HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam (UCAN) -- Families in a southern archdiocese say that saying daily prayers together, respecting one another and having family meals help build a happy family.

This was the consensus of about 9,000 Catholics and guests of other religious backgrounds who attended a convention of Catholic families under the theme Family - Environment of Education and Solidarity. The Ho Chi Minh City Archdiocesan Committee for Families organized the Dec. 30 gathering at the Pastoral Center here in the country's largest city, 1,710 kilometers south of Ha Noi.

Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Vu Duy Thong and some priests were also present for the event on the feast of the Holy Family, marked on the Sunday following Christmas.

After participants recited the glorious mysteries of the rosary and watched cultural performances, some families were invited to share how they live a happy life amid physical and spiritual challenges and difficulties.

Dominic Vu Quy Phi walks on wooden legs with crutches, and his wife Teresa Nguyen Tran Kim Khanh "walks" on her arms. Phi, 54, told the gathering they both lost their legs in the Vietnam War.

"Although we have difficulty traveling, we try to work hard and earn an honest living to build a happy life and raise our two children well," he said. He added that their 25-year-old daughter is married and their 23-year-old son has finished college.

Khanh, 50, said that they earn money through various kinds of work, including selling lottery tickets. "We have had a good marriage for 25 years because we believe in God," she said. "We pray every day, and sympathize with and share one another's joys and sorrows."

Drawing on her experience, Khanh urged other women to "be patient, endure hardships and sacrifices, and regularly pray with your family members to God at least one minute a day."

Joseph Vu Dang Khoa, their son, told UCA News, "I am very proud of my disabled parents, who made sacrifices so we could have a good education." Khoa said he loves his parents, and marvels especially at his mother's endurance, since he "cannot imagine how hard it must have been to be pregnant with us."

Joseph Nguyen Van Thanh and his wife Teresa Nguyen Thi Truc Ly are both blind. Thanh, 29, who earns a living selling lottery-tickets, said they spend 10 minutes in the morning and another 30 minutes in the evening praying. "We pray to have good health and to set an example for our child by leading a moral life," he said.

Thanh recalled an incident in which he broke his leg in a motorcycle accident. But he did not ask for compensation, he continued, because the motorcyclist "did not deliberately cause the accident."

Nevertheless, he had to stop working and spent all his savings on treating his leg. "I was not sad since God gives us other things," he said.

Ly, 27, who stays at home to look after their 6-month-old child, said she always waits for her husband to return home from work so they can have dinner together and listen to the radio for entertainment as a family. "I always respect and speak softly to him," she added.

Ho Hoang My, 42, whose body is abnormally small, works in a bar. He said his tiredness disappears when he goes home to find his wife and child waiting for him to have dinner.

His wife, Pham Thi Tuyet Hong, 29, told the gathering she and her husband have created an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect because they never squabble with each other. She urged people to "eat together to have a happy family, since you can share joys and sorrows with one another during your meals."

Father Joseph Tran Dinh Long, a member of the family committee, told UCA News the couples who shared at this first archdiocesan family gathering bore strong witness to family values. He added that the gathering stressed family values and how to follow the Holy Family's example.

Bishop Thong urged Catholics to create an atmosphere of love, respect and trust among them, and especially to provide faith education for their children.

END

(Accompanying photos available at here)