HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam (UCAN) -- Some lay Catholics of Ho Chi Minh City archdiocese want devotion to the Eucharist and other traditional pious practices to be revived to help deepen their faith life.

"The holy hour should be organized every Sunday afternoon, not just on Corpus Christi Sunday," Pierre Nguyen Quang Vinh of Nghia Hoa parish recently told UCA News.

The 62-year-old layman said that Eucharistic devotions and sharing sessions organized throughout the week leading to Corpus Christi Sunday this year greatly touched adults in his parish.

Nghia was among some 3,000 Catholics representing all archdiocesan parishes attending the Mass and ceremony June 23 to conclude the week-long celebration.

Under a theme declaring "Jesus Christ, Our Unique Savior and Life-Giving Bread," the event was held at St. Joseph major seminary.

In organizing the event, the archdiocese invited 20 Catholics from each parish and 10 Religious from each congregation to join the universal Church in marking the International Eucharistic Congress held in Rome June 18-25.

Joseph Le Van Nam of Ha Noi parish said a sharing session during the week taught him that they have to revive the custom of evening family prayer, which he said has "almost died out in urban life."

"An evening prayer is the rare moment of the busy day during which parents and children can gather and share each member's joy and sorrow," he explained.

Maria Trinh Thi Mai of Tan Viet parish told UCA News that if family members lived up to the meaning of the Eucharist, they would carry out its spirit by visiting the sick and the poor, and even invite them home for a meal.

Archbishop Jean Baptiste Pham Minh Man of Ho Chi Minh City, who presided over the concluding Corpus Christi Mass, urged lay Catholics to foster communion and unity within their own families.

He said the family as an institution can fend off pressures from secular society that can lead to family breakups and other family-related problems if family members "willingly receive and faithfully live the Eucharist."

"The Eucharist is the center, uniting and linking all community members. It gives them the strength to give witness to mutual love," he said at the Mass.

The archbishop asserted that the Eucharist invites Catholics to become the blessed bread to share with people in society regardless of their religious affiliation or social class.

Sister Cecilia Nguyen Thi Tien, who returned to Vietnam for the first time in 30 years, told UCA News she was surprised by the openness and freedom in which Catholics in Vietnam practice their faith.

"It was amazing to see participants attend the ceremony in such an orderly and serious manner," said the Rome-based nun of the Holy Spirit congregation.

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