Mary Nguyen Thi Phuong Lan (Nguyen)

Horizons - Lent is an opportunity for us to have a close relationship with those living in poverty, to understand their difficulties and be willing to share with them — because they are the special image of God.

No matter what job they do or where they are, Vietnamese people look forward to reuniting with their families in these three days of Tet.

Our Dominican community is trying to live the spirit of Advent, preparing our hearts to welcome the coming of Christ of the world by going to meet the poor workers in the neighborhood where they live.

Since 2016, a water purification system from the Conrad H. Hilton Fund for Sisters has supplied filtered water for about 300 Catholic and non-Catholic citizens in one parish in the Can Tho Diocese in Vietnam.

Horizons – In the Diocese of Can Tho, Sisters of the Lovers of the Cross help those in poverty, such as older adults and children who cannot afford school. They provide gifts and have opened a free children's class.

Offering flowers to Our Lady is a beautiful and meaningful gesture to honor the Mother of God, the mother of the church and the mother of each of us.

War is always a horrible brutality, leaving painful consequences that are hard to describe. Vietnamese people sympathize and pray for the tragic situation that the country and the people of Ukraine are suffering.

Understanding the poverty of citizens in the Xuan Loc Diocese, Dominican Missionary sisters established a charity clinic in 2002; since then, the clinic has provided free care for those who cannot afford a hospital.

Vietnamese Assumption and Dominican sisters have housed, cared for and taught orphans in Ha Noi Parish of the Xuan Loc Diocese since 1991.

In spite of not seeing Dominican Missionary Sisters who died during the pandemic, our hearts have been with them constantly in common daily prayer, reciting rosaries and attending online funeral Masses.

In Vietnam, many are showing charity to those facing difficulties due to the pandemic. Small groups in parishes and large communities like dioceses, religious orders and charity organizations are working to serve those in need.

Understanding the implications of our era, some parishes in Vietnam — especially parish priests, chaplains, sisters and catechists — are really very concerned and interested in educating Vietnamese children of the parish in the faith and Scripture.

Friends for Street Children serves children in Vietnam who are homeless or in need. The program welcomes volunteers, and two volunteers from outside Vietnam deserve special recognition.

Every year in the Archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, the archdiocese's Caritas Department holds a Christmas Day festival for children who are in the care of sisters from various congregations.

The Catholic Church has spent the whole month of November asking everyone to pray for the souls of the deceased. This atmosphere of prayer is very visible and vivid in our parish cemetery.

Maria Thao, a Vietnamese laywoman with a paralyzed foot, believes she will be judged by how she serves others. She ministers intensely to those in need, and supports herself by selling her famous dried beef.

Training a grownup human being is not easy, and the formation of a religious woman is even more complicated. With God's grace, we try our best to create opportunities for young sisters to learn to be messengers of God.

In addition to experiencing Cambodians' rich cultural heritage, we were invited by Br. Joseph Nguyen Thanh Tung to visit a parish that offers classes for 72 poor Vietnamese children living in Cambodia.

In 1993, Binh Trieu was still a neighborhood of Sai Gon, sparsely populated and often flooded. Tran Van Soi, a founder of the Friends for Street Children program, chose the Binh Trieu Center to start classes for poor children. We Dominican sisters are still faithful to the spirit of the founder.