Théophane Vénard was a 19th-century French Catholic priest and missionary belonging to the Paris Foreign Missions Society. Born in 1829 in Saint-Loup-Lamairé, France, he felt inspired by stories of martyrdom to serve in the Far East. After studying languages in Hong Kong, he traveled to northern Vietnam to assist in the mission. During a period of intense persecution, he conducted his ministry clandestinely in the mountains. He was eventually captured and executed in Hanoi in 1861 after refusing to renounce his faith.