Multiply good deeds among Catholics

(Baothanhhoa.vn) - With the motto "Living the gospel in the heart of the nation to serve the happiness of compatriots, living a good life, living a good religion", in recent years, Catholics in the province have actively responded to emulation movements and campaigns launched by the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee. Since then, many good models, creative ways of doing things, and many examples of good people and good deeds have appeared.

Priest Nguyen Van Thuong, Director of Caritas of Thanh Hoa Catholic Diocese (3rd from left) presented money to support house construction for the family of Mrs. Tran Thi Tho, in village 8, Tan Tien commune.

Following Father Nguyen Van Thuong, Director of Caritas of Thanh Hoa Catholic Diocese, to present 87 million VND in support of building a house for the family of Mr. Vu Van Dung, a parishioner of Ke Rua Parish, Bim Son Ward, what we felt most clearly was the warmth, closeness, and sharing between the priest and the parishioners. Moved with emotion, parishioner Vu Van Dung said: “With old age and weak health, my wife and I lived a life of anxiety and worry in a dilapidated house on the riverbank every rainy and flood season. I never dared to think about having a large sum of money to build a house in my entire life. This precious amount of money, together with the cooperation of my brothers, relatives, parish priest, and parish council in the construction, has made my dream come true. This support is the motivation for my family to stabilize their lives and escape poverty.”

Priest Nguyen Van Thuong shared: "In addition to educating and teaching parishioners to "respect God, love the country", live a "good life, good religion", comply with all policies and guidelines of the Party, policies and laws of the State, I also actively mobilize philanthropists and parishioners at home and abroad to contribute to the "Charity" fund. From this fund, from 2021 to now, Caritas Thanh Hoa has organized hundreds of trips to visit and give gifts to thousands of parishioners, worth more than 100.5 billion VND. Organize environmental protection activities, donate 46 water purifiers and clean water filtration systems; award scholarships to nearly 1,000 students in especially difficult circumstances. Support thousands of charity meals, hundreds of "0 VND" buses for poor patients; organize medical examinations and provide free medicine to people; support parishioners in localities facing difficulties due to the impact of natural disasters and epidemics. At the same time, Supported the construction of houses for 182 poor households living on the river to stabilize their lives on the shore; helped many poor families have solid homes to stabilize their lives and settle down in accordance with Directive No. 22-CT/TU of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee... with a total amount of over 30.8 billion VND.

Another shining example in the DGCG is Mr. Tran Van Tieu, Head of Lien Nghia Parish, Tan Tien Commune - a typical example in mobilizing parishioners to participate in preventing, detecting, fighting, denouncing crimes, maintaining security and order, effectively implementing self-management models in residential areas, building the model of "Peaceful parish, cultural family". Thanks to the above positive activities, in recent years, the economy of Lien Nghia Parish has had a high growth rate, healthy cultural and social development, stable politics , national defense and security are ensured, average income per capita (in 2024) reaches 66.8 million VND; the poverty rate has decreased to 0.88%; over 90% of Catholic families have achieved the title of cultural family; 100% of villages have been recognized as meeting cultural standards; 3/3 schools meet national standards level 2, communes meet national standards on health... Those results have shown the contribution and positive and important role of Lien Nghia Parish Chief Tran Van Tieu and the Catholic Bishops' Conference in the movement to build civilized urban areas and peaceful parishes and parishes.

The parish priest of Huu Le Parish, Lam Son Commune, Ngo Duc Hanh, is a positive factor in changing the awareness of parishioners in environmental protection work through integration into church ceremonies, parish meetings, and residential area meetings. He also propagated and mobilized parishioners to donate hundreds of square meters of land, contribute hundreds of millions of VND, and hundreds of laborers to expand roads; build a waste treatment system; establish an environmental self-management team... From the above practical activities, the residential area of ​​Huu Le Parish has become a "bright - green - clean - beautiful - safe residential area" with a healthy living environment. Parishioners consider environmental sanitation as a part of their daily lives, closely linked to faith and morality. In social security activities, the parishioner Ngo Duc Hanh has mobilized resources from parishioners, philanthropists and social organizations to build and repair houses for households in difficult circumstances; Giving hundreds of gifts to poor households and the elderly; supporting scholarships for poor students who have overcome difficulties; donating plant and animal seeds to poor households, helping them have the means of production to escape poverty sustainably... Mr. Hanh's family alone has created seasonal jobs for 4-5 local workers, with a stable income of 8-10 million VND/person/month. From the above practical activities, poor and disadvantaged households in the parish have gradually improved their living conditions, the movement of mutual love and solidarity in the parishioner community has spread more and more strongly...

Along with Father Nguyen Van Thuong, Mr. Tieu, Mr. Hanh, there are many other typical examples of the Buddhist Sangha who are leading the way in propaganda and mobilizing the parishioners to live a "good life, good religion" in the spirit of "love" of Christians. Their silent contributions and dedication help improve the material and spiritual life of the Buddhist Sangha, strengthen the spirit of solidarity between religions and non-religious people, fulfill the duty of "respecting God, loving people", and contribute significantly to the successful implementation of socio-economic development tasks, strengthening national defense and security, and building the great national unity bloc.

Article and photos: Phan Nga

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/nhan-len-nhung-viec-lam-tot-trong-dong-bao-cong-giao-253948.htm