Delgado y Cebrián, Clemente Ignacio, Blessed

DELGADO Y CEBRIAN, CLEMENTE IGNACIO, blessed. - Dominican, b. on 23 Nov. 1761 (according to others in 1762; in the brief of beatification: 1763) at Villa Felice (Saragozza); d. in prison, at Nam-Dinh, on 2 July 1838. On 28 Oct. 1790 he reached Tonchino with Bl. Henares; on 11 Feb. 1794 he was appointed by Pius VI bishop and coadjutor of Mons. Alfonso, apostolic vicar of eastern Tonchino, whom he succeeded on 2 Feb. 1799. In almost half a century of apostolate, he doubled the number of the faithful, founded colleges, built convents and churches, and promoted numerous natives to the priesthood. Taken prisoner on 13 May 1838 and confined in a cage, he died there as a result of severe sufferings, a few hours before the decapitation, which was carried out on his corpse. His head, thrown into the Vi-Hoang, was found four months later by the faithful, who reunited it with the body, lovingly buried at Bui-Chu. Beatified by Leo XIII, on 27 May 1900, with other martyrs of Annam.