Asia

VIETNAM Bac Kan, the first ‘sign of faith’ church of the northern ethnic groups

A community party accompanied the inauguration of the parish of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Bishop Van Dat praised the Redemptorist missionaries and their commitment in the field of education and social work. The Bac Kan parish was founded in 1928 and currently has 1,200 faithful.

Hanoi () – The province’s “first church” is “a source of pride and a clear sign of the faith of Catholics in the region”. The words of the Redemptorist priest Joseph Nguyen Van Tinh, responsible for the works of the parish of Our Lady of Perpetual Help that was inaugurated on October 20 in a mountainous area of ​​the diocese of Bac Ninh, province of Bac Kan, express joy and satisfaction. (Northern Vietnam). The ceremony, presided over by Bishop Cosme Hoang Van Dat, was attended by a hundred priests, local government officials and a large number of faithful.

Most of the Catholics in Na Phac belong to ethnic groups and depend on the Bac Kan parish, founded in 1928, which currently has almost 1,200 faithful. Father Tinh, 49, has served the local community since 2011 and describes the new temple to the Eglises d’Asie (EdA): it was built in the Gothic style, with a bell tower. It has capacity for 300 people and will be the center of reference for the inhabitants of the area, a sanctuary of peace and joy. “We hope – he affirms – that in this place people can strengthen their faith and learn to entrust themselves to God”.

The bishop regularly visits this remote, mountainous region and has celebrated numerous baptisms in the ethnic communities. “Today – said Bishop Van Dat in his homily – is a happy day for the inhabitants of Na Phac “and the whole community must pay tribute to the work of the Redemptorists and all those who collaborated in the construction of this new place of worship. , which was also funded by “generous donations” from private individuals.

In 2011 the prelate ordained Father P. Tinh. That same year he assigned him the community of Na Phac and in 2014 the parish of Bac Kan, where the Redemptorist missionaries also work. The latter are charged with evangelizing ethnic groups and supporting efforts to ensure full access to education and housing for children from ethnic minorities. The religious also help local communities preserve their culture and native language by translating scriptures and hymns into Hmong and celebrating Mass in the local language and Vietnamese. Due to the enormous distances, many families have to make long trips and arrive at the parish the night before to study catechism or participate in mass.

Since the first five baptisms of a Hmong family were performed in 2015, the Na Phac community has grown to now number 450 Catholics, the majority of whom are of Hmong and Dao origin. Many Catholic families of the Kinh ethnic group came to the region in 1979 from Cao Bang province, escaping the possible Chinese invasion of Vietnam. Na Phac is one of the five parish realities that depend on Bac Kan. This is the only parish in the province and it has been without a resident priest for 60 years due to wars and religious persecution.



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