tvc.dsj.org | September 10, 2019 VIETNAMESE NEWS
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Vietnam Art Display Takes Viewers Close to Mother Mary
ucanews.com reporter,
Hue Vietnam
A church-run exhibition of images
of Vietnamese women and Mother
Mary aims to inspire visitors with
motherly love.
Some 80 paintings and sculptures
by 56 Catholic and non-Catholic artists
were on display at the Pastoral Center
in Hue from August 3-9 and at the Na-
tional Shrine of Our Lady of La Vang
from August 12-16.
The exhibition themed “Returning
to Mother” was organized by the Hue
archdiocesan committee on culture and
a Dominican-run art group from Ho
Chi Minh City.
Father Philip Hoang Linh, head of
the committee, said the event aimed
to show the realities of mothers’ daily
lives, helping visitors feel the love and
holy beauty of Mother Mary, who is
believed to have appeared at the site of
the shrine in 1798 to Catholics suffering
religious persecution.
Father Linh said the event also was
aimed at pilgrims celebrating the Feast
of the Assumption of Mary from Au-
gust 13-15 at the national shrine.
“Mother Mary is still close to us to
journey with her children following
God and going to Heaven,” the pastor
of Tay Loc parish said.
He said the paintings and sculp-
tures depict Mother Mary, Mother of
God, Our Lady of La Vang and Viet-
namese mothers with motherly love,
family life, prayers, happiness, and
thanksgiving.
He said the painting “Pregnant
Mother” commemorates Mary visiting
Elizabeth, while “Mothers Holding
Children” commemorates Mary hold-
ing the infant Jesus. Other paintings
remind people of Bethlehem, the Holy
Family, and the Assumption of Mary.
Artist Nguyen Luong Sang from
Quang Binh province, who painted
Visitors look at a painting called ‘Me Bien
Troi’ at the exhibition in Hue on August 3.
(Photo by Peter Nguyen)
“Me Bien Troi” (Mother of the Sea and
Sky), said: “Mother Mary is a fulcrum
point leading people to overcome dan-
gers and problems in daily life.”
Painter Peter Ha Truong, 65, said he
had painted Mother Mary in traditional
costume holding Jesus in a countryside
house to remind visitors of their moth-
ers’ love and care.
Thomas Tran Phuoc Dai, a visitor
from Da Nang, said: “The exhibition
impresses me with the great beauty of
motherhood. The paintings on moth-
erly love give me peace and encourage
me to turn to Mother Mary.”
Another visitor, Maria Nguyen Thi
Nga, 37, said the exhibition had brought
her to Mother Mary through images of
mothers’ daily lives.
“I believe that now my mother is
with Mother Mary in Heaven because
Mother Mary loves all people,” said
Nga, whose mother died last year. “I
believe I will also be with them after
death.”
Father Linh, 41, said the paintings
are each sold for 10-50 million dong
($430 to $2,150) and organizers will use
50 percent of the money for building a
new basilica in the shrine.
Tens of thousands of pilgrims in-
cluding followers of other faiths visit
the 221-year-old shrine each year and
attend special celebrations for the Feast
of the Assumption of Mary.
Young Vietnamese Catholics Navigate the Daunting World Of Job Interviews
ucanews.com reporter,
Saigon Vietnam
Joseph Au Ba Kiet, a fourth-year
university marketing student, used to
worry himself sick about finding a job
after he graduates next month.
Kiet said he had applied to two
companies but had little hope of being
employed because companies tended
to look for candidates with at least
two years’ work experience. Many
students therefore become disheart-
ened after graduating because they
can’t find a job.
His anxiety faded after he attended
a recent one-day workshop on job in-
terviews held by a church group.
The 22-year-old student from the
University of Technology in Ho Chi
Minh City said he learned useful skills
in how to dress well, converse with
interviewers, express his personal
aspirations, plus prepare his résumé
and job applications.
The Catholic student said inter-
viewers directed his attention toward
jobs that were suitable for his profes-
sional qualifications.
“One woman has already promised
to employ me as a business consultant
for her company after I graduate,” Kiet
said. “Now I have been inspired to
work hard and prepare for my final
exams in late August.”
Kiet was among 40 people who at-
tended the workshop “A Trial for Job
Interviews – Real Jobs” held July 20 at
Hoa Hung Church by Damas Young
Catholic Students, a Catholic action
movement.
Peter Tran Anh Quang Huy, head
of the 20-member group, told ucanews.
com that the workshop aimed to give
job hunters skills that would help
them when making applications. They
were also interviewed by experienced
recruiters from seven local companies
which actually had jobs to fill.
Huy, 25, said the program thus
served as a bridge between companies
and job hunters.
He pointed out that job seekers, es-
pecially college students, often failed
to apply for jobs as they lacked basic
skills such as preparing up-to-date
CVs, making job applications and
conversing with interviewers.
S ome 20 0,0 0 0 u n iver sit y a nd
college graduates from Vietnam’s
500 public colleges and universities
failed to find jobs in 2018, accord-
ing to official statistics. Among the
reasons were that they lacked “soft”
skills: knowledge of how to behave
at work, in interviews, and how to
take the initiative in the job applica-
tion process.
Huy said some youngsters had
already been hired after the very first
program held by his group.
One of the organizers, Mary Hang
Tram Anh, welcomed the fact that the
recruiters who attended and actually
needed new employees made instant
Joseph Au Ba Kiet (right) has a real job
interview at the workshop held at Hoa Hung
Church on July 20. (ucanews.com photo)
decisions about who to hire at the
workshop. Some candidates started
their new jobs immediately after their
interviews.
Tram Anh, 37, said companies usu-
ally spent up to one month deciding
which candidates to employ.
Job seeker Teresa Nguyen Thi Thuy
Dung said she had been recruited
two days after the workshop by the
Efficiency Training Center, which
holds English courses for children
and adults based in the city. She had
been assigned to work with schools to
organize English courses.
“I am happy that I managed to find
a suitable job so soon after the inter-
view,” said Dung, who graduated with
degrees in English and Marketing and
had previously not even applied for
any job for over a month.
The 44-year-old woman from Binh
Thuan Province said two years ago
she had quit her job with a cosmetics
supplier because she had been forced
to promote low-quality products.
“Catholics are not deceitful,” she said.
Mary Nguyen Ngoc Khanh Linh,
a third-year communications student,
said she attended the workshop be-
cause she needed guidance about how
to find work, and her university had
not offered such help.
“I trust and appreciate the program
because it is held by good Catholics,”
Linh said. In the past, she said, she
had been tricked into working part-
time for a company selling fake herbal
medicines.
Huy said his group planned to
hold more programs in other parishes
in Ho Chi Minh City and beyond in
the future, to continue to provide
people with basic skills when apply-
ing for jobs.
“We plan to build a network of
good enterprises to supply jobs to
job seekers, especially Catholics,” he
said. “Catholic workers are expected
to bear witness to Catholic values in
their working environments.”
Huy said Damas Young Catholic
Students was established 18 years ago
and held weekly meetings to share
the Word of God and conduct other
charitable activities. Its members are
Catholic youths and students.
Saigon Archdiocese has seven
Young Catholic Students groups, with
a total of 200 members.