SCHERERVILLE – The bond of faith and family shown through vibrantly at the first liturgy for Vietnamese Catholics hosted by the Diocese of Gary.
At St. Michael the Archangel more than 200 Northwest Indiana residents of Vietnamese heritage gathered for Mass in their native language, celebrated with presider Society of the Divine Word Father Nhan Tran, on Oct. 6.
The worshippers filled the chapel and some sat in overflow areas in the nave of the church. Sponsored by the Office of Intercultural Ministries, participants saw the successful event as a sign of solidarity.
“I’m very happy and grateful that the priest was here and the church agreed to host,” said John Thai, who lives in the Northwest Indiana.
Among those gathered were longtime U.S. citizens such as Lucy Lekissane, of Lowell, who immigrated to America in the 1970s. Admired and referred to as “grandma” by the younger set, she responded to the call by diocesan officials to help bring together the group of Asian Catholics for Mass.
“I said, I can look for nuns and a priest to say Mass in Vietnamese,” she explained of her organizational efforts. “I was so emotional to see so many people at Mass.”
At the liturgy, besides an introduction in English and some universal words such as “Amen,” Vietnamese was spoken. That included the “Our Father” or “Kinh Lạy Cha,” the first two lines of which are: “Lạy Cha chúng con ở trên trời, chúng con nguyện danh Cha cả sáng, nước Cha trị đến, ý Cha thể hiện dưới đất cũng như trên trời.”
Nuns from the Sisters of the Lovers of the Holy Cross, based in Vietnam, Sister Hoa Bach and Sister Nga Nguyen, collaborated with Dominican Sister Khuyen Mai to sing the sweet melodies of hymns in their native tongue, such as “Hoa Mân Côi,” translated as “The Rosary.”
Vietnam native Father Tran resides in Techny, Ill. and is sought after for his multilingual skills. He immigrated to the U.S. in 1980 and was ordained in 2000.
“If I look back at the job I’ve had, I couldn’t have imagined how many blessings I have,” Father Tran said.
Catholicism grew when the French administered what was known as French Indochina. After the Vietnam War, when the U.S., South Vietnam and allies fought Communist forces to the north, many Vietnamese immigrated to America.
Father Tran said there is more tolerance for Christianity in today’s Vietnam. But as recently as 2000, when he visited his mother’s home as an ordained priest, he encountered some trouble. “The (government agents) tried to capture me, so I escaped at night in a small car with no lights.”
Claudia F. Sadowski, Ph.D., diocesan intercultural ministry coordinator, said the first of what may be many such gatherings is an important step.
“This is a reflection of who we are as a diocese and the different cultures that we have,” Sadowski said. “This is a beautiful expression. Having a Mass in their own language means everything to them.”
Caption: A larger than expected group of Catholics of Vietnamese background gathered for Mass in their native language, celebrated by presider Father Nhan Tran, SVD, on Sunday, Oct. 6 at St. Michael the Archangel in Schererville. The first event of its kind, sponsored by the Office of Intercultural Ministries, was seen as a hopeful sign of faithfulness among members of the Asian group residing in Northwest Indiana. (Anthony D. Alonzo photo)