Members of parish councils from 84 parishes in Hue archdiocese attend a special meeting to mark the Feast of Vietnamese Martyrs in Phu Cam Cathedral in Hue on Nov 24. (Photo: UCA News)
In 2020, Andrew Tran Do Huy was detained twice for a total of 10 days by local government authorities for gathering Catholics to repair a church roof and build a bell tower to replace the old one damaged over 50 years ago during the Vietnam War.
Huy, head of the parish council of Luong Vien parish in Thua Thien Hue province, ignored the government’s request to suspend the repairs and as a result, local Catholics finished the eight-meter-tall tower near the church.
The lay leader, who has served the parish with some 300 members since 2014, said he was punished by being forced to repair local roads damaged by floods.
On Nov. 17, Huy, who works as a bricklayer, and five others were also questioned and threatened by local authorities for re-erecting a cross on the church roof without a government permit. The cross collapsed during a tropical storm in September.
"Once you are imbued with the Catholic faith, it is normal for you to be humiliated"
“We have to endure suffering and be true to God and the Church to lead our faithful communities,” said the 54-year-old father of two who converted to Catholicism to marry a Catholic. His relatives rejected him for his conversion, but his parents were later moved by his wife’s tender care and decided to embrace the faith before their death.
“Once you are imbued with the Catholic faith, it is normal for you to be humiliated,” Huy said, adding that when he was a child he was very interested in Catholics who live a good life and come to the aid of people in need.
Huy shared his faith experiences at a gathering of over 1,000 parish council members at Phu Cam Cathedral in Hue on Nov. 24. They were from all parishes in Hue archdiocese.
The event with the theme “Sacrifice for Love” was held by the archdiocese’s Committee for the Laity to celebrate the Feast of Vietnamese Martyrs, their patrons.
Joseph Ho Quang, a member of the ethnic Van Kieu community from Huong Phuong sub-parish in Quang Tri province, said he has been punished many times for encouraging ethnic villagers to say evening prayers in their homes.
Quang, who embraced Catholicism in 2015 and started to serve as head of the sub-parish council the following year, said he is made to work on local public projects without payment.
The farmer, 57, said local authorities also tell him to report on local people’s religious activities including funerals. Local Catholics travel 15 kilometers to attend Masses at Khe Sanh church on the weekend when the government often tells them to spread information about afforestation, family planning and drug and weapons offenses.
"We should bravely bear witness to our faith"
“We do nothing wrong, just use religious practice and try our best to defend our small faith community,” he said, adding that Lovers of the Holy Cross nuns introduced the religion to them by offering them healthcare, basic education and catechism.
“We gather daily to say prayers at night in our houses to maintain the faith and transfer it to younger generations,” he said.
Mary Ngo Thi Dieu Nga from Hoa An parish regularly visits, consoles and encourages those who left the Church to return. She also offers copies of the Bible to people who live in remote areas.
Nga, 64, said she has been questioned, detained and prevented from conducting evangelization by police.
“We are only too delighted to see many families return to the faith and their relatives marry those who converted to Catholicism. We should bravely bear witness to our faith and spread the religion among others,” the woman who has three children and two grandchildren said.
Father Peter Nguyen Huu Giai, who gave a talk to the gathering, praised local lay leaders for courageously setting perfect examples of how to live Christian values and endure suffering for loving God.
"Parish priests are fussy and shout at lay leaders in front of other people"
Father Giai also called on participants to follow the example of martyrs and closely work with local priests to develop parishes.
He also admitted that some parish priests are fussy and shout at lay leaders in front of other people. However, many lay leaders still work patiently not because of fearing the priests’ authority but because of their humble charity.
They said relatives of many lay leaders can hardly get government jobs.
During the meeting, participants shared their apostolic experience, listened to talks, honored the martyrs, watched plays on their lives, and attended Mass.
Hue archdiocese has 88 parishes with 66,000 Catholics out of the total population of 1,756,000 in the two provinces of Quang Tri and Thua Thien Hue.