Passionists flourish in Vietnam
Local
When six young men recently made their first vows as Passionists in Vietnam, it was an opportunity for Adelaide priest Fr Jeff Foale CP to reflect on the community he helped establish 20 years ago.
In 2002 when he was in Rome as a consultor for the Passionist Superior General, Fr Jeff proposed establishing a Passionist community in Vietnam.
The Superior General and Council approved the project and he was given the task of setting up the community.
“I set about exploring, making preparations and recruiting two companions,” Fr Jeff told The Southern Cross.
“We arrived in Communist Vietnam on October 8 in 2005.
“We found that religion is tolerated in Vietnam to a degree. Soon young men came to join me and my wonderful companions, Thomas from India and Francisco from Argentina.
The new Passionists with Fr Denis Travers and Fr Jeff Foale
“Almost 20 years later there are 18 Vietnamese Passionist priests, 21 theology students in vows as Passionists and a further 13 candidates in the process of formation (51 in total).”
Fr Jeff said Vietnamese Passionists were serving in every Passionist community in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, as well as Fr Paul Kiện, who is chaplain to the large Vietnamese community at Pooraka in Adelaide.
“Sometime after our community was formed in Vietnam I had the opportunity to invite the Passionist nuns (Sisters of the Cross and Passion) from Melbourne to Vietnam and they now have a very vibrant community of 20 members,” said the former head of the Indo-China Refugee Association (ICRA).
Fr Jeff, who is still based in Vietnam, was present for the joyful ceremony, albeit in the background.
“This profession ceremony on August 2 was a great day for us as we look forward to bringing the message of God’s love, seen in Jesus’ gift of himself on the cross, to people everywhere,” he said.
“At 92 I find myself rather limited in my activities, but I am surrounded by the joyful presence of a dedicated group of religious men.”
A small group of Adelaide Catholics provide financial support when they can. Recently, the Vietnamese community and others raised money for a made-to-measure posture chair which Fr Jeff uses in his office where he is translating a book about the early missionaries to Vietnam from “old French”.
Last year Fr Jeff translated the biography of Bishop Lambert de La Motte who was the first bishop in Vietnam.
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