08:13, 06/09/2023
Part 2: Building Bridges of Compassion
Despite holding various roles and positions, religious leaders and followers share a common trait: spreading and connecting the spirit of compassion, charity, love, and solidarity, contributing to the development of their local communities.
The compassionate heart of a priest
With his tall stature, friendly smile, and open manner of speaking, Father Pham The Truyen, parish priest and head of the parish service committee of Kim Phat Parish (Hoa Hiep commune, Cu Kuin district), always makes those who meet him feel at ease. Speaking about his work in a calm and humble tone, Father Truyen said: "Building bridges of compassion is a joy and a happiness."
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| Parish priest Pham The Truyen (second from the right) discusses religious activities in the area with leaders of Hoa Hiep commune, Cu Kuin district. |
After graduating from the University of Economics and serving as the Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Ea Ktur commune (Cu Kuin district), Mr. Truyen chose to change his life path and become a priest. After studying and working in various parishes, in 2014, he returned to Kim Phat Parish to assume the role of parish priest, vowing to dedicate himself wholeheartedly to serving God and the faithful, and has become a respected figure in the community.
In religious life, he spread the general direction of Catholicism, "living a good life and upholding moral values," and the doctrine of "love and charity" to the believers. To create harmony between religion and life, he taught the faithful how to cooperate with society, that is, to enthusiastically participate in local movements and activities. Of the 34 security and order teams established under the "Three Safeties" model in the commune, 26 are in Kim Phat village, and their members are all Catholic parishioners and members of the Kim Phat Parish Council. The activities of these teams have made a positive contribution to maintaining security and order in the area.
Leveraging his influence as a respected figure, Father Truyen has mobilized and connected parishioners and benefactors to contribute to the construction of new rural areas in the locality and to jointly fight the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, 100% of the roads in Kim Phat village have been concreted. In addition, Father Truyen has also mobilized resources to build 68 charitable houses for households facing housing difficulties, especially ethnic minority households. On average, he also mobilizes about 1,000 gift packages each year to donate to poor households.
Tran Van Thuc, Secretary of the Hoa Hiep Commune Party Committee, commented: "Father Pham The Truyen is a person who always cares about and works alongside the government in developing the economy, ensuring social welfare, maintaining national defense and security stability in the locality, and contributing to building national unity."
Sowing seeds of love
“My personal aspiration on the path of spreading the Dharma is to dedicate myself to service. Bringing happiness to others brings happiness to myself,” shared Venerable Thich Minh Dang, Head of the Executive Board of the Vietnam Buddhist Association in Cu M'gar District, and Abbot of Hoa Nghiem Pagoda (Cu M'gar District).
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| Venerable Thich Minh Dang, Abbot of Hoa Nghiem Pagoda, along with benefactors, handed over a charitable classroom in Hop Thanh village (Ea M'droh commune, Cu M'gar district). |
As an active and dedicated monk, throughout his time practicing Buddhism, organizing religious activities for Buddhists, spreading Buddhist teachings, and serving sentient beings, Venerable Thich Minh Dang has always directed his mind towards the unfortunate and vulnerable. His journey of over 10 years of "sowing" seeds and connecting with love has brought joy, happiness, and opportunities for advancement to thousands of people.
Leveraging the power of social media, Venerable Thich Minh Dang has built a website and Fanpage for Hoa Nghiem Pagoda - Cu M'gar. He personally surveys and verifies information on cases of particularly difficult and unfortunate circumstances, appealing to the generosity of Buddhists and benefactors for assistance. During his field trips to remote areas and ethnic minority regions, the unfortunate lives, the lost eyes of orphaned children, the dilapidated houses, and the makeshift classrooms have deeply affected him. Therefore, in addition to the 20 orphaned children with special circumstances he has cared for at the pagoda since 2015, Venerable Thich Minh Dang has also established and maintains the "Continuing the Journey to School" fund, in coordination with the "Long-Distance Support" project of the Cu M'gar District Youth Union, to provide timely assistance to orphaned and studious ethnic minority students. For nearly four years (since 2019), the fund has awarded monthly scholarships (from 300,000 VND upwards) to 270 students in the districts of Cư M'gar, Krông Pắc, Krông Bông, Ea H'leo, and the town of Buôn Hồ.
The "seeds" of love from the Buddhist followers of Hoa Nghiem Pagoda and Venerable Thich Minh Dang himself have also spread to schools in remote areas. Through this, 15 classrooms have been supported and built in particularly difficult school locations, and the pagoda has sponsored essential medicines for primary healthcare for students in over 20 schools throughout the province. Joining hands with the government and socio-political organizations in carrying out social welfare work, Venerable Thich Minh Dang and Hoa Nghiem Pagoda have mobilized and connected resources to support the construction of 24 charitable houses and donated thousands of welfare gifts to poor households, elderly people living alone, and those with particularly difficult circumstances.
He played all five roles perfectly.
Having moved from his hometown of Nam Dinh to live in Ea Kring village in 1997, Mr. Nguyen Van Hung, Head of the Dominican parish in Ea Kring village, Ea Sin commune (Krong Buk district), considers this place his second home. Despite shouldering five roles – organizing religious activities for the villagers, serving in the village's Fatherland Front, being a respected figure, a member of the mediation team, and the Head of the Elderly Association of Ea Kring village – Mr. Hung always fulfills his responsibilities perfectly.
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| Mr. Nguyen Van Hung (on the left), Head of the Dominican parish in Ea Kring hamlet (Ea Sin commune, Krong Buk district), discusses ways to develop family economics with commune leaders. |
He worked alongside village elders, self-governing committees, organizations, and mediation groups to disseminate legal information and mediate numerous conflicts and disputes, including marital disputes and minor conflicts within the village. With peace in the village and harmony in families, Ea Kring village has been recognized as a cultural village, and the lives of its people have steadily improved. Following his father's example, his second son also actively participated in local work and was honored to be admitted into the Party.
Commenting on the role of Mr. Nguyen Van Hung, Secretary of the Party Committee of Ea Sin commune, Vu Van Tuan said: “Mr. Nguyen Van Hung is an exemplary Catholic, a ‘pillar’ of support for the local Party committee and government in implementing the national unity policy, bringing the Party’s guidelines and policies and the State’s laws into life.”
(To be continued)
Final part: Party members in Catholic communities set an example.
Yen Lan - Nhu Hong
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