Catholic churches are replacing those damaged or abandoned during years of war and religious restrictions
Archbishop Joseph Vu Van Thien accompanied by priests inaugurates a new church in Dong Nhan Subparish in Hanoi on May 27. (Photo: tonggiaophanhanoi.org)
New churches are replacing those damaged or abandoned during the Vietnam War with local Catholics donating land and volunteering to work at construction sites in two northern dioceses.
An estimated one million people including clergy and religious moved to the south after communist forces defeated French troops and took control of the north in 1954. Local Catholics suffered religious restrictions. They were left without priests for decades and could not afford to preserve church facilities.
The situation has improved in recent decades. Many northern dioceses have built new churches to meet the increasing religious needs of local Catholics. Churches are also coming up in remote areas and at old parishes abandoned by Catholics decades ago.
On May 31, Archbishop Joseph Vu Van Thien of Hanoi inaugurated the Visitation of the Virgin Mary Church in Thuy Xuyen Subparish in Thuong Tin district of capital Hanoi.
Catholics in colorful costumes stood along the road leading to the church to welcome Archbishop Thien, priests and benefactors.
Construction of the church started in 2017 and was completed in 2020, but the inauguration had to be postponed due to the prolonged Covid-19 pandemic.
“All people regardless of their backgrounds have good hearts and work for the good. That is the beauty of the Catholic Church and the nation”
In his homily, Archbishop Thien said: “This church is important as the heart, so each Catholic is like blood flowing to the heart to receive life, freshness and vitality. Then, after being refined, we return to fill our homes and communities with joy, zing and hope.”
According to church history, the two subparishes of Xam Thi and Xam Xuyen were established in 1939 and local Catholics built chapels. But many faithful left to avoid the war while others suffered religious restrictions. The chapels were ruined by the weather.
Father Joseph Van Dinh Khanh started to provide pastoral care in the nineties by combining the two subparishes into Thuy Xuyen Subparish. He bought a house for local people to use as a chapel.
Joseph Uong Duc Tuyen, a local Catholic, offered a plot of land to the subparish and with donations from benefactors including followers of other faiths, the church costing 4 billion dong (US$174,000) was built.
On May 27, Archbishop Thien opened another new church at Dong Nhan Subparish in Hoai Duc district.
He thanked Father Joseph Do Huu Thoa and his predecessor Father Anthony Pham Van Giang for making efforts to build the church to preserve the local faith heritage.
“All people regardless of their backgrounds have good hearts and work for the good. That is the beauty of the Catholic Church and the nation,” he said in gratitude to followers of other faiths who attended the inauguration.
This year Hanoi Archdiocese has inaugurated seven new churches, four pastoral houses and one convent, and started the construction of two new churches.
In May, Bishop Dominic Hoang Minh Tien of Hung Hoa inaugurated two new churches and began the construction of another one.
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