HO CHI MINH CITY (UCAN): Eighty priests from 11 major seminaries and several dioceses and congregations in Vietnam, together with 24 Lovers of the Holy Cross sisters attended a national conference at Da Lat Bishop’s House in Lam Dong province from July 4 to 9.
The annual meeting, on Bishop Pierre Lambert de la Motte’s evangelisation and Church-building path and priestly formation, in the context of the synodal process and the post-Covid-19 pandemic, was organised by the Episcopal Commission for Clergy and Seminarians of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Vietnam.
Bishop Joseph Do Manh Hung of Phan Thiet, head of the commission, said the event was an opportunity for major seminaries to look back on a journey of over 350 years since the local Church first proclaimed Jesus under Bishop de la Motte, was the first bishop of the Vicariate of Dang Trong [Cochinchine] from 1659 to 1679 and founded the indigenous Lovers of the Holy Cross congregation.
Bishop Do said that the religious sisters talked about their activities and contributions to building the Church according to the spirituality of loving the cross as handed down by the late bishop.
The bishop of Phan Thiet said that local bishops opened the cause for the canonisation of Bishop de la Motte, in 2018 to express the local Church’s deep gratitude to the French missionary from the Society of Foreign Missions of Paris [MEP], left a legacy of 27 dioceses as well as the Lovers of the Holy Cross congregation.
Bishop Do, who was assigned to prepare documents for Bishop Lambert’s cause, said local seminary educators must offer future priests, as missionary disciples, salutary lessons provided by the late bishop who gave up material interests, honour and fame and devoted himself entirely to Christ. His life was like the life of St. Paul set in 17th century Vietnam.
He said that in the aftermath of the pandemic, the Church is trying to present a synodal Church that walks together on the path named Jesus towards God the Father by participating in and sharing the precariousness and brooding melancholy of people in dreadful situations.
He said Bishop de la Motte lived out the synodality that is the Church’s way of life, and the new way of being Church in the context of local society and culture.
Bishop de la Motte extended evangelisation to seminarians, Lovers of the Holy Cross sisters and members of the Lovers of the Holy Cross Association. His plan to build the Church in places of mission meant working together, being in union with the Holy See and mobilising all parts of the Church for mission.
He also promoted working with people of other faiths to integrate into local communities and paid much attention to women’s contributions to establishing and building the local Church.
Bishop Do said that the local Church continues to carry out the French bishop’s work in bringing the Good News to others and educating future priests.
Father John Tran Van Thuc, another speaker at the conference, talked about priestly formation carried out by Bishop de la Motte and Bishop Francoise Pallu of Dang Ngoai [Tonkin].
They called on Asian missionaries to avoid fame, fortune, power, hatred, jealousy and violence, but to pray fervently, make sacrifices, use native languages, do good deeds, and understand and listen to local people’s lives, cultures and traditions.
Father Tran invited formators to train good and holy Christians and enthusiastic missionary disciples.
Sister Mary Fiat Tran Thi Tuyet Mai said that since the establishment of the Lovers of the Holy Cross congregation in 1670, its members have journeyed with the local Church and been involved in pastoral, cultural, social, healthcare activities and faith education in the country. They work with lay associations and ethnic communities and offer basic education and vocational skills to children, orphans, lepers, people with physical disabilities, domestic migrants and HIV patients.
The congregation has 11,219 members and the Lovers of the Holy Cross Association some 15,000 laypeople.
