Vietnam Catholics welcome US bishops
HUE, Vietnam (CNS)- Archbishop George H. Niederauer of San Francisco and Bishop Tod D. Brown of Orange, Calif., led a delegation to visit Phu Cam Cathedral in the Archdiocese of Hue Jan. 26, the beginning of the three-day Tet festival. Archbishop Etienne Nguyen Nhu The of Hue welcomed the visitors and thanked them for praying for the local church during Tet, reported the Asian church news agency UCA News.
"We would like to wish all of you a new year full of 'phuc,' 'loc' and 'tho,' which means happiness, blessing and longevity," Archbishop The told the visitors. He noted that during the festival, local people traditionally visit each other and offer these wishes, UCA News reported.
Archbishop The said local Catholics are grateful to the Catholic Church in the United States for providing pastoral care for Vietnamese-Americans, many of whom fled Vietnam after communists reunified the country in 1975. Archbishop The also urged local Catholics to pray for Catholics in the United States to live their faith bravely.
Bishop Brown said he was impressed by the local people's devotion during Tet. He noted how beautifully they decorate ancestral altars in their homes with flowers, food, fruit, candles and incense.
After Mass, Vietnamese offered the visitors and Vietnamese clergy wine, areca nuts and betel leaves, essential items during Vietnamese festivals. Children in costume sang songs and performed traditional dances, reported UCA News.
Mathew Nguyen Dinh Luc, head of the cathedral parish pastoral council, said he hopes the American delegation's visit will promote solidarity and friendship.
Vietnamese-American Father Joseph Pham Minh Tuan said the itinerary for the delegation's Jan. 21-31 visit to Vietnam included Hanoi, Hue, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang.
Some local Catholics said they hope the church in the United States will urge the Vietnamese government to return church properties to the local church and allow it to embark on education and health care projects, according to UCA News.
By Catholic News Service
From February 6, 2009 issue of Catholic San Francisco
