【慈幼通訊社
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2014
年
07
月
08
日越南胡志明市訊】
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細心的家庭牧民、恆常的祈禱、堅實的家庭信仰生活，是越南司鐸聖召持續活潑的秘訣。胡志明市總主教裴文讀蒙席在接受信仰通訊社訪問時表示：「如果家庭是神聖的，便會產生聖召。」當地慈幼會士也為聖召開花遍地作出見證。
總主教向通訊社表示：「教宗方濟各備受越南教友的愛戴，即使非教友也對他予以讚賞。有賴傳媒及社會網絡的報導，教宗的講道傳遍越南各地。即使受共產政權控制的新聞界，也對他十分讚賞。他們喜愛教宗的笑容、舉止及說話的方式，以及他對貧苦者的偏愛。我們希望人們對教宗的讚賞，有利越梵關係產生正面的影響，期望不久的將來，雙方能全面建立正常的官方外交關係。」
當地教會所優先處理的，就是進行司鐸及神學生的培育，他們的數目持續顯著增長：「聖召遍地開花。國內有8所大修院，修生人數超過3,000，包括教區及修會修生。然而，培育青年的工作日趨困難，因為世俗主義、實際的唯物主義的影響，而個人主義的思想，比國家的無神主義，更有潛在的危險。」
慈幼會士亦見證著聖召開花遍地。慈幼會士於1952年抵達越南。今天當地有32個依聖教法典建立的團體，大部份從事青年職業培訓工作。會士人數超過300，而今個初學年度中，有29名初學生來自越南會省。同時，有一股十分強大的傳教動力，很大程度上來自那些已離開本國，履行教育青年使命的慈幼會士。在最近15年內，已有超過100名年輕越南人離開祖國，向萬民宣傳福音。
裴文讀蒙席解釋聖召興盛的原因時表示，那裡有「基督徒家庭的生命，仍保持著信仰及見證的良好質素。因此家庭牧民十分重要：家庭是聖召的搖籃，如果家庭是神聖的，我們就有更多司鐸；在教區層面，我們十分強調家庭牧民。」
在當地教會多項新興牧民需要之中，內部移民使徒工作為其中之一，那些移民大批地從鄉郊地區遷移到大城市。「在胡志明市七百萬人口中，內部移民佔了二百萬，其中二十萬為天主教徒，他們有著各方面的需要。有賴明愛機構的協助，我們嘗試協調當地教會所有組織，例如修會團體、堂區團體、平信徒運動等，使能幫助這些兄弟姊妹。總主教在總結時表示，越南教會將繼續展現對貧窮及被邊緣化人士的關顧，作為基督愛的見證，以及關懷社會公益的標記。」
Christian family, "the cradle of vocations to priesthood" for the Church
(ANS - Vietnam –Ho Chi Minh City, 08 July 2014) – A careful family pastoral, prayer, and the quality of faith in families, are the secrets to keeping the vocations to priesthood alive in Vietnam: “If a family is holy, there are vocations”, explains to Fides Agency the Archbishop of Ho Chi Minh City, Mgr. Paul Bui Van Doc. The Salesians are also witnessing a flowering of vocations.
The Archbishop told Fides: “Pope Francis is much loved by Catholics in Vietnam and appreciated even by non-Christians. In Vietnam, his preaching comes across thanks to mass media and social networks. Even the press controlled by the communist regime speaks well of him. They love his smile, his way of acting and speaking, his predilection for the poor. We hope that this appreciation can have a positive influence in the relations between Vietnam and the Holy See and to soon see the establishment of full and official diplomatic relations”.
A priority for the local Church is the formation of priests and seminarians who continue to be a significant number: “Vocations are flourishing. Across the country there are 8 major seminaries with more than 3,000 candidates, among diocesan and religious. However, the formation of young people is now more difficult for the influence of a culture of secularization, practical materialism, an individualistic mentality that is more insidious compared to the atheism of the state”.
The Salesiansare also witnessing a flowering of vocations. The Salesians came to Vietnam in 1952. Today there are thirty-two canonically erected communities, many of them engaged in the professional training of young people. The number of confreres is in excess of 300 and this year the novitiate has twenty-nine novices just from the Vietnamese province. There is a very strong missionary drive, largely influenced by the example of the Salesians who have already left for the mission to young people in education. In the last 15 years more than a hundred young Vietnamese have left for the mission ad gentes.
At the root of the flourishing of vocations, explains Mgr. Paul, there is “the life of Christian families, that still has a good quality of faith and witness. This is why family pastoral is very important: the family is the cradle of vocations, if there are holy families, we will have more priests. At a diocesan level, we place great emphasis on family pastoral”.
Among the new pastoral needs of the local Church today there is the apostolate towards internal migrants, given the massive displacement of people from the countryside to the big cities. “In a city of 7 million inhabitants as Ho Chi Minh City, two million have arrived, of whom 200 thousand Catholics in need of everything. Thanks to Caritas, we try to coordinate all the components of the local Church such as religious congregations, parishes, lay movements, in order to assist these brothers and sisters. The Church in Vietnam - concluded the Archbishop - continues to show great attention to the poor and marginalized, as a testimony of the love of Christ and as a sign of care for the common good of society”.