Salesian French visitors in Vietnam
Dong Thuan, Vietnam, 26 July 2017 -- Fr. Daniel Federspiel, SDB provincial of France- Southern Belgium with Salesian Brother Sebastien Robert (webmaster) are visiting in these days some Salesian settings and enjoying local culture and working youth in the Southern part of Vietnam.
Following the priestly ordination of one Vietnamese missionary in France on July 22nd, Fr. Daniel accompanied by the YM delegate, newly ordained Fr. Pier visited also our VTC in Dong Thuan and some factories of our graduates. Yesterday he ad a chance to visit a salted-duck-egg-company of Vân Anh Nguyễn in Cần Thơ. There are working thirty boarding students of Dong Thuan vocational training center during this summer.
The FRB (France-Southern Belgium) Province covers three countries: Belgium (part), France and Marocco (North Africa). At present there are 147 SDB in France, 4 SDB in Morocco and 38 SDB in Southern part of Belgium. During past 10 years the province was strengthen with arrival of some missionaries from French speaking African countries, Poland and Vietnam. Average age of the SDB is 71 years, there are only 8 Salesians in initial formation at present and only 53 confreres are below 65 years of age.
The first Salesian missionary, French Fr. Dupont was killed in 1945 in Hanoi at the age of 37 years. Among the 44 missionaries who reached Vietnam between 1952 and 1975 were other three French missionaries.
At present are 3 Vietnamese Salesian Priests - missionaries who belongs to the France-Southern Belgium province: Fr. Peter Luong, Fr. Peter Chien and Fr. Vincent Tuan. All of them arrived to France 10 years ago in 2007.
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