New Churches Inaugurated in Vietnam's Northern Dioceses

UCANews ^ | 6/3/22

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Catholic churches are replacing those damaged or abandoned during years of war and religious restrictions

Archbishop Joseph Vu Van Thien accompanied by priests inaugurates a new church in Dong Nhan Subparish in Hanoi on May 27. (Photo: tonggiaophanhanoi.org)

New churches are replacing those damaged or abandoned during the Vietnam War with local Catholics donating land and volunteering to work at construction sites in two northern dioceses.

An estimated one million people including clergy and religious moved to the south after communist forces defeated French troops and took control of the north in 1954. Local Catholics suffered religious restrictions. They were left without priests for decades and could not afford to preserve church facilities.

The situation has improved in recent decades. Many northern dioceses have built new churches to meet the increasing religious needs of local Catholics. Churches are also coming up in remote areas and at old parishes abandoned by Catholics decades ago.

On May 31, Archbishop Joseph Vu Van Thien of Hanoi inaugurated the Visitation of the Virgin Mary Church in Thuy Xuyen Subparish in Thuong Tin district of capital Hanoi.

Catholics in colorful costumes stood along the road leading to the church to welcome Archbishop Thien, priests and benefactors.

Construction of the church started in 2017 and was completed in 2020, but the inauguration had to be postponed due to the prolonged Covid-19 pandemic.

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I’m glad to see this.