What startled me the most when I passed the cathedral in Phat Diem was all the new construction - or deconstruction! Where there were walls and fences, there was now open lawn.
You can see there is a feeling of openness and welcome to the grounds. This is the soccer field, now with the rocks gone and grass growing. No more parking for tour buses here.
The meditation garden with its stone path is now open to be seen. While the ground cover and grass is still young, by the end of the summer it should all be a deep green.
The view of Mary's Garden from the Traditional House (the diocesan museum) affords an open view to the rear of the cathedral.
Looking from Mary's Garden to the Traditional House.
This is the main residence and offices. Before, there were no bonsai on large pedestals. The new, white concrete held two large ficus bushes, topiaries pruned like dragons facing each other. They are gone from there but have moved...
...to the entrance of the Traditional House. I don't know how in the world it was done. Each is made up of four ficus bushes. Also, the fence around the building has been taken down.
Here is Nam Vu working his keyboard. Now entering 8th grade, he is quite the conversationalist. It's hard to believe that I have kn...