By Fr. Peter Van Chinh SDB
HCM city, Vietnam, December 5, 2015 - At 10 AM last Satuday, the mass in honour of the Blessed Rinaldi was celebrated solemnly at the hall of the Rinaldi formation house in Thu Duc district, HCM city. To the annual tradition of the community, the ministries of Lector and Acolyte were conferred to the students of the 2nd and 3rd year of theology. By this time, there was also the ceremony of receiving the religious habits of the 1st year students.
Present at the mass were the Provincial of VietNam province, Fr. Joseph Nguyen Van Quang, the Councillors and Rectors in Saigon, some priests of Rogationist, a number of sisters of Mary Help of Christians, of Dominicans, of the Lady of Missions…, the parents and relatives of the students. A mixed choir of the salesian aspirants, Dominican prenovices and sisters conducted by Fr. Joachim Nguyen Thanh Tung SDB, was in charge of the liturgical animation.
At the beginning of the mass, Fr. Provincial Joseph congratulated the Rinaldi formation house on the occasion of the feastday of Blessed Rinaldi, and asked the whole congregation to pray God to the candidates for the ministries of Lector and Acolyte, and also to the clerics who are given the religious habits.
In the homily, the provincial concentrated on 2 points: (1) Putting on oneself the Lord Jesus Christ as the Blessed Rinaldi did, because Salesians belonged to Jesus; (2) Being faithful disciples of Jesus and of Don Bosco in fulfilling the salesian charism, expressing the love of the Good Shepherd to the young, especially those in most need as Don Bosco did.
After the homily was the ceremony of receiving the religious habits of the 1st year students, and of conferring the ministries of Lector and Acolyte to the 2nd year and 3rd year students. Among the 1st year students, there are two ethnic K’long clerics. Those are the results of the pastoral missionary services of the salesians in Viet Nam since 1975.
Those who received the religious habits:
- Cl. Joseph Bui Anh Dung
- Cl. Bosco Vu Tien Dung
- Cl. Martin Pham Duc Huy
- Cl. Vianey K’Du
- Cl. Joseph Trinh Quoc Khanh
- Cl. Peter K’Phat
- Cl. Joseph Do Phuc Thien
- Cl. JB. Do Van Tien
- Cl. Francis Xavier Tran Quoc Tuan
Candidates for the Lector:
- Cl. August Nguyen Khanh Hung
- Cl. Savio Nguyen Huy Khiem
- Cl. Paul Nguyen Toan Khoa
- Cl. Joseph Tran Van Nghia
- Cl. Peter Nguyen Ba Quynh
- Cl. Joseph Pham Van The
- Cl. Joseph Nguyen Van Toan
- Cl. Joseph Nguyen Vu Thanh Xuan
Candidates for the Acolyte:
- Cl. Joseph Phan Trung Hoan
- Cl. Peter Truong Van Hoan
- Cl. Savio Dinh Phung Linh
- Cl. Peter Nguyen Ngoc Luong
- Cl. JB. Hoang Minh Thanh
- Cl. John Paul Tran Anh Tien
- Cl. Peter Le Van Trung
At the end of the mass, the last words of the provincial for the clerics who received the religious habits and the ministries of Lector and Acolyte: “Trying to become Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, in fulfilling the salesian mission to the today youth, especially the poorest and abandoned ones”.
