DIVINE COMPASSION MISSION PROPER

The July 22, 1997 congressional election was in full preparation. National security was in a state of alert as a preventive measure for eventual turmoil. The police force was in full operation, checking on residents to ensure that no guerrilla forces or potential insurgents were in hiding. (By the way, my brief and well-worded letter to Sr. Helen Coldrick mailed at the Central Post Office of Hanoi on June 27, 1997 apparently never reached Good Counsel). Because of this political atmosphere, modifications on staffing, programming and locations were necessary.

I. Staffing:

• Theresa Vinh Nguyen, RDC, Project leader
• Sr. Anna Phu, Sister of the Holy Cross (replacing Sr. Agnes Thao, RNDM)
• Sr. Maria Hao, Sister of the Holy Cross (replacing Sr. Dominique Hao, RNDM)
• Rev. Francis X. Nguyen Van Thai, Assistant Director, Diocesan Office of Religious Education (replacing Rev. Nguyen Trung Thoai.)
• Rev. Petrus Phung Van Ton, Director, Diocesan Office of Religious Education.

II. Programming:

A. Programming - Catechetical Formation Programs

1. First Program:

Date:	June 20 - June 27, 1997 (3:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.)
Location:	Mother house of the Sisters of the Holy Cross, Son Tay.
Participants:	54 religious and their candidates serving as catechists in various parishes throughout the diocese.

Program content:

• The Creed and Scriptures (Clergy & Theresa Vinh)
• Liturgy and Sacraments (Clergy & Theresa Vinh)
• Prayer and Morality (Theresa Vinh)
• RCIA (clergy)
• Early Childhood and Pre-Adolescent Psychology ( Theresa Vinh)
• Curriculum Development and methods in catechesis (Theresa Vinh)
• Sacramental preparations (Theresa Vinh)
• History of Religious Life (Theresa Vinh)
• Comparative analysis of Leadership styles in Religious Life (Pre Vatican vs. current trends). This was done at the request of the General Council of the Holy Cross Sisters.

2. Second Program:

Date:	June 28 - July 4, 1997 (4:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.)
Location:	Catechetical Formation Center, No Luc, Viet Tri
Participants:	40 lay master catechists.

Program content:

• The Creed and Scriptures (Clergy & Theresa Vinh)
• Liturgy and Sacraments (Clergy & Theresa Vinh)
• Prayer and Morality (Theresa Vinh)
• RCIA (Clergy)
• Early Childhood and Pre-Adolescence Psychology (Theresa Vinh)
• Method in catechesis and teaching materials (Theresa Vinh)
• Sacramental Preparations - First Penance, First Communion and Confirmation (Theresa Vinh)
• Calls to Church ministries in various life styles (Theresa Vinh)

B. Programming - Religious Vocation Discernment Guided Retreat:

Date:	July 5 - July 6, 1997 (4:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.)
Location:	Ha Thach, Phu Tho
Participants:	22 young women

Program content:

• Theological foundation of Religious Life
• History of Religious Life
• Various forms of Vowed Life including religious congregations, secular institutes and consecrated virgins
• Associates and lay missionaries
• Shared prayers and reflections (Anna Phu, Maria Hao & Theresa Vinh)

C. Programming - Parish Missions:

Date:	July 7 - July 17, 1997 (4:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.)
Location:	Ha Thach, Hien Quan, Lung Giua, Thanh Xuan, Bai Dong, Ngoc Thap, Tien Kien, Xom Trung, Du Ba

One day Mission at each of the above parishes and missions are as follows.

• Celebration of the Eucharist of the day and Sacrament of Penance (Clergy)
• Home visits and individual conferences ( Anna Phu and Maria Hao)
• Fundamentals of the Faith (Theresa Vinh)
• Family Life education - for parents (Theresa Vinh)
• Moral Issues and Dynamics of Human Behavior - for teenagers and young adults (Theresa Vinh)
• Prayer and The Creed - for grandparents and older people (Theresa Vinh)
• Religious Education Classroom Observation and review of Method in Catechesis for catechists (Theresa Vinh)
• Faith in Action and Prayer - for parish organizations (Theresa Vinh)
• Shared Prayers and Reflections - for young people discerning for religious vocation (Anna Phu, Maria Hao and Theresa Vinh)

III. Outstanding Concerns:

Although these brothers and sisters in Faith of ours are materially poor, I find in them “the poor in spirit” of the Beatitudes, “faith-filled” going about their daily life without self-pity or craving for unknown comforts of our consumer society. Through their positive remarks, lively interactions and repeated attempts to keep me talking beyond the time allocated to the session, I see in them an insatiable hunger for better knowing their God, for a deeper and faith-filled relationship with Him and for His assuring love and presence in their lives. Therefore I do not believe in giving alms or providing them with “made in the U.S.A” goodies, but my dream for them is Faith and Liberation-oriented, including concerns such as:

• Catechesis for adults
• Qualifications for catechists of children and young adults (knowledge base, methods in catechesis, use of and access to teaching materials and resources, etc...)
• Professional catechetical trainers
• Development of age-appropriate catechetical texts and resources
• Affording elementary and secondary education for children as a way to improve their quality of life and make them into future responsible Catholics and competent cadres in the church, thus liberating them from slavery of ignorance and from a subtle and well-planned strategy to keep them submissive to oppressive rules
• Fostering the seed of vocations to the priesthood and religious life in young people through facilitating their access to education

IV. Evaluation and Feedback:

I practically moved from one session to the next with people still urging me to keep on talking. A time keeper assigned by the pastor helped give me a few minutes between sessions.

The letter of the Reverend Nguyen Van Thai, Assistant Director of the Diocesan Office of Religious Education, to Sr. Helen Coldrick may serve as a written evaluation from the diocese.

Positive and encouraging comments from participants and letters from diocesan clergy and seminarians since my return all indicate that through our mission and charism of Divine Compassion the Holy Spirit has opened broader horizons and brought life-giving insights and energies to many whose lives we, as sisters of the Divine Compassion, touched.

V. Use of Funds Allocated to the Mission:

Changes were made on some line items:

• $600.00 allotted for Domestic Airfares in Vietnam was unused as I did not travel inside Vietnam by air. The funds were then used to help pay for the living expenses of catechists attending formation programs.
• $400.00 allotted for miscellaneous and incidentals were redirected to Materials and Supplies, mostly in the purchase of Bibles for catechists, classroom supplies and furniture (blackboards and a few desks) and textbooks for children.
• $300.00 allotted for my personal expenses was added to Food and Lodging line item to be used as a contribution to the sisters of the Holy Cross who offered hospitality to me for 10 days in their Mother house.

The grant was exhausted before the conclusion of the mission. I fortunately brought along my vacation fund that Sr. Madeline had graciously sent me prior to my departure for Hanoi in addition to some gift monies from my family. At my departure from Son Tay, I indeed emptied my purse, entrusting the sum to the Director of the Diocesan Office of Religious Education, who would see to that several children had their tuition paid for this year and that they had sufficient school supplies and required textbooks. I came home with 5 dollars in my purse after paying 8 dollars in airport tax and 2 dollars for cart rental at Kennedy Airport, yet feeling the happiest to be broke.

I sincerely thank the Congregation and the Leadership Team for your prayers, support and encouragement that sustained me and brought God’s blessings on this mission of the Sisters of the Divine Compassion. I am privileged to stand in for all of you in actualizing our charism and mission of Compassion amid our less fortunate brothers and sisters in the diocese of Hung Hoa. I am most grateful to God for this grace-filled mission experience: My prayer life had never been deeper and more intense; my sense of being your representative in Ministry had never been stronger and more life-giving. For all of this, Praise to our God and Thanks to You All.

Sisters, hopefully this report gives you an adequate view of the ministry I was entrusted to carry out in the name of the Congregation and of you all. I would be happy to hear of your reaction, thinking and insights about this mission.

Faithfully yours in our God of Compassion,
Sr. Theresa Vinh Nguyen, RDC