Then the procession began. Here is a video of the band. Every procession for each holy day has the local band play. After the band were the
Then came the sisters and the women elders of the parish. The beautiful traditional dresses they wear are called ao dai. Although you may think they are too much to wear in the hot and humid climate of Vietnam, they are, according to the women, cool and comfortable.
Next came final professed sisters, the ones who have dedicated their life to the Church and to helping others.
Then came the sisters who were going to profess their final vows, to become permanent sisters for life.
They were followed by the priests of the diocese. All the priests concelebrated the mass with the bishop.
At the end came Bishop Joseph from Phat Diem. Normally, the bishop of Thanh Hoa would have presided, but he was away in Rome.
Below is my one and only picture from my seat inside the cathedral. I'm afraid that sitting on the side gave me a poor view of the proceedings, but the music was wonderful and everyone enjoyed it.
