Bishop Joseph Dinh Duc Dao attends rosary prayers at Thanh Tam Church in Bien Hoa on Dec. 13, 2020. (Photo courtesy of giaophanxuanloc.net)
Bishop Joseph Dinh Duc Dao of Xuan Loc was the first Catholic prelate to make a pastoral visit and share the Christmas spirit with retailers at Phuc Nhac market in Dong Nai province during Advent in 2020. Local traders and shoppers, who were surprised to see him, stopped their work to warmly welcome him and talk.
Bishop Dao, who has an easy smile, walked around the traditional market, asked retailers about their business and shared his generosity of spirit, friendliness and sympathy, boosting morale during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The well-educated prelate, who officially retired from his position on March 3, fostered a deep and passionate devotion to Divine Mercy among the one million Catholics in his diocese during his four years of service.
Bishop Dao, who became bishop of Vietnam’s largest diocese in terms of Catholic population in 2016, chose Divine Mercy practices to guide his thoughts, behavior and pastoral actions.
