Catholic saint biography
St. Philip Phan Văn Minh
- Lived:
- 1815-1853 — Vietnam
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Biography
Philip Phan Văn Minh was born at Cái Mơn in the Mekong region to a large Catholic family. Both parents died while he was young, but an older sister cared for the children and made it possible for him to continue his schooling. As a boy he met Bishop Taberd during a visit to the parish and asked to enter church service. He later became a priest.
During imprisonment Philip urged Catholics to forgive the informer responsible for his arrest and discouraged plans for revenge. He refused offers of release that required him to abandon his faith or make a false statement. He was beheaded at Đình Khao in 1853. He was canonized in 1988.
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What will you carry with you?
After reading about St. Philip Phan Văn Minh, 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: Philip Phan Văn Minh ↗
- Holy See: individual register of the 117 Vietnamese martyrs (45) ↗
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 45 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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