A Sojourn to Vietnam

Transcription

1 A Sojourn to Vietnam On May 18, 2015 I received a phone call, quite unexpectedly, from Fr. Boguslaw Gill. Fr. Boguslaw was staying in Chicago. Since Kenosha is only ninety minutes from Chicago I took a day to go down and visit. Fr. Boguslaw explained that he was in Chicago for a short stay but was preparing to go into Vietnam the Congregation had asked him to start a Marian Fathers House in Vietnam. Vietnam! Unique in Asia it has a significant Catholic presence due to French missionaries, it has a group of martyrs canonized by Pope John Paul II, the Church is growing in Vietnam even under the auspices of a Communist government, and the country is emerging as part of the East Asian Economic Bloc. Excited this mission was beginning, I invited Fr. Boguslaw to Kenosha to solicit support for the mission. He agreed and came to Kenosha for several days. During these days we visited Holy Rosary parishioners, hosted a reception one evening, and met friends of the Congregation. Fr. Boguslaw showed himself to friendly, engaging and informative. People were truly honored to meet him and support him. He left grateful for the support he had received. On Sept. 8, 2015 Fr. Boguslaw entered Vietnam. The plan was to stay with the Salesian Fathers for one year dedicating himself to learning Vietnamese. After the year he was able to rent a house near the city for himself and candidates to our Congregation.

2 Eager to visit our newly established community, in autumn 2017 I ed Fr. Boguslaw and asked if I could visit the community. We decided that January 2018 would be a good time. I acquired a visa and made airline reservations. What a surprise to learn that a round-trip ticket from Chicago to Vietnam was less than $800! On January 11 I left Chicago for Ho Chi Minh City. With one stop in Taiwan, the trip comprised 20 hours. I arrived midday on Jan. 12. Fr. Boguslaw met me at the airport and we used a taxi to return to our Marian Fathers house. I met our four candidates: Ha Dien Yougn Bien. These students live in our Marian Fathers house in Vietnam. They rise early for Morning Prayer, Mediation, and Mass 5:30 am. After a quick breakfast they go to different schools Ha studies education, Bien studies religion. They return for dinner and noonday prayers. When the afternoon is almost over they gather for prayer at 5:30 and supper. The house we have in Ho Chi Minh City is a rental property. On the ground floor there is a living room, a kitchen/dining room, and a bedroom for Fr. Boguslaw. First Floor of our Ho Chi Minh City House On the second floor we have a chapel, a room which doubles as a small library and music room, and the guest bedroom where I stayed. On the third floor we have the single room where our candidates stay (they all stay in the same room and they sleep on the tiled floor!), a patio with a ping-pong and foosball table, and a patio for drying laundry.

3 Chapel at our house in Ho Chi Minh City The two weeks I stayed in Vietnam were truly a blessing. Some of the things we did included: Playing football (could have gotten the big one doing this) Long walks through the city, here at the famous Saigon Post Office

4 Visiting the Mekong Delta Visiting some great churches Attending the Hanoi Symphony Choir practice in English

5 And riding, always riding a motorbike. Motor scooters, small motorcycles are the way you get around in Vietnam cities. There are few cars, some public transportation, but most of the people, including Fr. Boguslaw and our candidates, get around on motorbikes. I was always thrilled to be on one, at first holding on for dear life on the back seat but later very comfortable with the crowds and the driving patterns. No one drives in ordered straight lines, there is much chaos, somehow it all works. These pictures can never do justice to the numbers and the mixed up flow. Think lots of people, lots of chaos, lots of excitement! Strange enough, even though limited, religious life flourishes in Vietnam. Fr. Boguslaw knows many religious both men and women. We visited Salesians, Scalabrinis, Palotines, and Redemptorists. We visited two indigenous Vietnamese women religious orders, one convent had 300 nuns in it! On the rooftop after a 5:00 am Mass 300 sisters live here!

6 While this travelogue could give the impression I was a tourist for 2 weeks, that was hardly the case. What was beautiful about this trip was the experience of a full religious schedule in the house. Alas, it seems only for our Houses of Formation that we find our lives regulated by a religious schedule. But here we gathered for Morning Prayers, Mass, Noon Prayers, Divine Mercy Chaplet and Evening prayers. Meals were in common, and we actually found things to do instead of running off on our own. For me, busily working in a parish, this dedication to a religious schedule returned like an old friend. I am encouraged when I think about our future in Vietnam. Fr. Boguslaw is an excellent formator he knows the Congregation well and instills a great love for Fr. Founder in the lives of these candidates. Vocations in Vietnam are not as complicated as they are in the West young men find themselves interested in religious life and are ready to pursue it. The Philippines are not far and will provide a good setting for the Novitiate. This is cause for great joy among us. Joy gives rise to hope. It is our common hope to see the Marian Fathers flourish in Asia. Our charism, recognized by Blessed George as able to gather us from all tribes, nations and peoples, longs to flourish beyond Europe and other Western countries. As Marian Fathers we have something great to share with the people of this great continent. Always keep Mission in your prayers it is a gift of the Holy Spirit to pray and support our Missions. It is a desire of Mary Immaculate and Fr. Founder that Her name may flourish throughout the world. Fr. Bill Hayward M.I.C. February 2018