Feast of St. Maria De Mattias Celebrated at Vietnam Mission

Feb 7, 2017

The Feast Day of St. Maria De Mattias was celebrated at Xavier Mission House in Saigon, Vietnam on February 4th. It was a Day of Recollection at the house for the candidates in formation. Fr. Nhan Bui, C.PP.S. led the time of reflection on the theme, “New Beginnings.” We prayed through the intercession of St. Maria De Mattias throughout the day beginning with the celebration of Eucharist in the morning and ending with evening prayer. I especially prayed for a blessed time for the candidates in formation and that Fr. Nhan would be inspired by St. Mary, Woman of the New Covenant, as he talked about new beginnings. God knows that St. Maria De Mattias was inspired by Mary. The Vietnamese certainly have a strong devotion to Mary given evidence by the many shrines dedicated to her throughout the country.

Sojourners of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ, Vietnam

The women in formation to become Sojourners of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ.


We also kept in prayer the women in Vietnam in training to be lay associates to the Adorers of the Blood of Christ. Sr. Hang Pham, ASC has been leading them through the discernment process to become Sojourners. These five women are welcomed to use our mission houses to have their monthly meetings. They are Hanh Nguyen, Theu Bui, Ngoc Pham, Lan Nguyen and Trang Luu. Sojourners are a small group of laypersons who feel very strongly committed to the charism of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ and their foundress, St. Maria De Mattias. They strive to live three promises: dedication to a simple lifestyle, radical love of God and others, and undertaking what God has asked them to be and do. Please keep these women in prayer as well as anyone else in Vietnam aspiring to become lay associates to our Congregations.

Pray and Act on February 8th to End Human Trafficking

Feb 7, 2017

by Gabino Zavala, Justice and Peace Director
February 8 is the feast of St. Josephine Bakhita. St. Josephine was kidnapped as a child and sold into slavery in Sudan and then Italy. With the help of Canossian sisters, she realized that she was a person who possessed human dignity because she was created in the image of God. She refused to be enslaved and became a Canossian nun who dedicated her life to sharing her story of deliverance from slavery and worked tirelessly comforting the poor and suffering.
The Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace and the International Union of Superiors General has designated Wednesday, February 8, as an annual day of prayer and awareness against human trafficking.
The United Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has released a prayer and a toolkit to assist communities in their activities to fight this assault against humanity that targets vulnerable people in our word.