A French friend once said to me: “I feel like stranger here in my country after having lived away from it for a time.” I was astonished and asked myself how one could be a stranger in one’s own land? But this has happened to us now. We have exactly the same experience. To be “at home” means making a journey that requires a spirit of observation, re-adaptation, re-integration, and especially prudence.

“All their doors were closed for fear of the Jews!”

We cannot say that our experience was the same as the Apostles after the death of the Master but we often repeat this phrase between us with a big smile every time we should have been more discrete in our going and coming, at our prayer on in our welcome….. In short, we must avoid making a “noise”. What a paradox! Everything that happens in a country, a city like Saigon where the noise of motorcycles, machines, people, sellers…. is explosive! This is normal life for everybody here.

Local Chapter: the “official” beginning of a new life

After our arrival we had our First Local Chapter on October, as planned. The Local Chapter is fundamental in giving birth to our new life even though it only involved three religious. It is the first and foremost spiritual exercise for us as “adults”, and an important time for us to reaffirm the convictions we have brought here from the Assumption and the Province for this new implantation. “Community life is built up every day”, it says in our Rule of Life, and we are very aware that we are placing the first stones of a new Assumptionist community.

Practical Organisation: an important part of our common life

We began our life together by acquiring the small utensils we need for every day living: pots and pans, bowls, chop-sticks, glasses….. Today we are the happy owners of a fridge, three motorcycles, an internet connection and a TV with TV5. The installation of a telephone is still under investigation!

Many things go into the making a house a home: cleaning, painting (because of water stains), a chapel, a community room, dining room facilities, a common room, our own rooms….. We had hoped to use a dining table left by the former owner, but the owner decided to reclaim it! We are still waiting for the beds …!!

We have already cleaned once the house since our arrival, but that was only temporary. The couple, who looked after the house for more than a year, have just moved out. We have planned a second more thorough cleaning at the end of this week with the help of some young people from the A2 home and volunteer sisters.

Courtesy Visits and Celebrations: to make ourselves and the Assumption known.
Our first visit to Saigon was to greet Father Bosco. He gave us a very warm welcome. He has also visited us a couple of times. We celebrated a Thanksgiving Mass with him in the small Church for all the young people from the homes in A1S, B1S and B2S homes nearby on the Sunday evening after our Local Chapter.

We visited our local Parish Priest and his assistant priests. They were very open and welcoming to us.

I accompanied Pierre and François Marie to meet the people who will be responsible for them. First, the Director of the Institute run by the Christian Brothers where François Marie begins his studies. Then, our Parish Priest Pierre is going to begin his Diaconal experience there this week.

We also celebrated a Mass in our house with the benefactors of the orphanage. It was a beautiful gathering of a forty people. After the celebration we were invited to the Bothers of the Holy Family present in Saigon. The Mass was followed by a fraternal meal with some friends who had studied in France.

A Discrete form of Welcome

Since our arrival, various people have visited us: friends, young people, Sisters…. Of prominence among these people was Bernard Colin, the first Frenchman to come to our house. He works in the Franco-Vietnamese hospital in Saigon. He understands the situation in Vietnam very well. We had a very good evening with him. While leaving he gave us information about the French group working in Saigon.

Finally:

I am convinced of these words of Bernard Colin on the road to the hospital: “We have left the very protected setting of the Province. We now face greater pressures. It is important for us not to look for efficacy, but for the entourage.”

Saigon Feast of All Saints

Pierre

Ps: For the reason of security of our brothers in Vietnam, all the real pictures were converted in form of a work of art.