(ANS - Rome)-  The last of the series of Good Nights at the General Chapter was given by Fr Joseph Tran Hoa Hung, Provincial of Vietnam, or, to be more precise, Provincial of Vietnam and Mongolia.

When we look at the past story of the Salesians in Vietnam, marked by the struggle to survive and continue the Salesian mission, we cannot but compare it to the time the seed spends in the ground, waiting for the moment to emerge. It makes ​​us realize something very important: to understand and influence people you have to be with them, you have to learn from their lives and share their burden."

This is what Fr Joseph had to say: "The young Salesians in Vietnam were literally orphans. It seemed that everything was upside down. Like the local church, the Salesians also had to endure many trials. Some were imprisoned, others went back home, and others still tried to adapt to the new socio-political situation which was absolutely anti-religious. There were some who turned to manual labour, some who joined the army and others who did whatever they could simply to survive."

In 1986 the Salesians began to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It started with the formation of young Salesians and the first ordinations to the priesthood. These were “unofficial” insofar as they were done without the government's permission. This meant many risks and problems for those who were ordained, and some of us really suffered."

In 1995, after long discussion we came to some very important decisions: first of all we decided to start with the pastoral care of vocations and give the best possible formation.

"Under the dictatorial regime we learned a valuable lesson: the person is of greater value than any structure or institution! Many of our schools and colleges were confiscated by the government, sometimes without notice, but if there are people you can always resume activities and rebuild the structures."

We then made other choices. We resolved to be actively present among young people; to help the people, especially young people, to get to know Don Bosco; and to offer pastoral care to families and young people. We go good work among university students, especially in student hostels, and here there is a fertile environment for vocations.  There is good number of lay men and women who work with us in these initiatives.

We celebrated  the 50th anniversary of the Salesian presence in Vietnam in 2002. This brought expressions of appreciation from the ecclesiastical authorities and even some relaxation of the restrictions on the part of the Government . The visit of the relic of Don Bosco had a big spiritual and educational impact in the church and in society.

In 1966 the first two Vietnamese Salesian missionaries ad gentes left. This was the start of the present missionary outreach. There was no shortage of challenges.

The province  must respond to the need for guides and formation personnel. In general, the intellectual and academic level of the young leaves something to be desired. We need to help them to develop a critical mindset and not be passive. This has to be backed up by the kind of sound human formation which is necessary in every profession. They must always be educated to responsibility, to sincerity in personal relationships, and to honesty.

Another challenge that is really relevant is that of vocational discernment in a context where joining a religious congregation may seem the best way to guarantee security for the rest of one’s life.

In conclusion, the Provincial, Fr Joseph, reiterated the lessons learned from history: people and their education are to be given priority over institutions, structures and activities.We must never neglect a "triple dialogue - with the poor, with local religions and with local culture."

Published 11/04/2014