Catholic parishioners in Nghe An are striving to develop the economy and build a cultural life.
(Baonghean.vn)Previously, Tan An village (An Hoa commune, Quynh Luu district) was a predominantly Catholic hamlet, a poor fishing village on the Mai Giang River, with makeshift houses constantly threatened by natural disasters, and a perpetual state of poverty and hunger. However, over the past 10 years, life in Tan An village has changed rapidly. The villagers have boldly invested in building new, large boats capable of venturing far out to sea. Currently, the village has 35 large-capacity boats, each worth over 1 billion VND. The villagers have also actively borrowed capital to expand into many new occupations.
Besides traditional occupations like salt production and seafood processing, Tan An now has many occupations that didn't exist before, such as livestock and poultry farming, aquaculture, and logistics services for the maritime industry (ice, fuel, mechanical repair, etc.). Tan An village is a typical example of the efforts to build an economic and cultural life for the religious communities in Nghe An province.
Mr. Duong Ha Nam, head of Tan An village, said: To date, the village has achieved 100% tiled roofs, 90% of houses are solid structures, village roads and alleys are basically concreted, and notably, 100% of households have septic toilets. The outstanding feature of Tan An is the diligence, dynamism, and creativity of its people, coupled with a strong revolutionary spirit and close-knit solidarity in their lives. This is also the driving force behind building Tan An into a cultural village. In 2009, Tan An's seafood processing industry was recognized as a traditional craft village by the Provincial People's Committee. Also, in the past school year, all 8 students from the village passed the university and college entrance exams, and the number of students taking the entrance exams for high school, college, and university is increasing.
Regarding Nghi Loc, a district with a large Catholic population of over 9400 households and more than 44,000 people in 53 parishes and 17 religious communities: In just the last 5 years, the economic life of the Catholic community has steadily improved. Average per capita income increased from 4.7 million VND/person/year (2005) to 11.6 million VND/person/year (2010), a 244% increase; the number of well-off and wealthy households has more than tripled, and there are no longer any impoverished households or temporary thatched houses.
Many successful economic models have emerged among Catholic parishioners, such as the aquaculture model of Ms. Ha's family in Tan Lap parish, Nghi Quang; the integrated farming model (VAC) combined with civil carpentry of Mr. Quang's family in Nghi Thuan; the farm model of Mr. Tuan's family in Xuan My parish, Nghi Dong; the brick business model of Mr. Luong's family in Ngoc Su sub-parish, Nghi Trung; the broom-making model of Mr. Lac's family in Xuan Son sub-parish, Nghi Hung... generating incomes of 50-150 million VND per year. A highlight of the mutual economic support movement in Catholic areas in recent years is the restoration and development of traditional handicraft villages such as the rattan and bamboo weaving village in Lang Anh parish (Nghi Loc), the seafood processing village in Tan An parish (Quynh Luu), My Du parish (Hung Nguyen)... This speaks to the movement for economic development, poverty alleviation, and legitimate wealth creation in Catholic areas. For example, the economic development of farms among parishioners in Dien Chau is quite diverse. There are models such as the flower and ornamental plant farm of Mr. Nguyen Viet Cuong in Dong Thap parish, which generates over 100 million VND/year; and the farm of Mr. Le Xuan Bat in Phuc Thinh parish, which generates over 500 million VND/year. Integrated VAC (gardening, animal husbandry, and aquaculture) farms of parishioners Nguyen Hoan (Yen Ly parish), Nguyen Ngoc Le (Dang Cao parish), Vu Bao (Van Phan parish), Nguyen Van Dung, Ho Sy Cuong (Dong Thap parish), Pham Van Hao (Ben Den parish)... also generate over 100 million VND/year. Notably, the Dien Chau parish area has many facilities processing and trading scrap metal and steel billets, such as those owned by Mr. Chu Quang Hung, Trinh Thai Chau, and Tran Van Ngan (Dong Thap parish). Mr. Nguyen Van Son, Mr. Tran Van The, Mr. Nguyen Ba, Mr. Nguyen Van Long (Xuan Phong parish)... have incomes ranging from 100 million VND to 1 billion VND per year, employing 15-20 workers per establishment. The Yen Thanh parish, traditionally a purely agricultural area, has seen the emergence of many successful economic models. These include 244 farms in crop cultivation, 299 farms in livestock, 59 orchards and hillsides, 202 in trade and tourism, 11 limited liability companies, and 31 in other sectors, with an average income of 10.5 million VND per person per year. A prime example is Nui Dat parish (Long Thanh commune), which has 4 limited liability companies, 2 sawmills, 20 high-end carpentry workshops, and 2 ceramic tile factories...
As economic conditions improve, socio-cultural life also flourishes. Previously, the percentage of children from Catholic communities passing entrance exams to universities and colleges was very low, but now it's almost equal to that of other villages with a tradition of academic excellence. Many Catholic families have 4-5 children attending university, such as Mr. Truong Van Luc in Nghi Phuong, Mr. Nguyen Van Chuong in Xuan Kieu (Nghi Kieu), and Mr. Nguyen Van Tuat in Xuan Hoa parish... Health centers in Catholic communities throughout the province have been upgraded and are well-equipped, and 100% of policy beneficiaries and poor households receive health insurance coverage.
The arts and sports movement is developing increasingly vibrantly. Localities with large Catholic populations organize cultural performances and exchanges under the theme "The Voices of the Catholic Community," from the grassroots to the provincial level. Many exemplary religious leaders have emerged who have done good work in charity over the years, such as Father Nguyen Dang Dien in Nghi Dien, Nghi Loc, who campaigned to establish a center for orphaned and disabled children and donated hundreds of millions of dong; the center currently cares for 46 children...
The "National Unity for Building a Culturally Rich Life" movement in areas with religious communities has always received strong support from the Catholic Solidarity Committee, the Pastoral Council, and the leadership at all levels. Despite limited funding, the spirit of responsibility remains high. This is because when the movement to build a culturally rich life aligns with the doctrines of various religions and with the Catholic community, it is in line with the spirit of the Pastoral Letter of the Vietnamese Bishops' Conference.
Mai Ho Minh
