Catholic people in Nghe An 'Live the Gospel in the heart of the nation'

Peaceful parish

Upon arriving at Hung Thinh Parish in Hung Nguyen commune, we were truly impressed by the straight, paved roads and rows of modern, multi-story buildings that evoked a prosperous and comfortable life.

Mr. Tran Van Tri, Chairman of the Pastoral Council of Hung Thinh Parish, said: “Not long ago, the People's Committee of Hung Nguyen commune, in coordination with the parish, launched the model of "Hung Thinh Catholic Village: Civilized, God-fearing, and patriotic." The parishioners are very excited, because this is the result of many years of striving in labor, production, and rural development.”

According to Mr. Tri, the policy of construction was implemented.new rural areasTo improve the situation, the local authorities are expanding and upgrading the inter-village road passing through Hung Thinh hamlet. The road, originally only 4 meters wide, has now been widened to 9 meters. To meet the standards, the only way was for families on both sides of the road to donate residential and garden land. The People's Committee of the commune, in coordination with the Pastoral Council of Hung Thinh Parish, has mobilized parishioners to donate land for the road construction.

After being persuaded about the common good, the villagers readily donated land, trees, and relocated sturdy fences to widen the road. As a result, the people of Hung Thinh hamlet donated nearly 2,000 square meters of land.²Land has contributed to changing the face of rural areas and beautifying villages.

Currently, Hung Thinh Parish has 440 households with over 1,700 inhabitants. The main source of income for the parishioners is agricultural production, primarily rice farming, and small-scale trading and service businesses. In recent years, the parishioners have boldly changed their crop structure, invested in suitable plant and animal varieties, and confidently applied scientific and technological advancements to production, resulting in increasingly higher yields and output.

Parishioner Nguyen Sy Thang from Hung Thinh hamlet said: "Along with caring for the spiritual and religious lives of the people, the Pastoral Council also coordinates with the village management board to encourage parishioners to actively develop production and business, promoting economic development and poverty reduction. Thanks to this, the lives of the people in the hamlet have improved, many households have become wealthy, and currently there is only one poor household left in the hamlet."

This Christmas, the joy of Hung Thinh Parish is multiplied, as the parish is honored to receive a Certificate of Commendation from the Provincial People's Committee for its outstanding achievements in the movement.patriotic emulationThey live virtuous and moral lives. Therefore, the people decorate the church, their homes, and the streets very early, organize rehearsals and cultural exchanges with the hope of welcoming the complete joy.

Similar to Hung Thinh Parish, Phu Xuan Parish in Quynh Tam commune was selected to build a "Peaceful Parish" model and has achieved significant results, bringing joy to the parishioners. The model focuses on: crime prevention, combating social evils, educating young people to live healthy lives, promoting community solidarity, and maintaining security and order in the village. The model also skillfully integrates Catholic moral values ​​with the nation's fine traditions, thereby forming a close-knit, supportive, and loving community.

“Parishioners have actively contributed to the construction of welfare facilities, voluntarily donating land and clearing the ground. As a result, 100% of the village roads have been concreted, two new cultural centers and two sports fields have been built, 15 roads have been marked with the Great Unity flag, and nearly 5 km of street lighting has been installed, with a total cost of over 500 million VND. To date, parishioners have contributed more than 2 billion VND to the construction of new rural areas, helping to change the face of our homeland,” said Mr. Tran Van Quang – Chairman of the Pastoral Council of Phu Xuan Parish.

Along with Hung Thinh and Phu Xuan parishes, many other parishes in the province were commended for their outstanding achievements in the patriotic emulation movement and for living a virtuous life, such as Ban Thach (Hoa Quan commune), Ben Den (Duc Chau commune), Dong Lam (Nhan Hoa commune), Lang Anh (Vinh Loc ward), etc.

Contributing to building our homeland

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Chinh, Permanent Vice Chairman of the Provincial Catholic Solidarity Committee, in recent years, many parishes in the province have promoted the spirit of solidarity and actively responded to patriotic emulation movements.CatholicThey have upheld the spirit of self-reliance and self-improvement, overcoming difficulties and boldly transforming the structure of crops and livestock to suit the climate and soil conditions of each region.

Many households have applied scientific and technological advancements to agricultural production, introducing new high-yield and high-quality plant and animal varieties; building large-scale model fields that yield outstanding income, with an average yield of over 65 quintals/hectare/year.

In addition, Catholic households have also promoted the development of production and business activities in the fields of forestry, fisheries, handicrafts, and commercial services. This movement has made a positive contribution to poverty reduction, while also increasing the percentage of well-off and wealthy households among the Catholic community.

Specifically, the percentage of well-off and wealthy households among the Catholic community increased from 41.2% in 2020 to 52.4% in 2024; meanwhile, the poverty rate decreased from 4.2% to 2.9%. Cultural, artistic, and sports activities are emphasized and gradually developed; the percentage of Catholic households achieving the title of "Culturally Advanced Family" is increasing.

Ms. Le Thi Tam, a parishioner of Dong Lam Parish (Nhan Hoa commune), shared: "In the last 10 years or so, thanks to the production of raw tea, acacia cultivation, and livestock development, the lives of my family and neighbors in the village and commune have improved in all aspects. We have the means to build spacious houses and acquire modern amenities. Roads have been widened, making travel more convenient, and the face of the village has changed and flourished."

The movement to jointly build new rural areas and civilized urban areas has been enthusiastically supported by priests, parish pastoral councils, and parishioners. In 2025, parishioners in the province donated 7,250 square meters of land.² land; demolition of 2,540m²² Building boundary walls, contributing 5,021 man-days of labor, donating over 5.2 billion VND, constructing 18 km of rural concrete roads… These achievements have contributed to making the appearance of our homeland, our region, and our clan increasingly more spacious, clean, and beautiful.

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The Catholic community in Nghe An has united in their efforts to successfully implement the 1980 Pastoral Letter and the annual pastoral programs of the Vietnamese Bishops' Conference. Through practical actions that are "beautiful in morality and lifestyle, beautiful in charity and love," the Catholics of Nghe An have built families following the moral example of the Holy Family, with exemplary grandparents and filial children; always showing love to everyone in their parish and community, contributing to the development of their homeland and country.

Mr. Nguyen Van Chinh – Standing Vice Chairman of the Committee for Catholic Solidarity of Nghe An Province