The joy of welcoming confreres visiting our community…

                                                                          Vietnam, 12th of Septembre 2008.

As is the case in many missions, our community in Vietnam is very far from any other Spiritan community. To get to the nearest community, you need to fly three hours to Taiwan or to the Philippines. Our situation reflects the way the congregation carries out its mission in the world: in small communities serving the church in many diversified situations. As a Spiritan, you can work in a village in the middle of nowhere or in a big city like Saigon with a population of 8.000.000 inhabitants. Because the motto in the congregation is “One heart, one spirit”, we need to find ways to strengthen the unity among us. Of course, today, you can use mail or phone easily but it cannot compare with the visit of a confrere.

This year, our first year in Vietnam, we have been very lucky regarding the attention our confreres have paid to us. All around the world, they have been showing their support through letters, phone calls, gifts, and some of them have came to visit us. Many of the confreres we welcomed this year are working in Asia (six confreres working in Taiwan: Jean-Pascal Lombart (France), Victor Narciso (Portugal), Richard Okopu Achiempong (Ghana), Sean O’Leary (Ireland), Binh Quach and Duc Luong (Vietnam). Others came from Europe: Brian Mac Laughlin (Ireland) or Philippe Engel (France), and recently, Mike Onwuemelie, (Nigeria), who paid us a visit on behalf of the General Council.

 

 From left to right: Patrick Palmer, Trinh Le, Richard Okopu, Mr Toan (Binh Quach's brother-in-law), Jean-Pascal Lombart and Victor Narciso.

From left to right: Binh, Father Phu (Trinh's brother), Duc Luong's parents, Trinh, Patrick, Frédéric.

          These visits show us how the Congregation is interested in our mission in Vietnam. The presence of the Spiritans in Asia is a recent one (the first confreres to arrive in this continent to establish a community came to Pakistan thirty years ago). Historically and culturally, the links between Europe, Africa, and America are much stronger. Asia is still unknown for many confreres. Coming to visit us, the confreres give us an opportunity to explain the joys and challenges of a mission in its earliest stages. They can see by themselves and experience Vietnamese society. They usually are very surprised by the number of motorbikes and the way people drive. After doing the traditional “tourist tour” of the city (the Cathedral and the city center, the markets, the parks…) and having a typical vietnamese meal (seafruits, “pho”, the traditional soup, or spring rolls), we like to take time to show them the places where we work: orphanages, parishes. Apart from the process of learning the language, we are already involved in pastoral, educational and social activities serving the people and the Church.

 

 Patrick, Jean-Pascal, and Mike Onwuemelie visiting our house of formation in the suburbs of Saigon.

            As in others countries, we also try to build up a network of friends, a “Spiritan Family”, with laypeople, men and women who are interested in being involved in our mission and who help us in very practical ways. Also, already we have some aspirants to our Spiritan life and mission. We are glad to introduce our confreres to them to enlarge the vision our Vietnamese friends have about our Congregation. In doing so, our confreres can also realize by themselves how welcoming are the Vietnamese people and reciprocally, our friends are touched by the simplicity and joy of the confreres.

 

 Shopping in the market of Binh Tan. "Victor, did you find anything interesting?"
                Welcoming confreres from abroad allows us to get some news from the countries where the Spiritans work or from their original country. Having ourselves had experiences in many countries already, we are glad to have news from people we may have lost contact with. We get some news and information about the Congregation.  Some confreres bring us some magazines, books or even food from their country. We offer them also some gifts related to our mission here. These small gestures show the quality of our love for one another.

 

 Sean O'Leary visiting Binh's parents at the hospital.

            What we said about our confreres could certainly apply to our families and our friends. We arrived here one year ago. It is a short time indeed, but we would be very happy to welcome some parents or friends. Every guest is a gift of God. Please, know that you are welcome at our home any time!

The community in Saigon; Trinh, Patrick and Frédéric.