The Valley Catholic March 19, 2019 | Page 16

16 March 19, 2019 | The Valley Catholic VIETNAMESE NEWS Vietnamese Archbishop Remembered As ‘Man of Smiles’ ucanews.com reporter Vietnam Thousands of Catholics in southern Vietnam have remembered their late archbishop as a source of joy on the first anniversary of his death. Bishop Joseph Do Manh Hung, apostolate administrator of Ho Chi Minh City Archdiocese, presided at an event commemorating the late Arch- bishop Paul Bui Van Doc at the arch- diocese’s pastoral center on March 7. Two cardinals, 11 bishops and hundreds of priests joined the special ceremony attended by 4,000 people in- cluding the late archbishop’s relatives. Bishop Hung told the congrega- tion that the face, voice and smile of Archbishop Doc remain vivid and affectionate among local Catholics. The prelate died of a stroke in Rome in 2018 while he and other Vietnamese bishops were visiting the Vatican. Archbishop Joseph Nguyen Chi Linh of Hue, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Vietnam, said the late archbishop, whose episcopal motto was “God is my joy,” chose joy Massgoers in purple Vietnamese dresses stand near a picture of the late Archbishop Paul Bui Van Doc at a special ceremony in Hanoi on March 7 to mark the first anniversary of his death. (Photo by Mary Vu). for his life and put trust in God as the secret of his happiness. Archbishop Linh said Archbishop Doc was appointed as bishop of My Tho in 1999 when people still lived in constant fear of a divided society and were haunted by suffering and consternation caused by wars. “Choosing God as his joy in such a society showed that he wanted to warn the nation of lacking joy,” he said. He said the late archbishop re- kindled the light of life in a world of death and disappointment. He sought and shared the true joy of a good shep- herd, of the Catholic Church, which is for all people regardless of their back- grounds, and of eternal life in heaven. Archbishop Linh, who was one of Archbishop Doc’s students, said he was deeply impressed by his teacher, who always had a happy smile on his face and shared difficulties and chal- lenges with seminarians. “His life is a worthy testament to the local church and those who admire him. We are committed to following his examples of giving mercy missions to other people,” he said. Mary Nguyen Thi Han from Mac Ty Nho parish said she admired Archbishop Doc as “a warm and friendly man.” “I wish the local church will have many good shepherds like Archbishop Doc to strengthen our faith and bring joys to us,” the 81-year-old said. Bishop Peter Nguyen Van Kham of My Tho said the local church had marked the anniversary by publishing a book on theology compiled by a Do- minican priest and Archbishop Doc. After the ceremony, Massgoers and local government officials offered in- cense in front of the late archbishop’s picture. Vietnamese Bishops Fear Demise of Bible Studies ucanews.com reporter, Nha Trang Vietnam Participants at a Bible conference in Vietnam have urged church leaders to develop Bible programs for Catholics to bear witness to God’s Word in their daily lives. Over 150 bishops, priests, nuns and laity nationwide attended the National Conference on the Bible at Nha Trang Diocese’s Pastoral Center in Nha Trang City from February 19-21. The Episcopal Commission for the Bible of the Catholic Bishops’ Confer- ence of Vietnam organized the three- day meeting, which ran under the banner, “The Word of the Lord Endures Forever.” Archbishop Joseph Vu Van Thien of Hanoi told attendees that the nation›s 27 dioceses should run Bible-based ministry activities to teach parishioners useful ways to study, pray with and preach God’s word in a practical sense and on a daily basis. “In reality, we invest heavily in building facilities but pay scant at- tention to publishing materials to aid Bible studies or offer Bible courses for lay Catholics,” Archbishop Thien said. He said many children who receive Groups of people discuss how to provide Bible courses for Catholics at a pastoral center in Vietnam’s Nha Trang City on February 19. (Photo courtesy of Nha Trang Diocese). copies of the New Testament never end up reading them. They must be taught to love God’s wisdom, he added. The church leader said lay Catholics from northern dioceses have suffered from a lack of priests for years, and have formed the habit of merely recit- ing prayers instead of contemplating God’s Word. He said priests must carefully ex- plain passages from the Bible to parish- ioners at liturgical services. Archbishop Thien suggested Cath- olics should be given readings to help them celebrate the Eucharist, to pray alone at home, at funerals, and at commemorations of those who have passed away. He encouraged Vietnamese Catho- lics to use the internet and social media to preach the word of God to others, especially young people who surf the Web daily. “Living a moral life, creating a sense of solidarity and engaging in charitable activities are also effective ways of intro- duce the Good News to others,” he said. Jesuit Father Anthony Nguyen Cao Sieu, a professor of Bible studies, said local churches must train priests, reli- gious people and laity to organize Bible courses for lay Catholics. Seminaries and institutes should also give students more time to reflect on biblical passages, he added. Salesian Father Joseph Tran Hoa Hung said a clearer understanding of the Bible teaches Catholics how to bet- ter engage in dialogue with followers of other religions. Father Hung urged attendees to focus their evangelization efforts on those living in rural or socially periph- eral areas, ethnic groups, and margin- alized people. The Bible is a lodestar for those committed to seeking justice and peace in societies filled with injustice and hatred caused by human sins, he said. He suggested a national network of Bible ministry be established, and asked that more copies of the Bible be published and disseminated across the country. Bishop Joseph Vo Duc Minh, head of the commission, said the Vietnam- ese Church has already translated the Bible from Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic and Latin into Vietnamese to serve lo- cal Catholics. It has published 300,000 copies of the Old and New Testament as a single edition, and over two million copies of the New Testament as a standalone text, he said.