Ho Chi Minh City (AsiaNews) - In Long Huong parish (Ba Ria Diocese, south-eastern Vietnam), catechism lessons will provide ways to educate children and youth about Christ and teach them the value of an education that includes religion. They will also enable them to take part in Mass and receive the communion every day. In recent days, the parish vicar, who also heads the youth committee, inaugurated the new catechistic year for 2012-2013, which is open to 450 children and teens. About a hundred volunteer catechists will impart the lessons.

In an interview with AsiaNews, Fr Pham Minh Tan said that parents and parishioners are happy to take part in the activity. In the past weeks, catechists have met with education specialists to get to nub of the subject matter "with ideas and initiatives meant to improve participation and learning."

Participants and promoters alike want to "educate parish kids about the faith." One of the catechists is a 16-year-old woman, Vinh, who said she was "very happy" to have participated in the "meeting groups". She said she appreciated the instructions received from the parish priest, "who encouraged us to learn and share the Good News with other children of the community."

For the Vietnamese priest, it is important to encourage teens and children to do their daily duties, strengthen their faith and promote lifestyles that correspond to the Christian religion.

In addition, "We are building a pastoral centre that will be ready in 2013," Fr Pham Minh Tan said.

As youth committee president, he noted that for the Year of Faith, it is necessary "to reinforce the spirit of communion with priests, exchange pastoral experiences, promote charity activities, and become missionaries within the small communities" across the territory.

"I saw with my own eyes how much children and catechists are happy," a woman told AsiaNews. "They are honest and loving towards one another." At home, they are good kids and they will be "honest people in society and the Church."