Homily Feast of Saint Andrew Dung-Lac Priest
Homily Feast of Saint Andrew Dung-Lac Priest
Different waves of immigrants have come to the United States at different times in our history. We remember how the Irish came to the United States in the middle of the 19th Century. Italians came to our shores at the end of that century. Belgians arrived in the 1890’s and early 20th century.
One of the biggest migrations of new Catholics in the last 50 years came when the Vietnamese boat people arrived in the late 1970’s. A lot of Vietnamese families were adopted by parishes in the Peoria Diocese.
Today we celebrate the feast of Andrew Dung-Lac who was a martyred in Vietnam in 1839. He was one of 117 martyrs know as the Martyrs of Tonkin. Catholicism was introduced in 1533 by the Portuguese. Throughout the next few centuries Vietnamese Catholics were persecuted at various times. Christianity was held suspect since it came from the West. The Vietnamese Catholic story is a story of courage and perseverance.
In 1981 I did my deacon internship with Fr. Bob Reynolds at St. Peter’s in Peoria. Bob had worked with the Catholic Worker House movement. He believed that rectories with open rooms should be available for people in need. It was a much simpler time.
During my internship we had several Vietnamese men living with us. They had escaped from Vietnam after the war. They would pay a fee and then then would board a boat and they would travel until they ran out of gas in the South China Sea. The people would float in the ships until they were picked up and were taken to refugee camps. Eventually they hoped to make their way to America.
One young man who lived with us had a heart wrenching story. His father had put his mother and he on a boat and stayed behind. The mother, who was in frail health died and was thrown overboard in front of him. I learned a lot about the world living with the Vietnamese refugees and interacting with them. I have not had to fight to hold on to my Catholic faith the way many people in the world have. I have had it easy.
- Who are my ancestors in the faith? Did they have to endure persecution and trial to come to the United States?
- Many people come to the United States seeking asylum. How do I feel about them?
Dear Parishioners,
Three priests in our area have now been diagnosed with COVID. This reminds me of the great danger of this disease. I don’t know how these men were exposed, but Fr. Matthew and I will continue to be vigilant. Please pray for the safety of all ministers in the church.
The Lee Center renovation continues to progress. The walls are being roughed in and we are working on updating the heating and cooling system. We are presently without heat in the building. Hopefully, this work will not take long.
May Our Lady and All the Angels and Saints watch over you.
Fr. Mark