Peace and joy in Phuong

(Baonghean) - We arrived in Thanh Giang commune (Thanh Chuong district) when the parishioners of Van Thanh parish were excitedly preparing for Christmas. Children were enthusiastically practicing singing and dancing, while adults were busy decorating... The atmosphere of welcoming Christmas among the parishioners was warm and peaceful...

The Van Thanh parish currently has 127 households and 665 inhabitants, living interspersed with non-Catholic residents in 6 hamlets. What we clearly feel in the Van Thanh parish is the unity and harmonious feelings of the people, demonstrated by the collaboration between the local government and the parish council in harmonizing both "reverence for God" and "love for the country." Mr. Dinh Van Doai – a parishioner in Bien Quan hamlet – believes: "Parishioners competing in patriotic movements and living the Gospel in the heart of the nation is also a way of showing reverence for God."

The parishioners of Van Thanh parish (Thanh Giang, Thanh Chuong) are preparing for Christmas.

Mr. Dinh Van Doai's family is a typical Catholic household participating in the livestock production and economic development movement. Two years ago, his family boldly bid for nearly 2 hectares to build a VAC (integrated farming system) farm model. On that 2 hectares of land, Mr. Doai invested in growing watermelons, cucumbers, clean vegetables, digging ponds to raise commercial fish, and raising buffalo and cattle... This year, his model is estimated to generate an income of over 300 million VND. In a conversation with us, Mr. Doai said that his success comes not only from his personal efforts but also from the encouragement and support of the government and the parish. Under the leadership of the Party committee, the government, the Fatherland Front, and various departments and organizations, the parish council and the villages have propagated and mobilized parishioners to unite and help each other develop the economy and apply scientific advancements to production.

Thanks to this, the Van Thanh parish has dozens of Catholic families who have successfully transformed their crop and livestock structures, investing in intensive cultivation of high-yield crops, such as the family of Mr. Dinh Van Nam in Binh Ngo hamlet, and the family of Mr. Le Nhung in Lam Dinh hamlet… Along with that, the people of Van Thanh parish have developed service industries, typical examples being the family of Mr. Nguyen Van Nhan in Ba Nghe hamlet with the construction materials trading business; Mr. Pham Xuan Bac in Lam Dinh hamlet with the carpentry business... Many households have boldly borrowed capital to send their children abroad for labor export to increase family income, such as Mr. Tran Van Long (Giang Thuy hamlet), Mr. Nguyen Xuan Son (Tieu Cau hamlet), Mr. Nguyen Van Kinh (Binh Ngo hamlet)... In addition, many well-off households help disadvantaged families by lending seeds and capital without interest, creating jobs to develop the economy together. As a result, the lives of the parishioners here are increasingly improving. While the parish had only 32 relatively wealthy households in 2007, by the end of 2013, that number had risen to over 67.

In their daily lives, the parishioners of Van Thanh Parish always prioritize building unity between Catholics and non-Catholics in practicing a cultured lifestyle in the residential area. Each person is conscious of fulfilling their rights and responsibilities as citizens, contributing hundreds of man-days and funds to the construction of community facilities, contributing to the national program for building new rural areas; actively participating in the development and implementation of village regulations and customs regarding weddings, funerals, and festivals, avoiding extravagant feasts and superstitious practices in religious activities; and all parishioner families actively participate in self-governing groups for security and environmental sanitation. In particular, in recent years, the parishioners have paid more attention to education.

To date, 100% of parishioners' children of school age attend school, and the percentage of students admitted to universities and colleges is increasing. Many families have children who achieve excellent academic results at various levels, such as the family of Mr. Hoang Nguyen in Bien Quan hamlet, whose child achieved excellent results at the provincial level, and the families of Mr. Le Toan Tung and Mr. Vo Quy Sy, whose children achieved excellent results at the district level. Every year, the parishioners of Van Thanh parish encourage their children of military age to undergo military conscription examinations, ensuring that the quota and number of recruits are met. The percentage of culturally exemplary families among the parishioners of Van Thanh is high, reaching over 87% in 2013, and 5 out of 6 hamlets have parishioners who have achieved the title of culturally exemplary village at the district level. 100% of parishioners have signed a commitment that their families will not violate the law or engage in social vices.

Through the annual review of the patriotic emulation movement "Living a Good Life and Upholding Moral Values" among Catholic parishioners, Van Thanh Parish has received numerous commendations and certificates of merit from higher authorities for its outstanding achievements in implementing the Party's policies and State laws. Mr. Tran Dinh Tho – Vice Chairman of the Thanh Giang Commune People's Committee – affirmed: “For many years, the Catholic parishioners of Van Thanh Parish have consistently maintained strong solidarity between Catholics and non-Catholics; security and order within the parishes have been maintained. The parishioners have made significant contributions to the community in building a peaceful and prosperous life. This is a solid foundation for the Party Committee and the government to lead the people in continuing to promote the construction of new rural areas, worthy of the revolutionary and cultural traditions of the locality.”

Minh Quan