Saigon: course helps catechists spread the faith despite intimidation
Ho Chi Minh City (AsiaNews) - Spreading the Gospel despite intimidation and learning to use new communication tools to strengthen their faith and improve teaching skills were the main focus of the annual meeting of Vietnamese Catholic catechists, which took place in Saigon from 15 to 20 July. Some 521 catechists from 91 parishes and 59 religious from 9 congregations took part in the event. The event was organised by the Vietnamese Bishops' Conference as part of the initiatives undertaken for the Year of Faith, which will end next November.
"We want to bring the Good News to everyone, and I think to do that we need a strong faith in God but also training. The course is an important opportunity that allows us to share our experiences despite intimidation," one of the participants said.
"I learnt how to spread the Word of God through the internet and what are the addresses of other Catholic websites," added Vu Hoang Lam Tuan, a catechist in the parish of Mau Tam. "Media are important because they help me teach better the catechism to young people."
"We have not yet reached the parishes of Ho Chi Minh City because we lack catechists who can act as a 'bridge'," said Fr Nguyen Van Hien, secretary general of the Committee of Catechism and Faith. "To deal with this problem, we need better cooperation between vicars and Catholic volunteers, who must be able to reach every parish."
At the end of the meeting, participants prayed together and sang a song dedicated to the memory of Andrew Phu Yen, a Vietnamese martyr killed in 1644 at the age of 18 because of his commitment to evangelising among young people. John Paul II beatified him on 5 March 2000.
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09/03/2006
