Like never before, I feel happy and love my Thanhhoa so much. In my mind, Thanhhoa diocese is not unlike my second mother where I am always defended. Discovery the beauty of 64 parishes and participation any volunteer social organizations are my desires. 64 parishes are the most valuable property of Thanhhoa diocese. From names to terrains, all show distinct features and difference of each parish. It is my honor today to write about Ngoc Son parish on behalf of a child of Thanhhoa diocese. It is thought by many that Ngoc Son parish has a mount of gemstone. That claim is partly true due to parish’s change and development from day to day.

Ngoc Son parish is in Ngoc Son area, Dinh Tuong commune, Yen Dinh district, Thanhhoa province. It is about 30 kilometers distance from Bishop House towards the west. It was set up in 1948. Up to the present, the parish has been five units including Ngoc Son, Tan Ngu, Bai Chay, Le Xa and Hoach Thon. This parish has some typical terrains in Thanhhoa such as mountain, fishponds, plain... (If you are doubtful my word, you can meet the vicar directly). Therefore, it is absolutely wonderful if you take your days off in this beautiful parish. Statistics in 2009 indicated that the parish has 2053 parishioners to be arranged on five units. Inhabitant’s major occupation is agriculture. Their life is rather hard and deprived, but their belief about Catholicism is very powerful. Every year, households in the parish collect the rice to support for poor people in diocese. I think that they are maybe deprived of material, but their heart and sincerity are noble. They are willing to help other people though they are deprived of everything. To set up a powerful parish, it is necessary to have talented priests who manage and take care of the catholic of Lord. Since founding, Ngoc Son parish has experienced periods with the aid of nine vicars including Anton Phan Phuc Huyen, Gregorio Le Hien Triet, Micae Tran Khac Vinh, John Baptist Luu Van Khuat, Joseph Vu Khoan Dong, Anton Vu Duc Tu, Joseph Tran Van Phi, John B. Do Trong Nang. All of them had distinct strategies to promote development of the parish. With talent and enthusiasm, the priests put a new face for Ngoc Son not only in political line but also in missionary issue. By 2007 up to now, the parish has been managed by father Giacobe Mai Van Toan. We can think that parish is the body and the suitable place improving and training a religious life. Therefore, Ngoc Son is not exception.

I am not a parishioner of Ngoc Son parish, but I have witnessed the change everyday of one. Because I had wonderful summer at NgocSon parish each year, so my feeling and memories about friendly parish never fade in my mind. Being remote from luxurious and noisy life of city, countryside is always ideal place to relax and learn many things.  Ngoc Son always opens hand to welcome you.

There are some factors leading to change of parish. First of all, that is the priests’ care and love. After father Toan had look after Ngoc Son, I visited and knew about one clearly. Out of nine priests to be listed above, I only know well father Toan. Thus, father Toan is the first person I want to talk about.  He is a good-hearted father. Like a father, he cares, brings up and helps thoughtfully. He has been close-knit with Ngocson parish for 5 years. Over the past time, the sentiment between the priest and parishioners has become well. He often visits some families in parish to encourage and help them. He always creates favourable conditions to improve catholics’ spiritual life and helps them to approach the church. To put a new face on the parish, he appealed to benefactor’s aid in diocese and abroad to help poor circumstances in parish. Because of the difficult life, some of children have to help their parents to grow rice, so they have a little time to do homeworks. To encourage studious student, he often awards small presents in each summer such as fabric, pens, notebooks...Even he also organizes some classes to consolidate children’s knowledge about educational level such as English, music, mathematics...With cleverness about communication, he appeals some young teachers and talented students in diocese to take over subjects. The priest tries his best to ensure material facilities and the teachers bring to student easy-to-understand lectures, so students quickly acquire and understand. The rate of students dropping out of school decreases. As a result, there are many student achieving good results in tests. Apart from that, to create an eventful and meaningful summer, he also arranges pleasure voyages for children. Maybe they are gone to other countrysides or parishes to enjoy and inquire missionary work. What is more, the vicar of Ngoc Son parish is a talented person. Before father Toan managed Ngoc Son parish, a few of the people had gone to church. I have ever heard this thing through some Catholics. Thus, he was hard to encourage a huge number of people coming back the Lord’s love. In each his lecture, with lifelike stories from Bible and daily life, it makes easy-to-understand people and draw people along gospel. As you know, each priest has particular capacity and power. Some are good at in political issues, others skillfully convince his catholic. The priests are loyal disciples of the Lord, so they bring mission and great responsibility. As 12 disciples of Jesus, they were bestowed and had many special abilities by Spirit, so they can spread the word of Lord in many languages easily, and the same to the priests. “Receive the holy Spirit.23 whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained."(John 20, 22-23)

The development of parish is also result of solidarity of catholic. The missionary work is an assignment of all Catholics and a long-term work. Thus, the solidarity is always an important factor to gather all catholic. Ngoc Son parish is performing this responsibility day to day. In the old days, there were a few people entering religion due to work, farm, and administration. Nowadays, the number of people to be joined Catholicism increases each year. People have awareness to learn tenets and consider the mass as an indispensable part in daily life. Most of families in parish do farming, so their life is rather hard. However, no matter how difficult the life is, parishioners always believe and give their trust in Jesus. In each the mass, they are heard the gospels and learnt how to overcome obstacle in life, how to live amiable and have good relationship with their friends, relations and neighborhood. The number of people taking part in association is populous, so the church is always noisy at night. What is more, everybody have a high opinion of construction the church. Whenever the parish has great mass, important work or organizes any festival, all people gather to contribute to success of the mass. They also help the vicar so much in spiritual and material life. "Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation,but deliver us from the evil one" .( Matthew 6, 11-13)

Moreover, we can not but mention the help of monks, nuns and seminarians. They are willing to give up luxurious life to follow the Lord and Ngoc Son parish. Although work in parish is very much , the seminarians still guarantee the study and train themselves about morality. I think that this is a good environment for seminarians to improve knowledge, because they are methodically formed and know how to do everything.

All in all, Vietnamese has a proverb that “seeing is believing”. If you do not believe my words above, you can go to Ngoc Son parish to witness and experience. Life is care, help and encouragement. Let go any parish in diocese to share their deprived life, so we will feel happy. Ngoc Son is not moneyed parish, but we can learn many things and improve our spiritual life through the life of parishioners and priest. Pay your visit here and feel exciting thing with your naked eyes.

Ps: We are in the Easter season, so atmosphere all over the countryside of Thanhhoa diocese is happy and noisy. “He has been raised”( Marco 16, 6). Alleluia.Alleluia.

In Christ

Maria Thuy