Ho Chi Minh City (AsiaNews) – Filipino Claretian missionaries have started an innovative way to teach English to Vietnamese: through the reading and listening of daily gospels available in MP3 discs. One of the promoters Fr Angelito S. Ancla, told AsiaNews “many Vietnamese are very eager to study English but have major difficulty in pronunciation and listening”.
The project entitled “The Daily Gospel 2007 in MP3 discs” was released before the Lunar New Year celebrations last Feb 17. The project is sponsored by the Claretians with the help of the Sacred Heart Fathers, and the Salesians who provided for free use of their recording studies. Many expatriates and Vietnamese lay people contributed as well.
For the moment Fr. Ancla, explains the government has not shown itself hostile to the project: “We have also published with government permission the Daily Gospel in book format for three years already. The Claretians have been here since 2002 and we try to keep good relations going with the government”.
In the last five years, circa 20 missionary congregations have established themselves in the country. Here, they keep contact with one another as much as possible: “We usually gather every month to pray, to share experiences, party, play and support one another. It is such a wonderful community where different charisms are united in the one mission of Christ”.