BIEN HOA, Vietnam (UCAN) -- The staff of a Catholic-run center here urged parents of some 90 disabled children to make a "home sweet home" for their children as they go home for a Christmas break.

Superior Sister Anna Le Thi Le Diem told the parents Dec. 13, "Christmas is a time when we commemorate the birth of Jesus. It is also a time for you as parents to think of your children and welcome them back to your homes."

Sister Diem's community, Servants of the Sacred Sacrament, runs the center, located 30 kilometers north of Ho Chi Minh City, for some 90 deaf and mentally handicapped children, of whom 25 are non-Christians.

Therapist Sister Martin Vu Thi Hoa Hong reminded the parents of their role in caring for their children, especially the mentally handicapped.

One of the deaf children in her care wrote to her saying that he looked forward to Christmas because he wanted to be home, Sister Hong said, adding that other deaf children drew Christmas cards that they could give to their parents and brothers and sisters once back home.

"Although they suffer from impaired hearing, these children still are able to distinguish their family environment from the center's routine atmosphere as their minds are always preoccupied with home," the therapist said.

Some parents who live as far away as Ha Noi, Kon Tum, Da Lat, Vung Tau, Can Tho and Soc Trang stay in contact with the sisters by mail or telephone, and some visit their children every month, the nun also said.

She added that some parents who live nearby rarely visit their children, although they are supposed to take their children home at least once a month.

"Many children under our care show a sad face if their parents do not take them home on Saturdays. In no way can our center replace the home these children always long for," said center manager Sister Rose Nguyen Thi Men.

"While there are parents who come to the center every day to be with their children undergoing physical therapy, there are others who think that they would be wasting their time as the children will not be able to do anything later on," explained Father Joseph Nguyen Van Vuong, the center's chaplain.

He urged the parents to collaborate with the sisters in the education and rehabilitation of their children.

Affluent families pay 70,000 dong (about US$5) a month for meals for their children and poor families pay only 15,000 dong, but ironically poor families seem to maintain better links with their children, Sister Hong observed.

Le Thi Nguyet, a mother of two deaf children, said the sisters have taken very good care of her children.

The parents agreed to meet again Dec. 20 to learn some of the skills they need to better communicate with their children at home.

The congregation of the Servants of the Sacred Sacrament was founded by Saint Pierre Julien Eymard and approved by Pope Pius IX in 1871. It has 76 sisters in nine communities in Xuan Loc and Ho Chi Minh City dioceses. Two of the nine communities serve some 150 disabled children.

Vietnam has about 1.5 million handicapped children of whom 6,000 are in Ho Chi Minh City.

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