Tam Ha (Vietnam). From 31 December 2020 to 2 January 2021, at the headquarters of the VTN Mary Help of Christians Province in Tam Ha (Vietnam), the 27th camp for the Formandees of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians was held, with the participation of 114 pre-aspirants , Aspirants, Postulants, Novices from 7 Formation Communities of the Province.
The first evening of the meeting consisted of a historical re-enactment, with the review of the 60th anniversary of the foundation in Vietnam of the FMA Institute, which began with the prayer of thanksgiving to God and the expression of gratitude to the pioneer sisters, the missionaries, and the FMA who work with passion throughout the country. The participants staged parts of the Vietnamese memoir: “Like a tree planted along watercourses”. Sister Maddalena Ngo thi Minh Chau, the first Vietnamese FMA, appreciated the representation: “Thanks to all the interpreters. The recitation, unique and original, made me recall the memories of God’s love for the work of the FMA”.
On the morning of 1 January 2021, the participants wished a Happy New Year to the Vice Provincial of the Salesians of Don Bosco of the Vietnamese Province of St. John Bosco, Fr. Joseph Nguyen Van Am.
The beginning of the new year was then celebrated with creative games that required teamwork to overcome various challenges. The theme of gratitude continued to be the background, nurturing the desire to know and carry on the history of holiness of the FMA Institute in Vietnam.
The Camp ended on 2 January 2021, with the final mandate. The Formandees expressed their gratitude to the Provincial, Sr. Rosa Vu thi Kim Lien, and to the team that organized the event. Sister Rosa prayed that their lives would be like beautiful embroidered images, so that when other people saw them, they would praise and thank God. She also wished them perseverance in the spirit with which they live their formative days, always enjoying and pointing out to others the beauty of little things.
With a simple but significant celebration, the Provincial, the FMA, and the Formandees drew their lines on the charismatic tree, as a gesture in response to Don Bosco’s invitation: “I sketch, you will spread the colors”, to make the tree of the charism ever more fruitful, through the life of each one.
