988.
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What will you carry with you?
After reading about St. John Baptist Cỏn, take a moment to consider:
- Which event or decision in this life stood out to you?
- What virtue would you like to understand or practice more deeply?
- What small action could you take today in response?
These are reflection prompts from Saint Discovery, not quotations from the saint.
Sources and further reading
- Archdiocese of Hanoi: John Baptist Cỏn ↗
- Holy See: individual register of the 117 Vietnamese martyrs (84) ↗
Biography source comparison recorded on . This is an AI-assisted comparison, not independent human or ecclesiastical approval.
What the recorded review covers
Individual Catholic institutional source review; original concise factual summary. AI-assisted institutional-source comparison; no qualified human review is claimed. Compared canonical and source names, aliases, clergy or lay status, family relationships and martyrdom details against all 685 baseline canonical or archived identities (625 published) and all prior directory batches. Holy See register number 84 is a distinct individual; source-name variants count as one person.
A source list helps you check an account; it does not establish that every claim is certain. Follow the biography’s qualifications about historical evidence, traditions and feast calendars.
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