Vietnam, "educational challenge" at heart of great pilgrimage to Our Lady of La Vang
Ho Chi Minh City (AsiaNews) - In Vietnamese culture, "the mother has always had a special role. This is why the Catholics of the country are increasingly turning to our Mother in Heaven, Mary, when they feel happy or sad. The difficulties and challenges that life poses are always placed before the Virgin, whom we love and respect in prayer", says Fr. Vincent Pham Trung Thanh, provincial superior of the Redemptorists in Ho Chi Minh City . He was speaking to AsiaNews, two weeks ahead of the 30th Congress to be held at the Marian shrine of Our Lady of La Vang. During the three-day festival, August 13 to 15, there will be an influx of tens of thousands of pilgrims from all over the country.
The meeting is all about focusing on the Year of Evangelization of Family Life, proclaimed by the Vietnamese bishops at the beginning of 2014. There will be testimonies, prayer meetings and celebrations by families from different provinces and backgrounds. According to Fr. Vincent "on August 15 not only the faithful of the diocese of Hue, but many Catholics will be together to listen and to pray for the Church and for Vietnam".
To prepare for the event, the priest continues,
"Every week we organize Bible readings and prayer
sessions involving parents and
children. Many, especially among
adults, no longer attend Mass or
approach the Sacrament of Confession: but I'm sure they keep the
faith in their heart, and we pray for them".
According to a study conducted by the Church among families
in Ho Chi Minh City, today the situation "presents
several difficulties. Rampant urbanization and development compel all
family members to scramble to fulfill various obligations: school, work, domestic
commitments. They no longer have time
for each other, and forget young people's education. Parents
should start from the children,
who are the key to the future
of the Catholic community and society".
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