With three different opening ceremonies in the ecclesiastical provinces of Hà Nội, Huế and Sàigòn, the celebrations of the special Jubilee for the 30th anniversary of the canonization of the 117 Vietnamese martyrs were opened 19th June, 2018 . They will end on November 24, the day when the Church remembers their sacrifice. Pierre Nguyễn Văn Nhơn, archbishop of Hà Nội, presided at a solemn mass at the minor basilica of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception in Sở Kiện, in the province of Hà Nam. The basilica was built 135 years ago; Sở Kiện is home to two martyrs: p. Peter Truong Van Thi and his brother Peter Truong Van Duong. About 20,000 faithful from the 10 dioceses of the ecclesiastical province took part in the function.
As reported by Asianews.it, Mgr Cosma Hoàng Văn Đạt, bishop of Bắc Ninh, in his homily emphasized “the gratitude and joy of God’s people in Vietnam and around the world”. The prelate helped the assembly to retrace the heroic history of the Vietnamese Church. Almost 500 years ago, the first cross was planted in Chàm, a small island off the coast of Quảng Nam. Since then, the seed of faith has been planted, has prospered and has brought abundant fruit. However, until today the Catholics have suffered so much suffering and faced countless trials and ferocious persecutions.
A few hours later in the south of the country, the Catholics of Ho Chi Minh City (Sàigòn) and 10 other dioceses attended the opening ceremony of the Jubilee at the pilgrimage center The Ba Giồng, in the province of Tiền Giang. Thousands of the more than 130 thousand martyrs of the 18th and 19th centuries were native to this land. The archdiocese of Huế and five other dioceses of central Vietnam gathered in the evening at the pilgrimage center of Our Lady of La Vang, in the province of Quang Tri. Here, 220 years ago, Our Lady appeared to console some of the faithful who had fled to the jungle to shelter themselves from persecution. Anthony Dương Quỳnh, vicar general of Huế, at the beginning of the Mass reminded the participants: “117 martyrs were canonized among the over 100 thousand of the Trịnh, Nguyễn, Tây Sơn, Minh Mạng, Thiệu Trị and Tự Đức periods. About 300 thousand people died during the various waves of persecution “. In particular, the priest recalled the hundreds of burnt Catholics living near the church near Tri Bưu.
Source: www.asianews.it
