With over 100,000 professed lay people, Vietnam’s Dominican community has has reached “the population of a diocese”, Provincial Fr Joseph Ngo Si Dinh says. “The number of friars, nuns, sisters, and lay Dominicans in our family in Vietnam has increased substantially and already reached to the population of a diocese!” Fr Ngo told the 2009 Dominicans’ Traditional Family Day held at St Dominic Church (popularly known as ‘The Three-Bell Tower Church’) in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Catholic reports.
“While the number of our members is still far from that of Saigon or Xuan Loc, it’s comparable to that of Da Nang or Hue,” he added reporting that the Order now has 150 friars, and the number of nuns and sisters has steadily increased at the rate of 200 annually.
The main factor contributing to the fast grow of the order is the involvement of lay Dominicans in Vietnam with reported that there may be up to 103,000 professed lay Dominicans, VietCatholic says.
Lay Dominicans take their daily prayers from the Dominican prayer book in their parish churches.
Effective cooperation not only within different branches of Dominican Family but also with diocesan structures has seen by many as the decisive factor for the rapid growth of the order under harsh conditions.
The presence of the Dominicans in Vietnam can be traced back to 1676 when Fathers John of the Holy Cross and John de Arjona, arrived in Vietnam.
In spite of mishaps and persecutions, the Dominican missions developed surprisingly well.
In 1702, Fr Raymond Lezoli was consecrated the first Dominican Bishop of Vietnam. From the very beginning, the Dominicans of Vietnam encouraged the recruitment and formation of native clergy, diocesan and religious.
The more capable ones were sent to Manila for their studies.
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SIC: CTHAS