A living tradition: hundreds gather at Our Lady of La Vang Shrine

The Vietnamese refugee community in Australia has not only survived but thrived, said Bishop Thinh Nguyen at a recent celebration to mark the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. Vietnamese parishes have become ‘spiritual centres’ across Australia, said the bishop, ‘preserving our culture, language and, most importantly, our faith.’ But as the community looks to the future, new challenges emerge.

Hundreds of local Vietnamese families, clergy, religious and youth groups from across the Archdiocese gathered for the celebration at Our Lady of La Vang Shrine in Keysborough on Saturday 10 May. The event included Mass, a Marian procession and Q&A sessions with Bishop Thinh, Bishop Vincent Long OFMConv, Fr Peter Kim Huy Hoang SDB, Fr Peter Danh Trong Ly CSsR and Fr Anh Nguyen.

Bishop Thinh said it was ‘rare’ for a migrant community to have the opportunity to celebrate ’50 years of grace’ in a foreign land.

‘The stories we share today are not just tales of the past but a source of inspiration for us to continue living and passing on our faith to future generations,’ he said.

The Eucharist is not only a sacrament but also a lens through which we view life—past, present and future—as a grace and an offering to God.

The bishop also said that for many Vietnamese refugees, the journey to Australia is deeply rooted in ‘the core of our Christian faith—the Eucharist’.

‘The Eucharist is not only a sacrament but also a lens through which we view life—past, present and future—as a grace and an offering to God.

‘After the events of 1975, millions of Vietnamese people were forced to leave their homeland,’ said Bishop Thinh. ‘The refugee journey was both a physical and spiritual journey, where faith became a guiding light in the darkness of the sea, in the waiting of refugee camps, and in the simple acts of love, such as a shared loaf of bread or a helping hand from humanitarian organisations.’

Fifty years on, the bishop said the Vietnamese refugee community has not only survived but thrived.

‘From the sacrifices of the first generation, we have built parishes and communities where God is present and active in our lives. ‘Across Australian cities, Vietnamese parishes have become spiritual centres, preserving our culture, language and, most importantly, our faith,’ he said.

Our faith is not just a personal belief but a living tradition that connects generations.

‘We maintain weekly Vietnamese Masses or bilingual services, ensuring that the younger generations continue to hear and experience their roots. We sing Vietnamese hymns, celebrate cultural events such as Christmas, Easter and Lunar New Year, and teach catechism in Vietnamese, embedding traditional customs in religious practices.

‘Our faith is not just a personal belief but a living tradition that connects generations,’ the bishop pointed out. This faith, he said, is nurtured by catechism classes, youth groups and activities with the community’s Eucharistic Youth Movement.

But as the community looks to the future, a new challenge is now emerging, says Bishop Thinh. And it’s a challenge much closer to home.

While faith has been integral to the migration experience of many Vietnamese refugees, it has been a different experience for the younger generations.

‘Growing up in Australian society, our youth receive their faith from their parents and grandparents through Mass, catechism classes and youth groups. But they also face the tension between integration and over-assimilation, risking the loss of their [faith] identity. Our mission is to renew and strengthen their faith,’ he said, and to help them understand that ‘their identity is not only cultural but also deeply rooted in the Catholic faith.’

Saturday’s event also marked the beginning of a three-month pilgrimage of a special statue of Our Lady of La Vang to the 18 Vietnamese Catholic communities across the Archdiocese of Melbourne. The statue was one of six blessed by Pope St John Paul II in 2002 and given to Vietnamese Catholic communities in each continent.

The pilgrimage will conclude at the St Vincent Liem Centre in Flemington on 16 August.