Posted on 09/21/2020 5:46:40 AM PDT by Cronos
Catholics bring Christian values to people of other faiths by living out God's word and doing charitable work
Paul Nguyen Van Phuc leads a prayer attended by members of the Cursillo movement at a church in Hue on July 18. (Photo: UCA News)
John Nguyen Tuan, a retired military doctor, invites his friends to parties at his home at Christmas, Easter, Pentecost and his patron feast. They offer presents to one another and listen to hymns together.
Tuan encourages them to make donations and visit patients and people without relatives. He has given more than 50 copies of the New Testament to people as a way to introduce Catholicism to them.
The 69-year-old father said his two children embraced Catholicism and his wife, who works at a military hospital, will follow the religion after her retirement next year.
“I try to bring Christian values to people of other faiths and atheists by living out God’s word, loving and forgiving all people, and doing charitable work,” said the former Communist Party member.
Catholicism teaches me how to have a close relationship with God, who creates and loves all people. He gives me good health and opportunities to serve others. I am deeply grateful to those who help me touch God
In the early 1990s, his distant cousin who was a seminarian gave him a copy of the Bible and regularly visited him and explained Scripture to him. He also attendednbsp;his cousinrsquo;s priestly ordination atnbsp;Phunbsp;Cam Cathedral in Hue in 2001.
Tuannbsp;said he pondered the Bible and was interested in the verse ldquo;What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?rdquo; He found that Jesus was a doctor who cured many patients.
Tuan, who used to work for a military hospital, decided to leave the army and the party before embracing the Catholic faith in 2008.
After his conversion, he experienced a hard time when his colleagues and friends undervalued him and remained aloof from him.
ldquo;I overcame the challenges by treating them with respect, not struggling for interests with them and trusting in divine providence,rdquo; he said. ldquo;Now many of them have changed their views and have good relationships with me.rdquo;
Paul Nguyen Vannbsp;Phucnbsp;fromnbsp;Truoinbsp;Parish said his Buddhist family tried to prevent him from converting to Catholicism as they said Catholics refused to worship ancestors.
Phuc, who teaches physics at a school, said he decided to join the parish and marry a Catholic as he admirednbsp;people who regularly attended services, worked hard on farms and lived a full and healthy life while others lacked food, were burdened with debt and committed suicide. ldquo;I believe that God protects them as they live a good life,rdquo; he added.
He persuaded his family to change their views as Catholics are taught to worship God and fulfil their filial duty. ldquo;Finally, I am happy that they attended our ceremony at church in 1979,rdquo; he said.
The father of three said his family attend Scripture courses, pray together at home, attend church daily, show their filial affection to their parents and live in harmony with their siblings and relatives.
He serves as a catechist and member of the parish council and takes part in church activities.
ldquo;As a result, my brotherrsquo;s family with six members joined the parish in 2014 and my father embraced Catholicism before his death in 2018,rdquo; the head of Hue Archdiocesersquo;snbsp;Cursillonbsp;movement said.
Phucnbsp;said he works with his neighbors to protect the environment, build cement roads and provide materials to people in need. Consequently, five families allowed their children to join the church.
Matthew Vo Vannbsp;Viet, 59, said most local people follow Buddhism and ancestor worship and the wrong belief that conversion to Christianity means giving up ancestor worship rites remains noticeable. Men are reluctant to give up their family traditions to embrace Catholicism in a patriarchal society.
Vietnbsp;said local Catholics should build happy families, be in harmony with all people, respect ancestor worship traditions, avoid abortion and behave well towards their parents, teachers and the elderly as ways to bear witness to Christian values.
ldquo;They should look after their parents, especially when they are sick, pray for them and build tombs after their death,rdquo; he said, adding that local Catholics are allowed to attend Buddhist relativesrsquo; funerals.nbsp;
Born to a Buddhist family in Hue, he survived a serious road accident in 1990.nbsp;He believes God saved him thanks to a photo of Jesus he carried in his wallet. The photo was given to him by Catholic friends who looked after him at hospital and donated money to pay his medical costs.
Viet, who was sent to a pagoda to train as a monk for years and returned home due to depression, said he appreciated local Catholicsrsquo; kindness and loving care and converted in 1995. He married his Catholic girlfriend five years later.
ldquo;My siblings treated my conversion like an act of betrayal of our family and abandoned me,rdquo; he said, adding that he tried to win their hearts by attending death anniversaries of their ancestors and respecting his family members.
ldquo;We have enjoyed happy relationships after Catholics including the parish priest visited and consoled us at our fatherrsquo;s funeral,rdquo; he said .
The father of two, who sells clothes for a living, said he and his children daily go to church and help others in need, regardless of their background.
He serves as the head of a group of 40 people who volunteer to carry coffins to local cemeteries.nbsp;They are basednbsp;innbsp;Gianbsp;Hoinbsp;Parish and serve both Catholics and Buddhists.
Father Francis Xavier Nguyennbsp;Thiennbsp;Nhan, head of Hue Archdiocesersquo;s committee for evangelization, said some 300 people from other faiths join the local Church per year. Many of them admire Catholicsrsquo; good deeds and services and convert to the faith.
The 170-year-old archdiocese covering Quangn, Trin, and ThuanThiennHue provinces serves 60,000 Catholics among a total population of two million.",
there now are 26 dioceses and three archdioceses, along with more than 2,600 priests and 2,200 parishes
I had the impression that all the Cursillo-related movements had (npi) petered out, being primarily a Boomer-era thing. I am glad to see that it is still causing God's work to be fulfilled elsewhere.
Full disclosure: I participated in Cursillo in 1981, sat at the table of St. Luke, but it has not been a part of this area in at least the last 25 years.
The Catholic high school that I went to is now loaded with Vietnamese students. They’re the New Mexicans. They bring them in to help get more National Honor Student finalists.
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