Every year, on August 2nd, we solemnly celebrate the Feast of Saint Peter Julian Eymard, the Founder of the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament. This year, the Vietnamese Province joyfully gives thanks to God for welcoming 12 brothers making their first vows and 6 brothers making their perpetual vows.
The Mass was held at Khiet Tam Parish Church, in Thu Duc Deanery, part of the Archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh City. This parish was entrusted to the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament from the very beginning when the Congregation first came to Vietnam. Initially, there were only a few diocesan priests who went abroad for studies and joined the Congregation. After completing their studies, they returned home and brought the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament to Vietnam, enriching the Church in Vietnam and fostering a greater love for the Eucharist among the faithful. Despite the ups and downs of history, the Congregation is now present in many dioceses and has been entrusted with pastoral care in numerous parishes across the country, from North to South. As a result, vocations within the Congregation have flourished.
Looking back at the late 1990s when I first came to join the Congregation, there were only 4 priests and about 20 brothers in the Congregation in Vietnam. Nearly three decades later, the number of priests has now surpassed 100. This is truly a great grace that we have received over the years.
Participating in the sacred and devout atmosphere of the Mass, with the solemn and reverent profession of vows ceremony, I silently gave thanks to God and felt profoundly blessed to be a part of the Congregation, witnessing its growing strength in our homeland Vietnam.
Welcoming these young members on the Feast of our Founder today, the Province of the Vietnamese Province is filled with vitality through the grace of God in the precious gifts of the newly professed. This brings a great joy and hope for the Province as it looks forward to its mission in the future.
May the joy of today's Feast become the motivation for the stronger commitment of these newly professed brothers and of each religious in the Vietnamese Province, so that Christ may be glorified and the love of the Eucharist may burn ever more intensely in the hearts of those we are sent to serve, just as was the fervent desire of our Founder, Saint Peter Julian Eymard, the zealous Apostle of the Eucharist.
23 September 2024
Father Peter Nguyen Tien, SSS
