The Buildings at Night

Open doors at night bring about beautiful pictures. I spent a few minutes exploring the open buildings and found that there is a certain mystery that light brings in the dark...it welcomes us inside.

Looking into the Reception Room. There was a woman waiting to see Fr. Peter.

One of the two major buildings where students and visitors stay. The foyer opens up here directly into the room where the high school students are preparing for their university entrance examinations to be held in one week in Hanoi.

A view of the chapel with one seminarian meditating. The light, both the direct light from the bulb and the wash of light on the porch, give a depth to the image.

The chapel from the right side.










The chapel with the sisters on the left and the seminarians on the right singing evening prayer.

A view of the building where I stay.

Putting the Tree Back Up

During the typhoon three days ago, one of the oldest trees on the grounds fell over. The roots didn't seem to go very deep and it broke clean. The seminarians decided they wanted to save it, so today they made the effort. With lots of muscle power, lots of grunting and yelling, and  some strong rope, they made it right again. (Videos of the event are at the end of the post.)

This is the tree the morning after it fell.

The ropes used to upright the tree now become the means of securing it.

Perhaps the tree is dying, but that doesn't mean that we can't try to save it.

The ropes had to be brought into the lawn of the garden on the other side of the fence.

Ling, in the blue shirt holding on to the tree, acted as foreman and did a great job.

Obviously, there were some doubters in the crowd.

It took all the manpower to put the tree vertical again.

And now to secure the ropes.

Party for Van

Monday was the Feast of the Birthday of St. John the Baptist, according to the Church calendar. The only person in all of the people who are at the cathedral who has St. John as his patron saint is Van. And that, of course, means that he gets a party.

Joseph Thien and I walked a few blocks to one of the few local bakeries. There is a young couple who make cakes and they have three boys. These boys are his and the girls are from the neighborhood. Talk about energy!

While his wife decorated the cake, the husband played with his youngest son. The little boy actually waved as us and smiled.

When the cake was ready, he showed it to us. Talk about an artistic job. Quite a sight.

The kids said goodbye to Joseph and I, literally jumping up and down. We walked a long way before they stopped following us.

When we got back, Quan called everyone to come to Van's room and surprise him, and surprised he was. This is Van proudly showed off his delicious double-layered cake for the camera.

Van and I. He is a student who works hard on his studies and in helping in the kitchen and on the grounds.

 They always make me mug for the camera. Honestly, it's not my fault.

 Quan and Joseph hanging out with the jug of rice wine, the tradition at parties.

It was late, but everyone still had energy for the party. Notice how quickly the cake is going.

 The entire cake, gone, in under six minutes. I think that's because Quyen was with us.

Someone sneaked off with the camera and took this picture of Pope Francis giving his regards to Van on this special day. Congratulations, Van.

Visiting Joseph Thien's Parents

Each year, I get a chance to visit Joseph Thien's parents. They live close to the cathedral, only about a 10 minute motorbike ride.

The is the old house, the one that Joseph's father first built. It is of traditional design, even down to the professionally thatched roof. The beams inside are beautifully carved and the stone for the front steps are hand chiseled. The house itself is worth a great deal of money.

 Joseph's father buys duck eggs then incubates them until they are the right age for boiling and then eating. This vendor brings the eggs just after they are laid and then collects them ready to sell. He's packing dozens into a basket that sits on top the back wheel of his motorbike. Talk about a balancing job!

Most everyone with room on their property has chickens and a rooster. Joseph's parents are no exception.

Here is Joseph's father, Joseph's nephew, and Joseph. The entire landscape of the grounds was done by his father. That is a statue of Mary behind them.

On the left, Joseph's sister-in-law, his mother, nephew, father, and Joseph.

And finally me with the family. The first time I visited here the first time I was in Vietnam, 2007. It is my pleasure and honor to meet each year with these good friends. I am blessed to know them.

Visiting Can's House

It was pouring outside, but nothing could stop us from visiting Can's house for lunch. Luckily, we got a ride from Quyen who was taking Fr. John a lift. When we got there, the party started.

 Here is Can after we first got there, calling to make sure that everyone could make it. On the table is some great iced tea. Even though it was cool because of the rain, the humidity was high, so the ice felt good.

Van especially had a good time. In no time, the house was full of people.

Mr. Dao came, one of the fixtures of the cathedral staff. He cut his foot two weeks ago and now healing well. He's one guy who never misses a party.

This is the food set up. Notice that there is rarely enough room on a Vietnamese table to put your own plates because of the sheer amount of food served. It typically takes us at least an hour to eat.

While sitting at the table, I looked up and took a picture of Can's room, the loft. Notice the traditional roof of wood slats placed on bamboo poles. The floors and walls are all cement to withstand the heat, humidity, and rain.

In the middle of Quyen, always looking cool wherever he goes. He is now a driver for the diocese and gets to travel almost every day.

A long shot of the table. Looking up at the right is Can's uncle who lives next door. He brought some homemade wine that was very strong.

This is a new dish to me, beans and chicken livers. I loved it. There seemed to be a new spice used that I have not tasted before. Each day is a new culinary experience.

Can, me, and Can's mother just before we left. She is a single mom and raised her two sons well, a mother to be proud of.

I had to ride a motorbike back, so Can lent me his rain suit. It is so well made that not a drop got on my shirt or pants. I need one of these for my daily walk when it rains. It was a fun way to end a great day with friends.

Visiting Cuc Phuong National Park - Part 1

Within a few hours from Phat Diem is Cu Phuong National Park. It was formed in 1962 by Ho Chi Minh. Consisting of two whole mountain ranges, we got a chance to walk for, oh, I don't know, may a few thousand miles. At least it felt like it. And such a story.

We waited a long time for the bus to come to pick us  up. That's Fr. Bo on the left. He just came back from saying mass for the sisters. Fr. Vong waits expectantly with phone in hand and a Thailand cap on his head.

Apparently it was "Wear Your Hat in a Funny Way Day" and I missed the memo.

The bus finally came and we got everything loaded.

A picture of my fee, with Fr. Vong looking cool in his Ray Bans and Mr. Hieu checking directions with the driver.

Just a picture of me trying to take a picture with the sisters on a very bumpy part of the road.

When we got to Cuc Phuong, we were greeted by a flurry of butterflies that The loved to play with.

Visiting Cuc Phuong National Park - Part 2

Within a few hours from Phat Diem is Cu Phuong National Park. It was formed in 1962 by Ho Chi Minh. Consisting of two whole mountain ranges, we got a chance to walk for, oh, I don't know, may a few thousand miles. At least it felt like it. And such a story.

Then came the walk. The trails are mostly paved with flat rocks and cement. Once under the canopy of the trees, the temperature dropped markedly, but the humidity seemed to rise. While too high to be considered a rainforest, it is definitely a wet place to be.

Then we came upon a whole lotta nope. The spider was lying in wait for someone big like me. It's size was about as big as my hand. We also saw a blue crab about six inches across that walked across the path.

The springs coming down from the mountains are very shallow and, while having muddy bottoms, are clear. The sound they make is very subtle and soothing.

We were told to stay on the trail because this is a wildlife sanctuary and it is against the law to hurt any of the animals or vegetation.

The canopy goes high up and the sun does not pierce down very far. We found few clearings, each of which were tiny because things grow quickly when there is sun.




It took us over an hour, but we finally got to the 1,000 year old tree. It is famous all over Vietnam and tourists come here to see it. We took lots of pictures and spent some time relaxing under its branches.

On the way back, we encountered a nest of wasps. Everyone says they were bees, but I think the little buggers were at least a foot across and could kill a person. Here you can see that The got stung on his face. The sisters crushed a local plant stem and applied it. Then, to seal it all in, they applied some Laughing Cow cheese. This is how he looked all day long. I  got stung, also, but not that badly.

We finally made it back to the bus. The whole walk took about  2 1/2 hours and I was exhausted from climbing up and down stairs. But it was all worth it. I will always remember the beauty of Cuc Phuong.

On the way  back, the guys wanted to stop at the local mall. The first floor consisted of eight clothing stores and the entire second floor was a huge supermarket. Sorry, I don't have more  pictures of the place.