Tam Ha (Vietnam). From 18 to 28 August 2023, Sr. Lidia Strzelczyk, Visiting Councilor of the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, went to Vietnam for a short visit to Mary Help of Christians Province (VTN).
Joyfully welcoming Sr. Lidia at the Tan Son Nhat airport on 18 August was the Provincial, Sr. Maria Hoang Thi Thu Ha, and a representation of FMA and female students, who then accompanied her to the Provincial House of Tam Ha. There she was awaited by the Vicar, Sr. Maria Do Thi Tuyet Nhung, the Novices, the aspirants, and by all the Sisters who received her with flowers, applause, and songs. Together they went to the Chapel to thank God and Mary Help of Christians for the success of the trip and for the time dedicated to the Province.
In the evening, there was the moment of official reception by the FMA, Novices, and aspirants of the three Communities of the Tam Ha complex. The Provincial gave the greeting, and the Novices offered Sr. Lidia a scarf and a hat made of bamboo leaves, typical symbols of the Vietnamese people, as well as a small plant, a symbol of the Lord’s care for life through the Institute, in particular through the presence of the Councilor in Vietnam.
Sister Lidia expressed her joy in meeting them and at the Goodnight she invited everyone to ask for the gift of the Holy Spirit to become ever more holy in daily life in order to reflect the face of God before everyone, following the testimony of Blessed Francis Xavie Nguyen Van Thuan, and to choose the will of God rather than the work for God.
On the morning of 19 August, the Visitor met with the Novices and Aspirants (soon to be Postulants) in the Novitiate of Tam Ha and, in the afternoon, with the Sisters of South Vietnam. The meeting began with a festive greeting and a brief presentation of the VTN Province, which has over 62 years of history. Later, Sr. Lidia shared with the Sisters the most significant aspects of General Chapter XXIV and the meaning of the presence of the FMA. It is a presence that generates life, a presence in walking together, and a presence in going out and networking to live the prophetic and missionary dimension among young people in the contemporary context.
On the morning of 20 August, Sr. Lidia and the FMA participated in the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the presence of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians in the parish of Thanh Da in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh city).
From the afternoon until 26 August, she traveled from South to North Vietnam to visit FMA communities, schools, and colleges:
– the Communities and the students of the 3 colleges at Nam Hoa;
– the Communities of Xuan Hoa, Duc Huy, Bao Loc, Loc Tan, An Hoa;
– the Communities of Co Nhue, capital of Ha Noi and the Sisters from the northern communities;
– the Community and with the wig-makers in the city of Vinh in central Vietnam;
– the Kindergartens of Linh An and Maria Assunta at Tam Ha;
– the students of the basic school Happy Days Center of English and Music and Mamma Margarita Hostel of St. Joseph House at Tam Ha.
Then she met with the Provincial Councilors and Community Animators.
On 26 August, the Province thanked the Lord for the significant days in which Sr. Lidia was among the Sisters as a living presence of Mother General and of God’s grace. After the prayer, the Provincial, Sr. Maria expressed her profound gratitude to the Institute for the brief visit of the Visitor and hoped for an official visit next year. It was in fact the first time that Sr. Lidia had visited Vietnam and this short visit served to prepare for the official one, in conformity with the Constitutions of the FMA Institute.
She was then offered as a gift, statuettes of Mary in Vietnamese dress as a wish that the Virgin Mary will always accompany and guide her in her life and in her Visits to the Provinces.
Sr. Lidia expressed her heartfelt gratitude to the Provincial and all the FMA for the warm welcome, for the well-planned program, for the sincere family spirit, and the loving kindness they all had shown her. She concluded by saying, “God willing, we will meet personally next year.”
May Sr. Lidia’s visit, a time of joy and salvation for the whole Province since God was with her, continue to instill hope and vitality in the journey of each Sister in the new pastoral year.
Photos: Flickr FMA
