Joy in the neighborhood

(Baonghean) - Fulfilling the moral principles of “Respect God, Love Country”, the Catholics we met in this article have known how to rise up, create a new life, and contribute to changing their homeland. Peace and safety, joy and freshness, those are the true feelings about the Catholic neighborhoods we passed by...

Seafarers in Trang Canh Parish

Located at the mouth of the Lam River, Xuan Duong hamlet, Nghi Xuan commune (Nghi Loc) of Trang Canh parish has 141 households with 667 people, of which more than 90% of the households are Catholic. We arrived right when the hamlet's boats were returning. Having just finished a long trip on the sea of ​​Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Mr. Dau Anh Tho (63 years old) skillfully anchored the boat securely and then quickly rowed the basket boat back to shore with everyone.

Mr. Dau Anh Tho rowed his boat back to shore after a long voyage at sea.

With a gentle smile, he boasted: "This trip was not bad, earning 40 million VND, all thanks to the favorable weather." Then, right on the beach where boats were returning, he happily told us about his life as a soldier, and his 40 years at sea. At that time, following his two older brothers in the family, at the age of 18, Mr. Tho volunteered to join the army and was assigned to Unit 153 of the Nghe An Provincial Military Command to participate in the resistance war against the US. After 8 years, he returned to his hometown, bringing with him the enthusiasm of a soldier, the exemplary character of a party member, actively participating in activities, becoming the captain of the cooperative's fleet.

In Xuan Duong, Mr. Dau Anh Tho is not the only one who has served in the army. Most of the fishermen here have served in the army. After completing their duty to the country, they return to participate in production activities in their hometown. They are fishermen who are closely connected to the wind and waves, the sea, and work together in the cooperative's fleet.

Mr. Dau Anh Tho and his wife reconnect the fishing line to prepare for the day of going out to sea.

Among the men of Xuan Duong hamlet who had served in the army, I was quite impressed with Mr. Nguyen Thang Loi. Mr. Loi served in Cam Ranh, Naval Region 4, and was a soldier in Truong Sa. After 3 years of service, in 1991, he and his friends in the hamlet, Dang Van Loi, Dau Van Niem, Dang Van Thong, Dau Van Truong, and Dau Toan, returned to their hometown to actively participate in production with the fleet. After 24 years at sea, these fishermen have considered the sea as a friend, sharing the hardships and difficulties on the trips.

For generations, the people of Xuan Duong have been attached to the sea. Generation after generation, the men of Xuan Duong hamlet, after their military service, return to the village to go to sea. For example, Mr. Dau Anh Tho's son, Dau Anh Tuan (34 years old), after being discharged from Truong Sa in 1998, he went abroad to work for a while, then returned to follow his father in the fishing business.

Fishermen in Xuan Duong hamlet mainly catch export fish such as mackerel, grouper, snapper, squid, etc. Although the quantity of fish is small, it brings high value and is easy to transport and consume. After each return trip, the ships choose Cua Hoi fishing port as the place to sell to traders from far away.

Not only offshore fishing activities, Xuan Duong hamlet also develops other forms of services related to fishing such as opening cold storage to process fish, small traders buying fish to sell at other markets...

Mr. Tho said: "The reason all the ships are returning at the same time is because the upcoming weather will not be favorable, moreover, Christmas is coming, everyone is preparing for the holiday to be full and prosperous, and on this occasion the district will organize a meeting for Catholic party members and give gifts."

Mr. Dau Hong Ky (Veterans Association, Party Cell Secretary of Xuan Duong Hamlet), who has just returned from a long trip at sea, said: “Currently, the hamlet has a total of 13 party members, 47 of whom have participated in military service. Regarding fishing production, the hamlet has 4 ships and 6 boats with more than 50 people participating in offshore labor.”

Leaving the village when the sun was just beginning to rise, looking from Trang Canh Parish, the ships with the national flag flying on their roofs looked so proud. That's right, in addition to making a living, each ship at sea is a milestone contributing to protecting the sovereignty of the sea and islands of the Fatherland. That is the sacred support for Xuan Duong fishermen to continue to stick to the sea and go out to sea.

Changes in Mo Vinh Parish

Saying goodbye to Xuan Duong, we headed to Mo Vinh Parish (Thanh Chuong). Mo Vinh Parish has nearly 450 households, more than 2,800 people, including 3 parishes: Mo Vinh, Ban Thach (in Thanh Khe commune) and Ngoc Lam (in Thanh An commune). You can feel the fresh rural picture when traveling on Mo Vinh Parish.

A family of parishioners in Mo Vinh Parish.

We visited the family of Mr. Nguyen Van Thang (in Hamlet 7, Thanh Khe Commune) - one of the typical families overcoming difficulties in the parish. A few years ago, the family lived in a makeshift thatched house, and for many years enjoyed the poor household policy, but this year he himself removed his name from the list of poor households.

He said that he had to have the mindset of escaping poverty, then apply it, be creative and be active in doing business. After his children finished school, he sent some to work abroad, and others to learn carpentry. Thanks to the diligence and resourcefulness of him and all family members, the economy has improved. Now, he has built a spacious house, a reasonable livestock area, and bought many expensive furniture and household appliances. He said that this year we will surely have a happier Christmas than any other year.

In Mo Vinh, each parish, depending on its residential location, tradition, etc., has its own "strengths". Ban Thach parish, in the two resistance wars against the French and the Americans, had 8 martyrs who died for the country, is famous for its carpentry with products such as churches, household carpentry, etc. 15 households are attached to the carpentry profession, opening workshops at home, investing in many tools and machines, meeting all tastes and needs, bringing in a good income every year, in which many households have generations working together.

Children in Mo Vinh Parish are excited about Christmas.

In addition to carpentry, many households that are sensitive to the market have continuously expanded their services, such as Mr. Bui The Ky's household, which has just opened a non-fired brick factory and bought a truck to transport for his family and for hire; Mr. Ngo Viet Cap's household both does carpentry and drives a taxi... In agricultural production, Ms. Vo Thi Duc's household has boldly invested 200 million to build a pig farm, annually selling hundreds of pigs for meat, in addition to a 5-acre vegetable garden with all kinds of vegetables, which last year also brought in a total income of hundreds of millions of dong.

Ngoc Lam parish in Thanh An commune has many potentials and advantages in forestry land. The parish has 116 households, of which 80 households have forest gardens from 1 to 10 hectares, including 1 to 2 hectares of tea, giving an average annual income from afforestation and mixed livestock farming, about 100 million VND/household. A typical household is Mr. Hoang Van Minh, whose income from tea and oranges is hundreds of millions of VND per year, in addition to having many buffaloes and cows.

Mr. Nguyen Van Dien's family is good at raising pigs, selling about 6 tons of pigs each year, earning about 250 million VND. In addition, many families maintain their handicrafts, producing vermicelli and cakes, to create jobs and regular income for their families, such as Mr. Nguyen Huu Huynh and Mr. Nguyen Van Dong.

In the movement to build a new rural area, people in the parish actively participate, willing to donate garden land, agricultural land, cut down trees, dismantle fences to upgrade and expand rural roads. Typical examples are the households of Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hoa, Mr. Ho Sy Dieu (Thanh An commune)... To solve employment, in recent years, the labor export movement in the parish has been promoted, currently there are about 70 households with children working abroad, many of which have 2 to 3 children.

Life has gradually improved, so the parish has also taken care of education, the movement to encourage learning and talent has been focused on, the number of excellent students at all levels, students passing university entrance exams has been constantly increasing, Ngoc Lam parish alone currently has 22 students studying at universities. Some families have 2 to 3 children who have entered university such as Mr. Ho Sy Luan (Thanh Khe commune), Tran Van Hanh (Thanh An commune).

Every year, at the end of the high school year and the catechism year, excellent students who pass the university and college entrance exams are praised and given gifts by the parish. Humanitarian and charitable activities in the community are promoted, charity associations are established, donations are collected, funds are raised, to visit the sick and the ill, and to help families in difficult circumstances.

Mr. Ngo Tri Lich - Vice Chairman of the Pastoral Council of Mo Vinh Parish said: "Although there are still many difficulties in economic construction and development, especially in terms of transportation, the parishioners have well implemented the policy of solidarity between Catholics and non-Catholics, living a good life and a good religion, striving step by step to have new achievements every year". Christmas is approaching for the parishioners, everywhere in the parish, people are brightly decorating with lights, flowers, pine trees, and mangers, waiting for a peaceful and fulfilling Christmas season.

Vuong Van - Huy Thu