By Marco Ceccarelli
“The old saying will always be true: ‘Where there are religious, there is joy!’,” stated Pope Francis in his Apostolic Letter to All Consecrated People, just before declaring 2015 the Year of Consecrated Life.
If there is a group within the Archdiocese of Perth that took Pope Francis at his word, it is the Vietnamese Catholic Community, whose celebration marking the approaching end of the Year of Consecrated life was last month a resounding success.
More than 1,400 people attended the momentous occasion on 15 November, with multiple rows of chairs needing to be placed outside the Community Centre in Westminster to accommodate the overwhelming number of attendees.
Among the special guests were Mgr Kevin Long and the seminarians of Perth’s St Charles’ Seminary, as well as Sister Patricia Byrne from Our Lady of The Missions, who has worked in the Archdiocese and ministered to the Vietnamese Catholic community for more than 31 years.
The day began with a procession around the grounds of the Community which saw the relic of a Vietnamese martyr carried on a platform while hundreds followed suit. The relic represents the 118 Vietnamese martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the survival of the Vietnamese Church in the world.
The procession was then followed by a Mass celebrated by Chaplain of the Vietnamese Community, Fr Mong Huynh, and concelebrated by 11 priests. Before the final blessing, gifts and flowers were offered to the priests, seminarians and nuns in attendance, with 54 religious receiving a special mention on this special celebration of consecrated life.
“The reason why we celebrated the approaching end of the Year of Consecrated Life is to respond to Pope Francis’ request for everyone to remember this special year. We also wanted to show our support to the many Vietnamese, and non-Vietnamese, priests and religious who undertake remarkable work within the Archdiocese,” said Mr Minh Le, President of the Vietnamese Catholic Community.
The already festive atmosphere of the event was only improved by the entertainment section of the event, which took centre stage after the Mass.
Four choirs, three of which had sung during the Mass, put on a mesmerising musical show in which old and young joined forces to present religious musical renditions. One of the songs featured was Receive the Power – a Gospel song chosen as the official anthem for the 2008 Sydney World Youth Day.
Drama plays, which represented the beauty of religious life, were also staged, much to the entertainment of adults and to the interest of the youth present.
“One of our aims was to show our young people what religious life is about. We wanted to stimulate their curiosity and show that religious life is beautiful, it is a life full of fun, devotion and rewards.
“Consecrated life is highly valued in Vietnamese families, so why not encourage the younger generation to become interested? We must educate our new generations to the beauty of religious life. The mainstream media, unfortunately, does not draw attention to this at all. “There is so much that our religious do, not only for the Church, but for society at large, that merits more attention,” he added.
Dwelling on the time in which he, like many Vietnamese migrants, first arrived to Australia with nothing but the clothes on his back, Mr Le made special mention of Sr Patricia Byrne and her invaluable services to those who escaped Communism after the Vietnam War.
Sister Byrne provided crucial social and advisory services to newly arrived Vietnamese migrants, often ensuring that they satisfied their settlement requirements in administration, health, education and social needs. She also fervently assisted Perth’s Catholic Migrant Centre in helping people sponsor Vietnamese families or relatives from refugee camps.
“We were delighted to honour Sr Patricia Byrne for her 31 years of service. She is a testament to the endurance of the Vietnamese community which initially had many difficulties resettling into Australian society.
“Many of us had not planned on escaping Vietnam. When the communists took over North Vietnam in 1954, some people tried to escape to the South. But, after the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975, we had no other choice than to escape by boat, risking our lives for our physical and religious freedom.”
After accepting gifts and flowers, Sr Byrne reserved a few heartfelt words to a community so close to her heart.
“To have come to know you so closely, it’s has been for me a very precious experience. I can surely say that these 31 years have been the happiest years of my life. With my love and respect, you have always had a very special place in my prayers. Indeed, you are family to me, and I cherish this relationship,” Sr Byrne concluded.
The Year of Consecrated Life began on 30 November 2014 and will conclude on 2 February 2016.
To find out more about the Vietnamese Catholic Community, visit www.vietcatholicperth.org.