In April and May 2008, Fr Gerard Du Tran Cong, Assistant General, visited several countries in Asia and the Pacific. He reports…
This translation has been provided by Toma in Poland
VISIT TO THAILAND
From April 7 to 12, he visited the Vincentian community working in Samphran, a city located about 25 miles West of Bangkok. In response to the invitation from a bishop, two first missionaries from the Province of the Philippines (a priest and a brother) came to Thailand in 1990. Presently, this community consists of five confreres – 4 Filipinos and a young Thai. The latter is currently pastor of two small parishes near Khon Kaen, 6 hours drive North East of Bangkok. Fr Gerard had the opportunity to meet the Visitatrice of the Province of Thailand, who is Filipino, and some other Philippine and Thailand sisters in Khon Kaen, where they work in the Regional House of the Daughters of Charity, a beautiful and vast property.
The current superior of the community, one of the pioneers of the mission, is also Provincial Director of the Daughters of Charity of Thailand. Another confrere teaches English and other subjects national major seminary “Lux Mundi“.
The third one is responsible for formation of our own, because in past few years, our confreres have recruited local vocations. With the help of the General Curia, the Province of the Philippines has recently purchased a beautiful property where the current training house is found.
Besides young priest mentioned earlier, a Thai student has just taken his vows in Manila on June 5, last year. He will be ordained deacon, together with four other Filipino on July 26. Two seminarians, after several years of preparatory studies in “Lux Mundi” seminary were sent to the Philippines to begin the important stage of Internal Seminary together with other Filipino novices.
The last Philippine confrere has volunteered to go to work in Phnom-Penh, Cambodia, in an N.G.O., in collaboration with the Daughters of Charity who are present in that country from few years. Finally, a project to enter Laos and Myanmar is under consideration. It is noteworthy that the Daughters of Charity are already present in Laos.
On the last day of the Assistant General’s visit, he paid his respects to the Cardinal Archbishop of Bangkok.
The Vincentian mission in Thailand, full of promise, could be compared to a seed that grows slowly. Let us hope, with God’s help, that one day it will become a large tree loaded with beautiful fruit.
CANONICAL VISITATION OF THE PROVINCE OF CHINA
From April 13 to 30, Fr Gerard Du made the canonical visitation of the Province of China. We know that this Province has a long and glorious history, illustrated in the 19th century by the martyrdom of our two confreres St. Jean Gabriel Perboyre and St. Francis Regis Clet. The first three confreres had arrived in China before 1783. Especially from 1785 to 1855 Lazarists came here in large numbers, called to succeed the Jesuits. There is a period of great missionary activity from 1900 to 1951 is with the arrival of many foreign confreres: French, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Irish and American and the creation of two Chinese provinces: North and South. This period ends with the communist control of the country which required foreigners to leave the country.
Chinese, American and Dutch confreres, together with with those Chinese ones who fled the country and came to *Taiwan*, continue the Mission of China. The life of the Congregation is organized in three regions: *Taipei* (mission attached to the province of Holland), *Szehu* (Province center unified in 1972), *Kaohsiung – Tainan* (mission attached to the Midwest Province of the USA) . In these three regions, confreres expelled from China, Dutch and American missionaries are working on the evangelization of the country. They founded parishes, kindergartens as parish service, high schools, and created welfare for the disabled and hospices for the elderly.
On January 15, 1987, Fr Richard McCullen CM, then Superior General, erected the new Province of China, unifying the three existing sections in Taiwan.
Today, the Province of China has 23 confreres in Taiwan and few others in mainland China, most of them elderly. In Taiwan, there are three canonical houses : Taipei (provincial house), Szehu (secondary school) and Tainan: Kaohsiung (South West) and Taitung (South East). 10 Chinese (including 8 in the age of 78 to 89), 2 American, 2 Dutch, 4 Indonesian, 1 Indian, 1 Polish, 1 Vietnamese, 1 Korean and 1 Filipino. The average age is 66 years. Confreres animate about twenty parishes. Recently the Bishop of Taitung entrusted to the Vincentians two parishes with a fifteen chapels to be served which are spread over some twenty miles along the South Eastern coast. The Christians of this region are mostly aborigines who had occupied the country long before the Chinese colonization in the 17th century.
There is still an American confrere – chaplain of the English-speaking expatriates in Beijing, from about fifty different nationalities. Polish confrere is in charge of formation. An Irish confrere, who recently withdrew from his province of origin, is working for a charity institution in the capital and another Dutch confrere taught French at the University of Wuhan until recent time.
We see that this is an aging Province who survived thanks to the presence of expatriates being the majority and are the lifeblood of the province, especially fellow missionaries from Asia. However some glimmer of hope appears on the horizon: a young American from California and a Korean wish to join the Community and attend intensive classes in Chinese at the University of Tainan. May they one day become good missionaries to continue this mission of China which has ignited so many hearts of apostles! The future is rather on the other side of the Taiwan Strait, in the great China with more than one billion and three hundred million inhabitants.
….below is part of the text scheduled to be published in Nuntia July issue…
VISIT TO JAPAN
Destination of the third stage of the visit (from May 1 to 7) were large industrial cities of Osaka and Kobe South East of Tokyo. There, in a small location in the suburbs of Kobe, is the Provincial House of the Daughters of Charity of Japan. A confrere resides there as director and chaplain of the sisters. The superior of the Vincentian community is a parish vicar in Osaka and another confrere is vicar of the Osaka cathedral. All confreres are members of the Province of the Philippines and are occupied mainly with Catholic community of Filipino workers and immigrants. Another confrere has just arrived from Manila and he took intensive course of Japanese for two years before his departure for pastoral ministry in the Diocese of Hiroshima.
Any foreign visitor must recognize the Japanese discipline, cleanliness, prosperity and beauty of the country, especially in Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan, where modernity harmonizes with the purest millennium long tradition.
CANONICAL VISITATION OF THE PROVINCE OF AUSTRALIA
From May 7 to June 5, Fr. Gerard made canonical visitation of the Province of Australia. First Vincentians arrived from Ireland in 1885, on the request of (Irish) bishop of this diocese, to run college and major seminary in Bathurst. The province was erected in 1926. Principal works of confreres were teaching and formation in the major seminaries (5), education (2 high schools) and parishes (8). At the moment, only 2 confreres work in two major seminaries, as a teacher and formation leader (Rector). The prestigious college of Bathurst, 125 miles West of Sydney, is still held by Vincentians (the superior of the community is its President. He is assisted by a Vincentian chaplain). But the Principal (headmaster), a Man animated by Vincentian spirit, and all teachers are lay people. The eight parishes held by confreres at the beginning are reduced to three. Two of them are located in the suburbs of Sydney and the third near Melbourne.
In recent years, in response to the urgent appeal of the Bishop of Townsville, a port city located on the North Eastern coast of Queensland, three confreres have volunteered to assist the bishop of the place. The diocese which represents three-quarters the size of France (168000 sq. miles), has only fifteen priests to serve 75000 Catholics (30% of the population). The superior of the community is the administrator of the cathedral with four other churches in the city attached to it.
The province has five local communities: Malvern (Melbourne), Ashfield and Marsfield (Sydney), Bathurst and Townsville. Currently there are 43 confreres in Australia. The average age is 65.7. Two admitted seminarians (of Filipino and Indian origins) continue their course of theology at the Catholic Institute of Sydney.
VISIT TO FIJI MISSION
Disseminated in the heart of the South Pacific, Fiji Islands are located North-East of New Caledonia and 1900 miles from Australia. Spanned on nearly 7000 square miles, the archipelago is composed of over 300 islands, of which only a hundred are inhabited.
Three quarters of 800 000 Fijians live on the largest islands of the archipelago: V anua Levu and Viti Levu. On the latter there is Suva, the capital of Fiji since 1882. This city of more than 160 000 inhabitants is one of the largest and most populated in the South Pacific. The population comprises 51% of indigenous and 44% of Indo-Fijians. The rest is made up of Europeans, Pacific Islanders and a small number of Chinese. Christians make up 52% of the population, including 37% of Methodists and 9% of Catholics. The majority of Indo-Fijians are Hindus and Muslims constitute 8% of the population.
The French Marist missionaries established first Catholic mission in 1844, nine years after the arrival of the first Methodist. The Indians came to Fiji to work in sugar cane plantations operated by the Englishmen.
In 1959, two Australian confreres begin the first mission station in Natovi on the east coast of the main island of Viti Levu, 60 km north of Suva. The mission covers a wooded area of 800 sq miles. Displacements were done on foot or by boat. The mission of Natovi has significantly contributed to the life of the Church in Fiji. The small primary school at the beginning has developed to a secondary school offering education to hundreds of students. There are two homes hosting more than a hundred girls and boys whose families live far from the parish. Three nuns from a local congregation collaborate with confreres in teaching, management of the girls’ home, the catechism and service of the altar.
The house reserved to Daughters of Charity is still there, only fifty meters from the church, but the sisters, from the province of the Philippines, who taught in primary and secondary school, were visiting the poor at homes and cared for patients at the parish clinic, were withdrawn from there temporarily to e engaged in another mission. The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul was established and vocations to the priesthood encouraged. Since the arrival of Vincentians, the parish of Natovi has provided eight priests for the Archdiocese of Suva.
In 1972 the Major Regional Seminary of the Pacific, known under the initials of P.R.S. (Regional Pacific Seminary) was founded for the formation of seminarians coming from various islands of Pacific. Since then, ten Vincentian confreres have participated in the formation of the priests of the area, as professors and a Rector. Currently one confrere gives courses in Liturgy and Patrology in the P.R.S.
In the same year, Vincentians assumed responsibility of a large parish in Nausori, a location near Suva. A small community of Daughters of Charity, coming from Australia and Ireland, was established up in this new parish.
Vincentian vocations came early. Since 1973, the first Fijian confrere, after his studies in Australia, was ordained a priest in Natovi. In 1986, Saint Vincent Formation House was established in Wailoku, couple miles from Suva. They attend the Regional Seminary together with diocesan seminarians from several Pacific islands. Students from Marist Fathers, St. Columban Fathers and the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart make their ecclesiastical studies in this seminary as well.
Since the estblishement of the House of Formation, two confreres took their vows and six Fijians were ordained priests. Currently seven Fijian students and three the Solomon Islands are undergoing formation toward priesthood.
The Vincentian mission in Fiji prepares to celebrate its fiftieth anniversary in 2009. The Superior General will attend the celebrations. Since its establishment, 18 Australian and four Indian confrere have been working in this mission with a true Vincentian spirit and missionary zeal. Fr. Alan Finn, currently pastor of Nausori has spent 44 years in this country and will be celebrating his Golden Jubilee of priesthood at the same time when the fiftieth anniversary of the mission.
***These are links to slideshows (made up as QuickTime movie clips) which are attached to French edition of the report***
*http://www.famvin.org/fr/missions/VOYAGE%20ASIE_G_DU%2005_08/photos%20-%20Asie.mov — pictures from visits in Thailand, Taiwan and Japan
*http://www.famvin.org/fr/missions/VOYAGE%20ASIE_G_DU%2005_08/Pres.%20Australie.mov — pictures from Australia
Tags: CM Curia, Vietnam
