Bishop Joseph's 23rd Anniversary as a Priest

As you can imagine, anniversaries are just as important here in Vietnam as they are in the States. As it was Bishop Joseph's 23rd anniversary as a priest, there was a bit of a festive air at dinner. That includes wine and beer.

 This is Fr. An, a priest of the diocese, with special guest Fr. John. Fr. John was born in Phat Diem diocese but his family had to flee the north in 1954. He now lives in the House of Studies in Saigon where I spent my first night in Vietnam five days ago. Fr. John and Bishop Joseph are old friends from the days when the bishop was a seminarian and Fr. John taught. For the next four months, Fr. John will teach biblical studies to the adult catechists in the diocese.

Fr. Hien telling jokes to warm up the crowd.

The seminarians and workers of the diocese.

More seminarians along with the sisters who work for the diocese.

Fr. Khue honoring the bishop for his twenty-three years of service to the church. We found out it took the bishop eleven years of study to be ordained.

The traditional giving of the flowers. Nice ones, too.

Bishop Joseph thanking us all for being there. This was all very informal and done with lots of laughter. While the Vietnamese take their ceremonies seriously, they do not take each other seriously. Lots of fun was had by all...especially after the wine and beer.

Breakfast at Phat Diem

It's usually the same five of us at our breakfast table, with the occasional guest or two.

Bishop Joseph and I. He speaks Italian, French, and English, and oddly enough Vietnamese. We joke around about words all the time.

 Fr. Bo, my long lost twin brother. He is one year younger than I am so I can call him "em,"  which means "younger brother." He just laughs and rolls his eyes.

 Bishop Joseph, some guy, Fr. Bo, and Fr. Peter Hien. Fr. Hien is the bishop's secretary and is rather like Radar from MASH. There is nothing he can't get or do from either Hanoi or Rome.

Second from the left is Fr. Vong, who took the other pictures. He got his doctorate at GTU and runs the catechetics programs for the diocese. He loves a good pun and plays a mean game of soccer.

In Vo Hot Parish

Yesterday, Friday, was a gathering of all the priests in the Diocese of Phat Diem to celebrate the end of the Year of Faith proclaimed by Pope Benedict. Vo Hot parish. The name means "peace" and it is among the poorest areas in the diocese. Each year it floods, some years as high as five feet. Attending were also 82 dance groups from the parishes who danced in unison before the mass.

The local band was huge and one of the best I have heard. Not easy to keep 65 players in tune.

Over 1,000 dancers, women and children, performed exactly the same dances at the same time. Quite a feat. A video is at the end of this post.

The colors of the costumes were striking in their brilliance.

The children learn the dances at an early age.

Grace was evident in all the gestures.

My hairy arms always bring about curiosity.

A student here for the last seven summers. I have seen him grow up. He is now a junior in high school.

Way too funny.

These are all Joseph Tien's catechism students.

Cuteness knows no boundaries.

The woman with the black hat just loved it when the bishop spoke. As you can see, the elderly are held in high esteem and always sit in the front, women on one side, men on the other.

Some of the altar boys after mass.

Yes, that's a goat. He was given to the bishop as a gift. This is the most humane way to secure him for the trip back to Phat Diem so he doesn't hurt himself. As soon as we got back he was untied. He is going to be for the next diocesan feast. Since the last goat he got was called Dinner, this one is going to be called Lunch.

Soccer Before Dinner

5:00-6:00 in the afternoons is sports time, and that means the guys are on the soccer field. Lots of fun, everyone cheers for everyone else, but some mean soccer is played.

 It takes a village to inflate a soccer ball.

 Preparing for the ball.

 Way too many people converging.

 Oh, and Tuyen with the hula hoop.

Mass and Lunch with All the Seminarians

To celebrate the end of the Year of Faith begun by Pope Benedict, Bishop Joseph, Bishop of  Phat Diem, decided all of them should get together at the minor seminary here. There are now 170 men, from those beginning study to those who are about to be ordained. That is just for this diocese alone. Here are a few pictures of that gathering. So many of them were, and are, my students. So proud  to be with them.

 First was a pep talk and lecture from the bishop.

 I had a chance to see Mr. Dao. He about runs things around here. Mr. Dao used to work at the  bishop's house but now is at the Minor Seminary.

 Rows of food that was delicious (and, darn it, good for me).

 Joseph Tien, my first student, now at the Major Seminary in Hanoi.

 Just guys doing what we do best, nothing. Except for Mr. Hieu who was announcing a soccer goal.

Mass was beautiful, and there were twelve priests concelebrating with the bishop. The music was wonderful and the singing was...well...very loud, just the way it should be.

Coffee in the Morning

It's back to the morning coffee club. Good to be with my three friends at 5:50 again. Seven years in a row and we haven't missed a day. In the middle of our talk, Fr. Bo came in with a pound of fresh coffee. It's going to be a good month. From the left: Mr. Hieu, Mr. Thien, and Mr. The. Now to get Mr. Hieu to smile...

The Adventure Begins Again...Twice

A funny thing happened on the way to Phat Diem. Unbeknownst to me, my travel agent sent me to Saigon instead of Hanoi, only about 1,000 miles out of my way. What to do? Don't worry. I emailed Fr. Peter, who had students at the Phat Diem Diocesan House of Studies pick me up, let me get some sleep, and then showed me around Saigon until my plane arrived.

Here are some pictures of Ngoc, Ha, and Phuong (who got my ticket up to Hanoi), along with Ha's sister. We had the best time, which only proves that God writes straight with crooked line, as the old saying goes.

This is the House of Studies for the Diocese of Phat Diem which is located in Saigon. Some students are sent here because of the reputation for English learning at the universities. Here the students live while completing their bachelor degrees. They have prayer and mass together along with meals. They are over 1,000 miles away from family, so they miss home tremendously.

This is the garden next to the chapel. It is beautiful. There are many birds here, a perfect place to sit and study.

These are my two saviors, Ngoc and Phuong, my hosts while in Saigon.

After breakfast of pho (the BEST), we went for coffee. We took it iced because of the weather. So good.

On the grounds of the House of Studies is a cemetery of the sisters and priests who had to leave the North when the communists took over. They were never allowed to return and died in the South.

This is Notre Dame cathedral in Saigon. It was built in 1880. As you can see, traffic goes around the cathedral. The front of the church is a popular place for wedding pictures.

Ngoc and Ha stand with me in the church nave. The ceilings are very high and it makes for a cool place in the hot summer sun. The architecture is very French, a style that is copied in most of Vietnam. Except, of course, in Phat Diem.

Ngoc, Gary, and Ha...
The Three Amigos in front of the Saigon Post Office.

 Inside the Saigon Post Office, looking at the painting of Uncle Ho, as he is affectionately called by the Vietnamese. The building was constructed by the French in the Belle Artes tradition. All iron, wood, and tile.

We visited the famous Ben Thanh market. It is huge with lots of vendors. What caught my eye was the candy made in the shape of little rocks. They reminded me of the candy rocks we used to get on vacation in the Thousand Island of New York each summer.

 On the way back to the House of Studies to pick up my luggage, we went by the Audi dealership. I thought long and hard about getting one, but the shipping would have eaten through my inheritance.

The view from my window on the way from Saigon to Hanoi. There were thunder clouds over both cities, so the way up and down were a little bumpy. Even though my reservations were through Vietnam Airlines, the plane said "Cambodian Airlines" and the pilot introduced himself as Captain Pedro. Hmm...a very international flight.

Oh, and one final thing. Here is a video of going through an intersection in Saigon on a motorbike. Not for the feint of heart.