More on Abp. Thuc's Early Years (Continued)
Abp. Thuc did not sit still in the bishop's residence but traveled to various parishes, visiting poor households and kindly inquiring about the priests. He encouraged the faithful during difficult times and war. For 23 years as Bishop of Vinh Long, Bishop Ngo Dinh Thuc sowed countless seeds of faith, nurturing them in seminarians, religious, and lay people. Those who would later become spiritual pillars for this land of Alluvium. But his mission did not end there. A greater turning point awaited him as the history of the Catholic Church in Vietnam transformed, and the Holy See in Rome decided to place a heavier mission on the shoulders of this soldier of Christ.
In 1960, a momentous event changed the face of the Catholic Church in Vietnam. The Holy See officially established the local hierarchy, laying the foundation for a more mature and autonomous Catholicism. For the first time, three archdioceses, nine dioceses headed by Vietnamese people were established: Hanoi, Hue, and Saigon. In that historic decision, Bishop Peter Martino Ngo Dinh Thuc was promoted to Archbishop, taking responsibility for leading the Archdiocese of Hue, a place closely associated with his life, homeland, and early faith journey.
On May 12, 1961, Archbishop Thuc officially took up his mission in Hue. Amidst the resounding orange bells on the romantic Perfume River, he returned to the land of his birth, but this time not as a priest or a preacher, but as the supreme shepherd of the entire archdiocese. In the history of the Vietnamese Church, he was the first Vietnamese person to hold the position of Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Hue. A milestone that moved many parishioners of the ancient capital to tears.
Upon returning to Hue, he immediately began the comprehensive reconstruction of both the physical infrastructure and the life of faith. The first and most significant project was the complete restoration of the cathedral. The ancient church, built in the late 19th century had seriously deteriorated over the years. Archbishop Thuc did not hesitate to have it completely demolished and rebuilt according to the design of architect Ngo Viet Thu, a renowned figure in Vietnam and also a Catholic. The new church was designed to be both modern and solemn, while retaining traditional features, becoming a symbol of Christian faith in the heart of Co Do. Not stopping there, he had the bishop's residence and the seminary renovated, and the Phu Xuan seminary, where he himself had studied and taught. With a strategic vision, he invited priest professors from the Xuan Bit Society from overseas to teach, improving the level of priestly training. He also established the Hoan Thien Minor Seminary, named after two saints from the faith, Doan Trinh Hoan and Tran Van Thien, to inspire love for witnesses of faith in the younger generation.
A sacred and virtuous atmosphere permeated the entire archdiocese. Small schools sprang up, and religious orders were strengthened and united. In 1962, he unified six scattered convents of the Holy Cross in Di Loan, Tam Toa, Ke Bang, Phu Cam, Duong Son and Tri Buu to establish the Missionary Sisters of the Holy Cross of Hue, later the Hue Holy Cross. That event was not just an administrative event but a turning point in spiritual life, leading the nuns on a journey of commitment, training and service with countless sorrows.
In particular, Archbishop Thuc devoted great effort to La Vang, the place where the Virgin Mary appeared, the most sacred place for Vietnamese Catholics. He expanded and beautified the La Vang area into a national-level pilgrimage center. He earnestly requested the Holy See to elevate La Vang Church to the status of a basilica, a prestigious title that affirms the sacred importance of this place in the life of faith. At the same time, he founded the monthly magazine Our Lady of La Vang, a collection of Catholic writers, recording testimonies, stories and teachings of Mother Mary, creating a living source of information that spread throughout the parishes.
A shepherd among the people, Archbishop Thuc also thought far ahead about education and healthcare. He built six private high schools in the archdiocese, open to not only Catholic students but also those of other religions. He established the A Thanh Minh nursing home in Vinh Long, the Saint Phe nursing home in Saigon, along with many social centers, community centers reading and lecture halls for young people and the poor. During that period, the Archdiocese of Hue shone brightly like a vineyard laden with fruit. Each religious order, each seminary, each parish was cared for with a spirit of discipline but full of love. In the eyes of the lay people, Bishop Thuc was not only a leader but also a father, a builder of culture and faith, a restorer of Vietnamese Catholic identity after long years under the control of foreign missionaries. However, even in the light, there were lurking shadows ahead.
Archbishop Ngo Dinh Thuc was not only a pastor, a scholar, and a spiritual builder, but also the elder brother of President Ngo Dinh Diem, who headed the Republic of Vietnam government from 1955 to 1963. This blood relationship inadvertently placed the Archbishop in a very delicate position on the fragile boundary between religious affairs and political influence. Years earlier, when Diem was imprisoned by the French, Bishop Thuc courageously wrote a letter to the Governor-General of Indochina earnestly requesting a pardon for his brother. In the letter, he not only cited familial affection but also mentioned the loyalty of his Ngo ancestors to France, from the years when his father, Mr. Kha, participated with Nguyen Than in suppressing the Phan Dinh Phung rebellion. The letter is like a voice of conscience, both deeply rooted in family affection and heavy with historical significance. People saw in Bishop Thuc a man who knew how to fully preserve brotherly affection, while also possessing great courage and political wisdom.
In the final moments of the 1940s and early 1950s, when Vietnam fell into the great storms of war and political transformation, Bishop Thuc was the one who actively campaigned for his brother to be protected and supported. When Diem was threatened with arrest by the French for his anti-colonial sentiments, Bishop Thuc approached the Japanese, hoping they would intervene. Thanks to this, Diem was not arrested and was even invited by the Japanese to form a government. Although Diem refused. These events are enough to show that Bishop Thuc did not stand on the sidelines of politics but participated directly, not for power for his close friend, but to pave the way for a national vision according to the ideals of the Ngo family.
Topic: Autobiography of Archbishop Thuc (Read 149192 times)