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Lent: youth participation in the life of the Church is rising
by JB. Vu
Many unite in the orientation and formation activities of the parish, while the Ho Chi Minh City seminary celebrates the possibility, which was granted to them to admit new students every year.
Ho Chi Minh City (Asianews) – Lent has revealed to be particularly positive for many young Catholic Vietnamese: many young people from all over the country are taking advantage of this time to confess and to meditate on their future. And for those who feel the calling to the priesthood, St. Joseph seminar has recently been granted the permission to accept students every year, instead of every other year, as it had been since 1986. Together with the seminary in Hanoi, St. Joseph of Ho Chi Minh City is the second seminar in the country to be allowed to admit students every year.
Father Hoang, Parish Priest of Binh Thuan Prish, Chairman of the committee for the mission of the youth, told AsiaNews “ This year we invited 6 priests to help young people receive confession. We have 5 ‘counseling rooms’ on the grounds where many young people turn three parishes (Binh Thai, Binh An and Binh Thuan Parish) wait patiently in line their turn. I am very happy to see them participating.
Sister Tri Thi Minh Tri, expert in the science of counseling, member of the Congregation of Thu Thiem Holy Cross Lovers, told Asianews that, “Many young people turn to me to talk about their worries, marriage, studies, love stories, and about their projects for life. They have shared many issues with me. They have need for trust and want to contribute their capacities and talent to the Church. These are really their needs at all parishes in Viet Nam. So, I want to propose volunteer work for young people”.
“Every Sunday,” says Father Joseph, responsible for the mission of youth at Bach Dang Parish, “over 300 young people come her to listen to the parish priest’s lectures, pastoral activities and social activities. Most of them are emigrants from the poor provinces from central and northern Viet Nam. “I come here every week,” says a young believer. “to participate in useful activities of the parish. We have entered the “student group” to work part time for our studies at universities in Ho Chi Minh City. When I come to Bach Dang Parish for the social activities, I feel calm. But I know that many young people in my diocese do not have a way to participate.”
“The young,” says Giup, a 60 year old new counselor for the social work group in Saigon, “have organized the activities and they have invited me to a program before Holy Week and Easter. When I work here, I become young again. Especially when I see them so much enthusiastic and friendly; they help each other.
It is almost in response to so much enthusiasm that the Cardinal of Ho Chi Minh City, Jean Baptiste Pham Minh Man, on the 14th of March, celebrated the opening of the new courses at the seminary. Thanks to the regime’s permission to allow the seminary of Ho Chi Minh City to admit new candidates every year, 35 young people from the diocese will be able to begin their studies in October.
The Archbishop explained that thanks to the annual admission, it will also be possible to introduce ulterior annual programs for the formation of future high profile priests. One of these programs is a seminary course that teaches the candidates good behavior, a life oriented around the community, and spiritual development, as well as getting acquainted with the activities at the seminary.
The Archbishop also spoke of the youth in his Lenten message. Catholics are reminded that those who participate in these courses live in an old building that is part of the seminary, which is missing some fixtures and asks “ to reduce their living costs during this time in order for them to build a new structure for the seminary’s pupils.”