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MISSIONARIES OF CHRIST’S CHARITY – MCC
Đức Tổng Giám Mục
Phaolô Nguyễn Văn Bình
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In 1979, the close-knit group of women was officially formed and recognized as a religious society with about 20 members. Archbishop Binh was present when he received the vows of two sisters who vowed to minister to the poorest of the poor according to the spirituality of Mother Teresa. These two sisters are Sister Mary Frances Ha Thi Thanh Tinh and Sister Edward Doan Thi Bach Hao. These two sisters were originally from the sisters of Nazareth, today they are known as Servants of Christ’s Priesthood. Archbishop Paul Binh had intended that when opportunity presented itself, he would have them join the Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity. Archbishop Paul Binh wrote to Mother Teresa in Calcutta asking her to accept the 20 sisters into her society. |
Mẹ Thánh Têrêsa Calcutta
Đấng sáng lập Dòng Thừa Sai Bác Ái
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Mother
Teresa asked Archbishop Paul Binh to wait until she could come
to Vietnam. It wasn’t until 1991 that Mother Teresa was granted
a visa to come to Vietnam. However, she could not visit Saigon
but only Hanoi (Capital of North Vietnam). Her trip proved productive
for the North Vietnamese Government met with her and allowed her
and her sisters to come to minister to the poor in North Vietnam.
Two years went by before Mother Teresa could return to Vietnam.
On the 5th of November of 1993, Mother Teresa came to Vietnam for
a second time. Similar to the time when she went to China without
fanfare, Mother Teresa came to Vietnam in secret. This time she
was allowed to come to Saigon. Accompanying her were Sister Nirmala
(Present day Superior General of the Missionaries of Charity) and
Dr. Janette. Since she came in secret, nobody was there to greet
her at the airport except for a consullate from India whose office
is located in HCMC. |
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The reason
he was the only one there because no one else knew of
Mother Teresa’s arrival to Vietnam
except for his wife who told him about it. The consulate
then informed his vietnamese secretary whose name is Nguyen Thi Thanh
Nga to go to the airport with him. They took Mother Teresa to Doc
Lap Hotel. Once she arrived at the Hotel, Mother Teresa handed him
a note containing the name and address
of Sister Mary Frances Ha Thi Thanh Tinh. She asked the
consulate’s secretary Nguyen Thi Thanh Nga to find Sister Mary Frances
Tinh and Sister Edward Hao to come and meet her at the hotel. Once
sisters Mary Frances and Edouard arrived, Mother Teresa had a long
conversation with them and told them how she wanted to come to Vietnam
sooner but could not because of the instability within the country. |
Các chị em TSBACKT
trong giờ chầu Thánh Thế hàng ngày. |
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After
the meeting, Mother Teresa requested a meeting with Archbishop
Paul Binh. However, he was not home at the time for he
was resting in Vung Tau. Father John Baptist Huynh Cong Minh,
the general vicar notified the Archbishop and he agreed to meet
with her on the 7th of November.Prior to her meeting with Archbishop
Paul Binh, Mother Teresa and Sister Nirmala, who succeeded
Mother Teresa as superior general, came to visit the 20 sisters
who resided at 428 Huynh Van Banh, Ward 14, Phu Nhuan District.
Mother Teresa joined the sisters in their daily Adoration of
the Blessed Sacrament. |
Đức
tổng Phaolô với nhóm chi em đầu tiên
(năm 1985) |
After
adoration hour was over, Mother Teresa presided over the ceremony
of giving the Constitution of the Missionaries of Charity, prayer
books and rosaries to the 20 Vietnamese sisters. All 20 Vietnamese
sisters were accepted into the Missionaries of Charity. Mother
Teresa also announced the good news about how the immigration office
had granted permission to eight sisters of the Missionaries of
Charity to work among the handicapped and orphans in Vietnam. During
their visit to Vietnam, Mother Teresa and Sister Nirmala spent
most of their time with the 20 Vietnamese sisters to visit and
dine with them. |
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The eight
sisters of the Missionaries of Charity from India were divided into
two groups. One group ministered in Hanoi and the other in Saigon.
The four sisters in Saigon assisted at the orphanage at 38 Tu Xuong,
District 3, Saigon. These sisters’ names were: Srs. Joya, Mary Lourdes,
Brenda and Gloriana. They would come by and visit the 20 Vietnamese
sisters at 428 Huynh Van Banh every Thursday to socialize with them.
The Vietnamese sisters treated them to Vietnamese food as it was
the only food available. The sisters from India seemed to like it;
at least they did not complain. |
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| The other fours
sisters from India worked with the handicapped children at Thuy
An, Ba Vi District, Hanoi. The sisters’ names were: Srs. Collete,
Lee Foong, Desiree and Homini. In accordance with the agreement,
Mother Teresa requested the Vietnamese Government to provide a
priest to offer daily Eucharist at least four times a week. But
due to the shortage of priests, the government could not find any
priest to offer daily mass for the sisters. The government; however,
would try to accommodate the sisters by having a driver to take
the sisters to Hung Hoa Parish but it was far in between. Mother
Teresa expressed concerns about the lack of spiritual sustenance
for the sisters. |
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She
proceeded to ask the government for permission
to open a house at 428 Huynh Van Banh, Ward 14,
Phu Nhuan District, Hochiminh City by sending
a letter to the Secretary of Religious Affairs
in Hanoi. Mother Teresa also requested the government
to recognize the 20 Vietnamese sisters as aspirants of her congregation.
She asked permission for 7 Vietnamese sisters to leave for India
where they could further participate in the formation of the Missionaries
of Charity.
Surprisingly, the government which once receptive not
only did they refuse Mother Teresa’s request to move
the house at 428 Huynh Van Banh but also demanded Mother
Teresa and the sisters of the Missionaries of Charity
leave Vietnam immediately. Without any sign or explanation
given, the Vietnamese government expelled Mother Teresa
and her sisters from Vietnam. Having served the poorest
of the poor in Vietnam for 20 months, Mother Teresa did
not want to give up without a fight. On December 20 1995, Mother
Teresa and Sister Nirmala flew to Hanoi to meet with government officials
and request permission to stay. But the government did not sway from
their previous decision. With a broken heart, Mother
Teresa had to leave Vietnam. |
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She
and her sisters departed from Vietnam to India on December
23, 1995. A month prior, the government in China also
refused to extend the visas for the Missionaries
of Chariry to remain and minister in China. Perhaps,
it was a mere coincidence that the government of Vietnam
also did the same. Before leaving, Mother Teresa consoled the 20
Vietnamese sisters that perhaps it was God’s will. She added, “The
seeds have been sown and one day you will reap the fruits.” In
May, 1996 Mother Teresa sent a letter to the Bishop Nicolas Huynh
Van Nghi (Apostolic Administraror) soliciting him to form a congregation
for the Vietnam sisters which was belong to the Archdiocese
of Sai Gon. Bishop Nicolas Huynh Van Nghi along with Mother Teresa
gave the Vietnamese sisters a new name. They were to
be called the Missionaries of Christ’s Charity. |
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Đức Cha Nicôla Huỳnh Văn Nghi
Giám quản Tông tòa Gp. Tp. HCM
( 1993 – 1998 ) |
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CONCLUSION Responding to the calling of Jesus
in the Gospel to spread the good news to the ends of the world,
Mother Teresa and her Missionaries of Charity saw Calcutta as their
Jerusalem from where their ministry would flourish. From Calcutta,
the Missionaries of Charity branched out to Venezuela, North America,
Rome, Middle East, and Asia. Although, not all of her dreams were
realized, the seeds of her ministry to serve the poorest of the
poor were sown and awaiting the rain of grace to sprout up at the
proper time. Vietnam was one of the many countries which benefited
from Mother Teresa’s presence and ministry. Not wanting to leave
the 20 Vietnamese sisters orphaned, Mother Teresa asked Bishop
Nicolas Huynh Van Nghi (administrator of the Archdiocese of Saigon).
Mother Teresa gave them her blessing to live according to her spirit.
The Bishop Nicolas and Mother Teresa, they gave the Vietnamese
sisters a new name which is known today as the Missionaries of
Christ’s Charity. Renewed in the spirit of Mother Teresa, the 20
Vietnamese sisters proudly bore the name as Missionaries of Christ’s
Charity. They went about searching and serving the poorest of the
poor wherever they are found. The next chapter will dwell into
the formation of the Missionaries of Christ’s Charity in Saigon,
Vietnam. |
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LETTER AND DECREE
DECREE OF THE FOUNDATION OF THE CONGREGATION
FROM THE ARCHBISHOP OF HOCHIMNH
CITY ARCHDIOCESE 
THE TRANSLATED DECREE
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“Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of Mine, you did it for Me.” (Mt 25,40)
MISSIONARIES OF CHRIST’S CHARITY
-------------------------------------428 Huynh Van Banh, Ward 14
-------------------------------------Phu Nhuan Dist., HCM City, Viet Nam
--------------------------------------------------------Tel : 08.3711.0818
-------------------------------------------------------Website: www.mcchrist.org
----------------------------------------------------------Email: thanh_0209@yahoo.com |
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