______OC Catholic Magazine, May 2008________
http://www.rcbo.org/site/images/stories/occ/may_08/occ_0508_page10-11.pdf


.... Like del Prado, the Fiorentinos were able to attend Mass at Yankee
Stadium—but not all Orange County pilgrims were so fortunate. Shaun
Nguyen was one of more than 100 Vietnamese-American Catholics who
traveled back East in hopes of seeing Pope Benedict XVI, as well as making
a pilgrimage to a number of shrines and holy sites on the East Coast.
“The Pope is our living icon of faith. Being in his audience would be a
tremendous experience in one’s lifetime,” Nguyen explains. “To see the
Pope live would be an awesome experience, … a story to tell our friends
and the next generations.”
Unfortunately, the Vietnamese community was only able to obtain a
few tickets—far, far fewer than the number of pilgrims. “We had a consensus
at arrival that we all went to see the Pope, or all stayed together
praying in communion with the Pope at the time of the Mass celebration,”
Nguyen says. So no one in their group attended the Mass (they
offered their tickets to parishioners from a local church). And though
that was perhaps disappointing, the trip was nevertheless a success. “The
pilgrimage spirit of the trip was not short of impact upon our people,”
says Nguyen.

“We had the opportunity to come to see the National Shrine of the Immaculate
Conception [in Washington DC] and St. Patrick’s Cathedral [in
New York City]. At both sites we came one day before the Pope’s arrival. We
came very close to see the church decor, the Pope’s residing chair, the TV
cameras’ setups, security, and busy church officials and clergy. We felt like
St John the Baptist, coming before the Pope’s arrival. We prayed for him
and our national leaders.
“Even though we were not in his audience, we felt awe at the ambience
and in the spirit of the Pope’s arrival.”
Bishop Brown, who has met Pope Benedict a number of times (several
before he became Bishop of Rome, and twice since then), says the trip offered
a great deal of encouragement—and not just for those who were able
to take part in a papal Mass or other event.
“He came across as a very encouraging and warm figure for all of us bishops,”
says Bishop Brown. “The Holy Father’s coming was a very positive
experience for all our citizens in this country—and a great shot in the arm
for the Catholic community.”

_____OC REGISTER______

http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/life/religion/article_2016117.php
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Friday, April 11, 2008
IN THE SPIRIT: Our Lady of La Vang guides the faithful
Vietnamese-Americans head to Washington to see Pope Benedict XVI
By BILL CUNNINGHAM
The Orange County Register

A personal journey through the spiritual communities of Orange County.

A staunch minority of Vietnamese have faithfully held their Roman Catholic beliefs for centuries, despite hardships, wars and persecutions. To guide them through difficult times, they have often turned to Our Lady of La Vang – an 18th century apparition of the Virgin Mary – to hear their prayers.

When Pope Benedict XVI begins his six-day visit to the United States on Tuesday, a group of more than 100 Vietnamese-American Catholics from Orange County will be waiting to greet him. They are part of a delegation led by the Most Rev. Tod D. Brown, bishop of Orange, and the auxiliary bishop, the Most Rev. Dominic Luong, the nation's first Vietnamese-born bishop.

Luong said he also hopes the pope will "acknowledge the contribution of many, many ethnic groups that have made this country great. Our nation, from the beginning, has been a nation of immigrants."

He added: "I just wish and hope that with the presence of the pope here we can really energize ourselves, more or less revitalize ourselves. There are so many good Catholics here (in Orange County)."

Quy Nguyen of Fountain Valley is part of the delegation to Washington. The pope "is our spiritual leader and he represents Christ on earth," he said. "We want to see him, listen to him and pray to God with him."

Over 150,000 OrangeCountyresidents have roots in Vietnam; most of them arriving after the fall of Saigonin 1975. Of these, it is estimated that 40,000 are Roman Catholics, with 40 Vietnamese-American priests.

While in Washington, Pope Benedict will visit the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the largest Catholic church in America, where he will meet with the U.S.bishops to discuss the role of the United Statesand the Catholic Church in world affairs.

The basilica is famous for its many chapels honoring the Virgin Mary, as she is depicted in different cultures, including Our Lady of La Vang. During the last 2,000 years, there have been reports of her appearance in many parts of the world.

In 1533, Roman Catholic missionaries arrived in Vietnam. But by 1798, Christians were being persecuted and many of them fled to the jungle seeking safety. There they suffered from hunger and sickness. And then, according to tradition, they gathered in prayer and the image of a woman bathed in bright lights appeared. She advised them on how to cure their ailments and promised to receive their prayers in the future. This was the first of several appearances of Mary at this site, not far from the former capital, Hue.

Since then, the story has given consolation to many others.

Shaun Nguyen and Yvonne Tran, also members of the delegation, to Washington, said they plan to pray at the basilica. "Our Lady of La Vang has been a cherished adoration of our faithful ancestors when she came to cure and console them during the time of church persecution," said Nguyen.

According to a news report, Vietnamese-Americans are now the second-largest minority ethnic group in Roman Catholic seminaries, only slightly behind Hispanics, who make up a much larger percentage of the general population.

"It's not just worshipping God; we have to go out to our fellow men to make them happier and more peaceful people," said Luong.

"Apply the Gospel to every day life. That's very important."


_____OC Register_________

http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/homepage/abox/article_2020169.php
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Thursday, April 17, 2008
O.C. pilgrims complete D.C. leg of papal trip
More than 100 Vietnamese-American Catholics pray with pope before leaving for New Jersey
By MORGAN COOK
Orange County Register


WASHINGTON – Even without a single ticket to the papal mass between them or a priest to guide their prayers, Orange County pilgrims said they still felt like they were able to celebrate their faith in communion with the pope.

While Pope Benedict XVI celebrated mass with thousands of worshipers at Nationals Stadium on Thursday morning, about 100 Vietnamese-American Catholics from cities in Orange County and up the coast recited the rosary 50 times and sang a song one pilgrim had written just for the pontiff. They couldn't see the pope and he couldn't see them, but the travelers said they were with him in Washington, D.C., and bonded to him by the Holy Spirit. Their pilgrimage, they said, was a success.

"We cannot come over there," Teresa Pham, 78, of Santa Ana said, "but we can pray in the bus."

For Pham and others on the bus, the act of traveling such a distance to be near a pope they might never see in person is about demonstrating their faith and their dedication to membership in the world's Catholic family.

"We came as a family," said Khanh Tang, 63, of Laguna Niguel. "In every situation, there is a ritual to express your love, your devotion and your faith. Love without expression is not love. Love without expression is like faith without deed."

The group of more than 100 had four tickets to the mass, leaders said, but they decided to give them to a local parish instead of breaking apart the fellowship.

So, instead of going to mass, the pilgrims prayed on the busses and then saw the city, visiting sights like the Capitol and Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. After lunch, they would board the busses and travel to New Jersey, the next stop on their pilgrimage.

There are still more shrines on their itinerary and other chances to see the pope in New York. Even if they don't see him, though, they said, they will still be with him just as they were with him in Washington.

"We accept that we cannot be close to him and shake his hand," Tang said, "But we come to support him. That's what unity means. Our church represents love, unity and obedience."

Tran agreed. "If we can greet him in person, that's great, but we can be with him wherever we are through the Holy Spirit," she said.

Contact the writer: (202) 628-6381 or mcook@ocregister.com


_____OC Register_____
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/group-catholics-tickets-2019080-thursday-mass

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Tuesday, April 15, 2008
O.C. pilgrims value being close to pope
By MORGAN COOK
The Orange County Register


WASHINGTON – All the pilgrims knew long before they left Westminster for the trip to the nation's capital that they would have only four tickets to Thursday's papal Mass for their group of more than 100. But they all made the trip anyway.

The Vietnamese American Catholics from cities in Orange County and further up the coast set out to visit shrines in and around Washington, and, “if God wanted it that way,” to see Pope Benedict XVI give his first Mass in the United States.

On Tuesday night the organizers said they still had not decided how to distribute the four tickets, but they were leaning toward surrendering them altogether and giving them to the local parish. If they couldn't all go, maybe none would.

After all, the organizers agreed, being in the same city as the leader of their faith is a powerful, moving thing, and having a spiritual experience together at a distant place is what a pilgrimage is all about.

“Being here when he's here – it's about praying,” Shaun Nguyen said.

Kim Ha, another of the group's leaders, agreed. “I'm already in communion with the pope,” she said, “Seeing him or not, it doesn't matter.”

To Nguyen, it's the message that matters most. “When he speaks up there, you listen to the church's directions,” he said. When delivered in Rome, they are directions for Catholics all over the world. But during the papal visit to the United States, he said, the Holy Father is giving a special message to Americans.

For Catholics, he said, “It's like the State of the Union address, but much more powerful.”

On such a momentous occasion, the two busloads of Catholics wanted to be near him when he delivers it even if they knew they couldn't be as close as they would like.

The group members planned to gather this morning in the lobby of their hotel in suburban Maryland and at 8 a.m., board the buses and pray 50 rosaries on their way to the Grotte of Lourdes, a shrine in Emmitsburg, Md., about an hour and a half from the District.

Even with four tickets between the hundred hopeful travelers and an all-or-nothing mentality about attendance, the group realized that Thursday's plan was still up in the air. A copy of the group's agenda for Thursday still said “Church meeting at Nationals Park/Baseball Stadium.” But below it, “Or D.C. tour” was written in pen.

Some of the group “prayed to Our Lady with a rosary and said that if it's God's will, we will have tickets to attend the mass,” Ha said. “You never know. I still believe in miracles.”