Saint Patricks's Day in Ho Chi Minh City

By: Dinh Vinh (Aspirant in Vietnam)

Saint Patrick’s Day is a traditional festival of the Irish. This day has become a cultural activity and spread throughout the world, especially the areas where the Irish live. There are many Westerners who take his name as patron saint. In Vietnam, Saint Patrick is included in the Catholic liturgical calendar, but not too many people know him. No one receives him as a patron; no  statue or no  picture appears in Vietnam, but, it is very lucky that one his statues was recognized in a corner inside the Saigon city Cathedral. However, Saint Patrick was known by an Irish priest, the Superior of the Congregation of Holy Spirit in Vietnam, who celebrated the mass and presented his image to Vietnamese Christians of the Ho Chi Minh Diocese.   

Who is Saint Patrick? Why has he a great influence on the Irish and on many people in the world?

Basing on the history documents and the homily of Father Superior of the Spiritan Congregation, Saint Patrick was born about in 389 in a Roman family in England. Around the age of 16, while he was living in Wales, he was captured by Irish raiders and taken to a landowner in Ireland as a slave to herd and tend sheep. He lived for six years before escaping to France and returning to his family in England. At this stage, he began his studies for the priesthood. After 12 years, he was ordained by Saint Germanus, Bishop of Auxerre, whom he had studied under for years. In 432, he was ordained a bishop and was sent to bring the Gospel to Ireland.  

Patrick began preaching the Gospel throughout Ireland, converting many. He and his disciples preached and converted thousands and began building churches all over the country. Kings, their families, and entire kingdoms converted to Christianity when hearing Patrick’s message. Patrick preached and converted all of Ireland in 40 years. He worked many miracles and wrote of his love for God in Confessions. After years of living in poverty, traveling and enduring much suffering he died on March 17th  461 at Saul, where he had built the first church. He was 72 years old. He was canonized and Ireland has chosen the date of his death, March 17th, as National Holiday. 

How about Saint Patrick and the Vietnamese?

While Saint Patrick is very famous and his day is celebrated animatedly in the world, his name and his story are little known in Vietnam. It is the thing that Father Superior is thinking about a lot. He desired with his heart that  the Vietnamese know and revere him more. In the Chapel of Tan Hoa Church, where Father Patrick celebrated the Mass with Spiritan Fathers, aspirants, benefactors and Christians of Tan Hoa Church, he called every body to look  and learn from the holy example of Saint Patrick about prayer, endurance and of the effort to serve God and the Church. He expects that if he has a long time to stay and serve the Vietnamese Church, he will find the opportunity to build a Church named “Saint Patrick’s Church”. This is not only an expectation to build a Church  materially but in the mind and the heart of Vietnamese’s Church under the sponsoring of Saint Patrick.

The poetry of Saint Patrick:

“Christ protects me today: He stays with me, before me, behind me, in me, under me, on me, on right of me, on left of me, in me while I lie on bed, next to me when I get up,  in the soul of anyone who think of me, in the eyes of anyone who sees me, in the ears of anyone who listens to my words…

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