The Sisters at Than An made us very welcome and Sister Marie Celine, who had spent a number of years in New Zealand, working in the Christchurch diocese as the Vietnamese chaplain, was extremely grateful that we had come out to visit the Sisters. The New Zealand connection is never far away. We also spent a day visiting two inner city convents in Ho Chi Minh City with Sister Tuyet Mau. The first community was at Thi Nghe which is right in the inner city. The RNDMs run a preschool there and a number of sisters who were taking classes to improve their English speaking skills were also present. For all of the RNDMs the ability to converse in English is very important because it is in this language that the 1000 RNDM Sisters communicate with each other, worldwide. The second community we visited was the Than Tam Shelter which is a narrow three storey convent which assists expectant mothers and mothers who have just had their babies. Sadly, we were told by the sisters that Vietnam has one of the highest abortion rates in the world. This convent at Than Tam is trying to assist a small number of women to have their babies and to reconcile their situation with their own families and the fathers of the children. The young mothers are taught sewing skills and are given a safe environment to allow their babies to be born and have a real chance at life. The Mission sisters in Vietnam were very welcoming and we would like to thank them for their generous hospitality to two visitors from New Zealand who are part of the world wide Euphraise Barbier family. It would be hoped that we can keep an ongoing relationship with these RNDM Vietnamese Sisters and that we can find practical ways to assist them in their mission in this part of the world. Peter Tolich, Director of Religious Studies at Sacred Heart Girls’ College in Hamilton.
Who was Euphrasie Barbier? Adèle-Euphrasie Barbier was born on 4 January 1829, Caen, France She Founded the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions (RNDM) on Christmas Day, 1861. Euphrasie made several journeys to visit her sisters in Oceania and personally visited St Mary’s Convent in Hamilton, founded in 1884. Abbé Lefournier, Euphrasie’s Parish Priest wrote: “Your Mother was an extraordinary woman who had all the aptitudes for promoting the glory of God, the salvation of souls and, in particular, for carrying out the great work to which she had dedicated herself... what fruitfulness, under the inspiration of God, have her courageous undertakings had!”
Many people and families in recent years have preferred to give a Christmas Gift to people who are in need rather than acquire more things for themselves. This year Sister Catherine Brabender, Director of the RNDM International Mission Office, has produced a Christmas Gift Catalogue Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions – A Gift that Makes a Difference features four projects
Feeding program for children in Long Dien Hospital, Vietnam.
Empowerment of women living in abject poverty, India South.
St Peter’s Orphanage, Bangladesh.
Centre for children with special needs, Kenya. If you are interested in receiving this material and would like to participate in this project please contact Tania Halliday in the RNDM Province Office.
Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions 35a Britannia Street, Petone PO BOX 30 575 Lower Hutt 5040 PHONE: (04) 939 1231 Siesta time at Thu Duc Preschool
EMAIL: tania.halliday@rndm.org.nz
ketekorero Issue 4 2012
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