Ho Chi Minh City – A metropolis in constant transformation, Vietnam’s economic centre and a destination for millions of people from every part of the country. It is in this context that the Catholic Church of Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, carries out its pastoral mission, facing daily challenges posed by mobility, employment, family and social change. “Saigon is the economic centre of the country and attracts many migrants from all over Vietnam: they come to study or to work,” Msgr. John Baptist Nguyen Quang Tuyen, Auxiliary Bishop of Ho Chi Minh City, told Fides.
According to the Bishop’s estimates, the city has a population of around 8 million, in addition to approximately 7 million people who have moved there, either permanently or temporarily, for study or work. Internal migration has characterized Vietnam’s large southern metropolitan area for decades. Ho Chi Minh City and the surrounding industrial provinces have become major destinations for Vietnamese migrants, with significant consequences for the life of Catholic communities.
In a city marked by such extensive mobility, the ecclesial community seeks not to leave those arriving from other provinces on the margins. “The Church looks after migrants who come to study or work. We organize monthly meetings for them,” explains Msgr. Nguyen Quang Tuyen. Many young people arrive in the city alone, far from their families and their parish communities of origin. They find an important point of reference in parish communities. “These migrants have deep faith, they thirst for relationships and community life, and they attend church regularly,” the Bishop observes. The parish therefore remains one of the fundamental places of welcome and integration. “The parish is still the beating heart of the community, and they feel that,” he stresses.
The dynamism of ecclesial life is also reflected in participation in the liturgy. “In Vietnam,” the Bishop notes, “there is no distinction between ‘believers’ and ‘practising believers’. We do not speak of the percentage of baptized people who attend Mass on Sundays. The baptized, as such, participate in the Sunday Eucharist as the source and nourishment of their lives.” In some parishes of the Archdiocese, such as the one entrusted to the Redemptorists, he says, “there are as many as ten Masses on the Lord’s Day”, precisely to meet the needs of the faithful. “The Church ensures that the Eucharist is available to the faithful, and at every Mass the church is always full,” he observes.
The Archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh City is one of Vietnam’s largest Catholic communities. Church figures indicate more than 700,000 Catholics and 205 parishes, making it the country’s second-largest diocese, in a country where, according to figures from the Vietnamese Bishops’ Conference, there are approximately 7.5 million Catholics in total, representing around 7.4 per cent of the national population of approximately 101 million.
The city’s imposing and rapid urban growth also brings new vulnerabilities. Among the issues the Bishop follows directly is the situation of families. Bishop Nguyen Quang Tuyen is responsible for Family Pastoral Ministry and Basic Ecclesial Communities. “One of the challenges we see in Vietnam,” he notes, “is easy divorce.
Young people in particular have few reservations about it and, at the first obstacles in married life, they seek a divorce and obtain it within six months,” he says. Beyond the procedures, the problem concerns the concrete circumstances in which many families live today: “The difficulties of life, working hours, relationships with children.” Added to this is the impact of digital culture. “Social media and devices such as mobile phones and tablets mean that families no longer spend as much time together. Young people grow up being educated by the culture conveyed through digital media.” In response to these changes, pastoral ministry seeks to help families strengthen “relationships within the family, both human and spiritual”.
The response is concrete. “Weekends are organized around sharing, discussion and prayer,” together with a program of preparation for, and support for married life. The aim, the Bishop explains, is to accompany couples not only in their preparation for the Sacrament, but also in building family relationships capable of facing the difficulties of everyday life. “Not alone, but with Christ who gives his grace: this is the first and true source of support,” he notes.
The Church’s educational commitment also continues through catechetical programs for children, young people, families and adults. “Our educational work continues within the church, with catechesis and meetings held on Sundays or on weekdays,” he reports. The Archdiocese, like the Church throughout Vietnam, does not have Catholic schools, which are not permitted by law. The parish therefore assumes an even more important role in transmitting the faith, educating the younger generations and accompanying families. Alongside the parishes, religious congregations also play an important role. Many have houses of formation and study in Ho Chi Minh City. “The city is therefore also a major centre of Vietnamese religious life, and its benefits are felt at every level,” he notes.
The social dimension is not separate from the pastoral one. According to figures released by the Archdiocese, the city’s Catholics have long been involved in charitable and social activities, supporting migrants and the most vulnerable groups. Assistance to migrants and participation in parish charitable activities are “significant elements of the life of the local Church”, the Bishop notes. In the great city, the Church seeks to live out its pastoral mission by focusing on people’s concrete needs and on relations with the civil authorities. “In cities like Saigon, this relationship is easier; there is a modus vivendi,” observes Msgr. Nguyen Quang Tuyen. In his view, the situation may be different in rural and remote areas, where “relations in the villages are more difficult”, with greater control and occasional tensions also linked to the caution of local officials.
Despite social transformations and difficulties, the Bishop observes a faith deeply rooted in daily life. “We see that faith is alive: despite the difficulties, families pray in the evening and go to church together; they carry out works of charity.” For Bishop Nguyen Quang Tuyen, this is the challenge facing the Church in Vietnam’s great metropolis: not merely to preserve a deeply rooted religious tradition, but to accompany people through the rapid changes in society, welcoming those who arrive, supporting families, educating young people and maintaining the parish as a place of encounter, prayer and solidarity. In a city where millions of people move in search of work, education or new opportunities, the Church seeks to be a community capable of welcoming and integrating, drawing close to others and continuing to share what it holds most precious: the Gospel.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.