My Sunday began with my return to Lac Duong to serve as a deacon. I rode a motor scooter at 5:15 a.m. and arrived at 5:40 a.m. It was nice to see all the people praying in the Lat language. I tried to pray along with them; but my mind wasn’t there. People were very surprised at my appearance.

The pastor “reintroduced” me to the congregation and we began the first Sunday of Advent. During the mass, I tried to focus on the mass and to recall my knowledge of the Lat language. It has been 9 years since I have spoken it. After the mass, I greeted people and chatted with them. My Lat language came back slowly. I was happy that I could speak it again.

We, the pastor, his assistants, a seminarian, two Sister of the Lover of the Holy Cross, four staff members, and I had a simple breakfast. The second mass was coming soon. Then the pastor had to go to a mission post to celebrate mass. It is 60 kilometers north of the parish. There is a path, dusty in sunny season and muddy in the rainy season. The pastor and one of staff members whose turn it was left immediately after breakfast. There they have a mass on Sunday afternoon at 4 p.m. and another on Monday morning at 7 a.m.

All seminarians went to parishes for their apostolate on Sunday morning. Their afternoon is free after 2 p.m. and they only have to be back for supper at 6 p.m.

I told Dennis and Fr. Athanasius that I would be back around 11 a.m. Normally it takes 15 minutes by motor scooter to go around the village; but this time, the ride took me almost two hours. People stopped me on the road asking me about my life, my work, where I lived, when I was leaving, etc…

On the way back to seminary, I visited some of my friends and stopped by a cemetery where two of my professors were buried. I arrived at noon. Dennis had a good time with Fr. Athanasius. Dennis told me that he had a good conversation with him in his office. Dennis also had a tour of the seminary and Pastoral Center.

At one p.m. Dennis, Fr. Athanasius, and I went to the city. We visited “Tranh Theu Lua XQ,” one of the main industries of the city. It is a place where art work is done by hand. Most the material is cloth or silk. On the cloth, people embroider a chosen piece of art. It could be for a picture, a calligraphy poster, a design for the traditional cloth, a bed set, etc. It can be any size and any color.

Then we went to Truc Lam Zen temple which is very well known in the province, even throughout Vietnam. Its origin goes was back to X-XI centuries in North Vietnam at Yen Tu temple which still exists today. The place, the temperature, the nature were perfect for us to pause on a bench and enjoy. We discovered that the bench was a gift from a Buddhist family. We found out that people came from everywhere in US: Maryland, Washington D.C., New York,…  From this place where we rested, one can see a lake ---- what a beautiful scene!

On the way back, we visited the cathedral of Dalat. It is 100% French architecture. When we entered, they were having weekly adoration from 2:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. which occurs every Sunday. We had a chance to talk with the pastor who is also vicar general of diocese and with his assistants. Afterward we visited a Little Sister of Charity, one who follows the spirit of Charles de Foucauld. We also visited Domaine de Marie Parish where I served from 1999 to 2001, before I went to the cathedral to prepare myself for studies abroad. It iss a chapel of the Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul. Today, there are two communities, one is a novitiate and the other one sponsors a vocational school which serves children with disabilities. They help them to live by selling products which they have made by their own hand. They have 82 students from 12 to 18, many with handicaps.

From there, we went to the Cam Ly Minority Mission Center built before 1975. It was built as a village where there was a school, hospital, vocational school, cultural center, etc… So you can imagine how big the campus was. Now everything is gone, except the church and a small piece of land on which there is a community of Lovers of the Holy Cross.

Our last stop was the Bishop's See. When we arrived, all the Sisters had just finished their monthly retreat. I had a chance to talk to some who immediately recognized me when we got out of the car. It was a surprise for many!

We had dinner with all the seminarians, the rector and his staff. After dinner, I ran, really ran fast to meet some of my friends. Dennis had an experience of “Vietnamese Gregorian chant” and adoration. After adoration, Dennis met with the seminarians. I came back just on time. Dennis was finishing his brief introduction of who we are and what we do. Education was the main topic for the entire evening.

It was dark and peaceful. I thought Dennis had a long day, but very pleasant. Later I continued to chat with some of my friends over phone. Then some of the seminarians and I stayed for a while. When I returned to my room, a deep peace, joy and satisfaction came over me. What a day!

Before I went to bed, my mom called and let me know the situation of my dad. They had been following my trip to this time. They wanted to make sure that everything was okay and that all “people dear to us” would receive a visit.

It was like a dream. At the end of this long day, it was like a dream to me. Outside, the sky was cloudy. I could not see the stars. The temperature was chilly and tropical darkness covered every corner; but I was very happy. It is hard to describe this happiness but I think in what I have already said you can understand.

Love you all,

Peace and God's blessings!

By Br. Dinh Vo Tran Gia
(still in Dalat)

Footnote from Fr. Dennis Gallagher, AA
Regional Superior of the United States Region
(from the Assumptionist novitiate in Ba Ria)

Thoughts while recovering from a blow to the head:

- Flashes of Ingemar Johanssen walking into a Floyd Patterson uppercut.  Lugging my baggage off the boat in Saigon, I caught a metal overhang on the uptake, knocking me down for the count.  Good thing I didn't black out... imagine coming to and finding oneself in Saigon.

-  Nothing can prepare a person for the streets of Saigon at rush hour. 

-  A couple of hours at the beach this morning (eat your heart out).  The water was cooler than expected, but still 15 degrees warmer than Rye Beach in July.

-  A steady diet of Pho, which I enjoy immensely, was interrupted by a delightful seaside meal of fresh squid with ginger dipping sauce, grilled fish with herb topping (ooh,la,la), large shrimp in a shell with lime infused salt and pepper, topped off with a seafood vegetable soup with pieces of swordfish resting in a succulent broth.  Forgive me.

-  Eastern Point and then some:  several religious congregations have enviable digs along the south shore, perched on the side of a mountain directly overlooking the Pacific.  We visited one of them, a community of lovely Benedictine sisters whose life of prayer is complemented by - what else - hospitality toward a steady stream of retreatants.

- Last point:  it's been very good to see a young AA foundation in the making.

A Vietnamese Diary: Chapter I

A Vietnamese Diary: Chapter II

A Vietnamese Diary: Chapter III

A Vietnamese Diary: Chapter IV

A Vietnamese Diary: Chapter V

A Vietnamese Diary: Chapter VI

A Vietnamese Diary: Chapter VII

A Vietnamese Diary: Chapter VIII