PLEIKU, Vietnam (UCAN) -- An annual gathering of Catholic college students in Vietnam's Central Highlands provides an opportunity for young people to consolidate friendship and study the Word of God.

Some 450 Kinh (majority Vietnamese) and Bana and Jarai ethnic minority students attended the "Students in Kontum diocese live the Word of God" gathering Feb. 1 in Pleiku, 1,200 kilometers south of Ha Noi.

Organizer Marie Doan Minh Hieu, 21, told UCA News the meeting "aimed to create an opportunity for students to come together and interact through various activities, as well as to meet and learn from Church leaders." According to Hieu, the diocesan student group has been organizing the annual gatherings since 2003, financed by the diocese.

The young woman, a student at Ho Chi Minh City-based University of Social Sciences and Humanities, said they chose this year's theme to foster among students an awareness of reading, mediating and living the Word of God. The Vietnamese bishops designated 2006 as the Year of Living the Word of God.

Francois Tran Trong Quang, 21, told UCA News he was eager to attend the meeting where he could meet friends again after a year, join in various activities and share his experiences.

The eight-hour program featured traditional games with prizes, a Bible quiz, singing and dancing, talks by Church leaders and a Mass celebrated by Bishop Michael Hoang Duc Oanh of Kontum. Prizes for the games included bibles, biscuits and sweets.

"If we love and read the Word of God in an attentive manner," Bishop Oanh said in his homily, "our life will be changed." He advised participants to live the Word of God by helping other students and teachers to recognize Jesus as the true star to steer by. He added that in the near future, the bishops' conference would publish pocket-sized bibles that Catholics can take with them and read whenever they want to, wherever they are.

A 22-year-old student told UCA News the bishop's message helped rekindle his faith life, "which has been dimmed by pressures for a long time." He admitted that he had not read the Bible for a long time. "I thought the word of God was difficult to understand and not important," he said. But he added, "I am determined to mediate on the word of God everyday so that I can hear what God says to me."

Anna Nguyen Thi Hang admitted that she too was not in the habit of reading the Bible. Hang, 20, said she is determined to live the word of God this year by leading a better life and participating in activities such as visiting and teaching disabled children or the poor. She said she would join a group of Catholic students with whom she could share the word of God every week.

In his talk, Father Pierre Nguyen Van Dong, in charge of the diocese's youth ministry, urged the students to help each other spiritually and materially.

Father Dong, pastor of Thang Thien parish, which hosted the gathering, told UCA News the event also gave him an opportunity to identify students in need so he can encourage them and try to help them complete their studies.

He said most students come from families who live on farms and cannot always afford tuition, since prices of farm products fluctuate. In addition, they are susceptible to the social ills plaguing urban areas, "therefore spirituality is very necessary for students to overcome temptations," he said.

A diocesan source told UCA News Kontum diocese is providing scholarships and boarding rooms for ethnic-minority students. Church people also provide boarding rooms for candidates during college entrance examinations.

Therese R'Com H'xia, 22, a Jarai student, who attended the meeting for the first time, told UCA News at the event that she felt true friendship among the students. She said she would heed the bishop's advice to live a better life.

Kontum diocese covers the provinces of Gia Lai and Kon Tum, home to several ethnic groups. It has about 1,000 students at universities and colleges in Buon Ma Thuot, Da Nang, Ha Noi, Hue and Ho Chi Minh City.

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(Accompanying photos available at here)