Ho Chi Minh City (AsiaNews) – The archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, is celebrating national Family Day and looking ahead to Valencia and the Pope. Today, the Catholic community is launching a series of shared prayers, meetings and others activities focused on the family, to prepare to follow the fifth World Meeting of Families, set to be held in Valencia from 1 to 9 July. Benedict XVI will close this event in Spain.

The initiatives promoted by the Pastoral Committee of the Family and encouraged by the Archbishop of Ho Chi Minh City, Cardinal Jean-Baptiste Pham Minh Man, will include times of reflection about shared experiences apart from prayer.

Today's celebrations are being held in the Catholic Centre of Culture of the archdiocese. Around 400 people took part in a workshop to reflect on two themes: the greatest challenges facing modern families and how in Vietnam, these give a crucial framework within which to practice and spread the Word of God. The most touching experiences of the workshop will be communicated around this evening's mass, which around 5,000 believers are expected to attend.

In the parish of Tan Son Nhi district, 150 couples attended a marriage and family course in June. The parish priest, Fr Chu Quang Minh, said he had already organized "another 338 courses like this". The initiative, continued the priest, has helped parents to understand modern day problems. Throughout the pastoral ministry and social activities, all the families fasted and at the end, they shared their experience with Cardinal Pham Minh Man.

One of the participants told AsiaNews that during the course, "I learned how to build a happy family. All the activities on the course were useful for me and my loved ones. It was an opportunity to fully understand the crucial role played by the family today. Now, I will do my best: if families are united, society will be at peace and the Church will grow."