HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam (UCAN) -- When Nguyen Thi Chung attended a Mass recently, for the first time, the athlete did so as one of 900 disabled people who were the guests of a parish in Ho Chi Minh City.

The follower of Cao Dai, a religion founded in Vietnam, acknowledged that she had never before attended any kind of meeting in a Catholic church. But she told UCA News, "I do not feel lost or lonely but very happy, as good people around help me and God supports me too."

The Mass was part of a special program the Vietnamese Martyrs Church parish held Aug. 26. The other activities included a cultural performance, reports on the achievements of disabled athletes and presentation of awards.

Disabled people from neighboring Dong Nai province were invited to join their counterparts in the country's largest city, 1,710 kilometers south of Ha Noi. Also present were representatives of the Ho Chi Minh City Charitable Foundation for Disabled Children as well as local government officials.

Father Pierre Phan Khac Tu, the parish priest, told UCA News after he led the Mass that the parish the city's Vuon Xoai area has held such annual meetings for disabled people the last six years around Aug. 15, the Assumption. He noted that disabled Catholics turn to the Blessed Mother as their patron.

The parish collaborates with the charitable foundation for disabled children to give presents to participants at the events and to offer encouragement by honoring disabled athletes who excel at the annual National Sports Festival for the Disabled, added Father Tu, a member of the foundation.

This year's festival took place July 26-30 in Ha Noi with 544 disabled athletes competing from across the country.

The 157-member team from Ho Chi Minh City brought home 135 gold, 84 silver and 55 bronze medals in badminton, swimming, table tennis, weightlifting, track and field, discus-throwing and javelin-throwing.

Augustine Hoang Phuong Du, who has been paralyzed since he was a year old, won three gold medals in track and field, discus and javelin events. He said he started sports when he was 17 years old and has won 15 gold, 25 silver and 20 bronze medals in international and national competitions.

The local Catholic youth, who belongs to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, said he practices for about seven hours a day, though he lives some 15 kilometers from the gymnasium. "Ahead of a competition, I always pray for good achievement," he added.

This year's national festival helped select the best athletes in the country for the 3rd ASEAN Para Games for the disabled, scheduled to take place in the Philippines in December. In 2003 Vietnam hosted the second of the biennial games for disabled athletes from the countries that make up the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

During the event at Vietnamese Martyrs Church, officials of the charitable foundation presented awards to 21 coaches and 126 athletes who had won medals at the national festival. Each award consisted of 100,000 dong (US$6.30), a carrying bag and cloth for three pairs of trousers.

The parish gave each participant a gift worth 50,000 dong and provided lunch for all of them. Parishioners and benefactors covered the costs.

Father Tu said the number of participants has increased annually, jumping from 600 last year to 900 this year.

Wheelchair-bound Ho Thi Bich, 35, who won a silver medal for weightlifting, told UCA News she planned to train for six months but had to stop due to an injury as the games approached. Nonetheless, "I am pleased with the silver medal. I could not be luckier," added Bich, who comes from the central province of Binh Dinh.

Bich said her legs have been paralyzed since she was a child. Her father died early, and after her mother remarried she lived with her two sisters. She moved to Ho Chi Minh City and now makes a living selling lottery tickets.

Chung, 37, who has crippled legs and shares the same boarding room with Bich, said she likes athletics very much but her hometown has no facilities for her to practice. She and Bich sell lottery tickets from 6:00 a.m. to noon. After training for an hour and having lunch, they continue their work.

Chung came second in her track-and-field event but said winning a silver medal was a great joy for her. Before she left on her crutches, she smiled and said, "No matter how life is, it is necessary to have confidence and optimism to live on, advance and integrate into the community and society."

According to a government report, 5 million of Vietnam's 82 million people have disabilities.

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