They are not conquered
01.09.2008
Today Vietnam is a popular holiday destination for people from ANZ. Catholics are familiar with the faith of the Vietnamese people and the persecution they have suffered for many years. We acknowledge their courage and their fidelity to the Catholic Church.
Red carpet was laid the full length of the suburban street in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). A large banner at the entry welcomed the Blessed Sacrament and the long procession made its way to the parish church. Coloured flags hung along the route.
Teams of small girls wearing flowers and angel wings spread glitter on the carpet - an attraction in itself for the toddlers. About 100 children, who were to receive their First Holy Communion at the Mass after the procession, marched ahead of the Blessed Sacrament, flanked by their catechists. Parish groups with their banners preceded and followed the procession.
Two bands - one playing traditional Vietnamese instruments and the other, a brass band - provided the music for the slowly moving procession. Loudspeakers placed along the street amplified a lead cantor when the bands rested. Parishioners sang the familiar hymns by heart. Marshals kept the street clear of the many motorcycles which swarm the suburban streets.
At the heart of the procession, under a canopy born by senior men, the Blessed Sacrament was carried in a monstrance by the parish priest. A young deacon prepared the way, accompanied by the thurifer. Sight, sound, scent - and at the Mass, touch and taste - the celebration reached all the senses.
This is the public proclamation of their Catholic faith, the joyous celebration in song and movement of a great tradition. The long procession slowly entered the Church - a tribute to the faith of the Vietnamese Catholics in their own land.
Fr Roderick O'Brien is a diocesan priest in Adelaide.
