Youth Festival in Vietnam

Tam Ha (Vietnam). On 25 April 2021, at the seat of the Mary Help of Christians Province in Tam Ha, Vietnam, more than 700 young people from the Houses of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians attended the Youth Festival on the theme “Gen H – Generation of Hope”.

At the beginning of the meeting, together with the Sisters of the Province, the young people expressed their gratitude to God for the 60 years of FMA presence in Vietnam, for the seeds of the Salesian charism planted with sacrifice and which are now growing and spreading among young people.

The Provincial, Sr. Rosa Kim Liên, welcomed joyfully together with the FMA of the Provincial Council, addressed the young people saying: “Our world today needs young people full of hope, young people who offer understanding, presence, generosity, cooperation, good will. Together with Jesus, in the heart of the Church, you must be protagonists with the mission of spreading hope among the people”.

With impressive and lively choreographies, dances, and images, the context of the current world was represented, a defenseless world, vulnerable to the Covid-19 pandemic. Images of the floods that hit central Vietnam and which struck young people were shown. And then images of young dreamers, creative, committed, and also fragile, if they do not find the inner strength to face the difficulties and challenges of life.

To help find firm points to anchor hope, the speakers, Fr. Joseph Tran Hoang Quan, Head of Vocations of the Archdiocese of Saigon; Fr. Joseph Bui Quang Minh, Jesuit, Dean of the Academy of Philosophy of Thu Duc, Saigon; and Fr. Peter Phạm Huy Hoàng, Salesian of Don Bosco, Vicar of the Parish of Bến Cát, guided the young people in the workshops using different approaches to study three key words of reference: Character – Community – Mission, to bring hope to the world. Young people were encouraged to trust in the risen Christ who opens to hope in the face of life’s difficulties. Fr. Huy Hoang said: “Faith and commitment help to get out of the pandemic of insensitivity and selfishness, more dangerous than the coronavirus, because it takes away hope”.

At the Eucharistic celebration, the culmination of the day, in his homily Fr. Bui Quang Minh invited young people to contemplate Christ the Good Shepherd who cares, is ready to protect, and dedicates His life to the sheep. He invited everyone to become a shepherd of hope, a point of union between generations, willing to welcome diversity and build the future with hope.

Through songs and dances, the young people expressed the Salesian joy of coming together. In the evening, divided into teams for the game ‘Fast as a lightning bolt’, they revisited the main themes of the workshops. Finally, there was an invitation to contribute to the ‘Projects of Hope’ underway in the local FMA realities.

The meeting ended with a time of celebration and the manifestation of the young people’s gratitude to Sr. Rosa, the priests, the FMA, and the organizational team for having allowed them to live a joyful and meaningful event.

“The Way of Hope is made from each point of Hope. Every good point makes the whole line beautiful. The Way of Hope is made up of every minute of Hope. Living every minute well, ensures that the entire life is consecrated”. (Cardinal Francis Nguyen Van Thuan)

Photo: Flickr FMA VTN