THANH DUC CHURCHOn the wide and beautiful two-way street, the tall bell towers of Thanh Duc church stands majestically in the scenery of Son Tra peninsula.
Like a mark in the beautiful landscape of the whole street, the new church built in 2000 is a living testament of a stable and strong congregation that is a vital part of the community.
50 years ago, this was a strip of sand deposited by Han river on which the highest ground was chosen to build the current church.
At first, a big shelter was the home of many Catholic families; a few houses made of steel-sheets were the hospital and church office. Many adjoining blocks of houses were of parishioners living around the church. The first church was also made of steel-sheets, surrounded by cement sheets and wooden beams bought from Hai Van pass.
Through many momentous events, especially the incident of Thanh Bo – Duc Loi in 1964, the church was repaired, expanded, renovated and remains a small steel-sheet building with narrow doors and windows; walls were covered in harsh-looking mortar bricks and particularly the bell tower was built out of four railway tracks like a monument of a war-time period.
From 1968 to 1974, the idea of a new church made everyone feel excited. Plans, designs… even contribution were made. But all were shelved. Maybe because the country was still at war and it was difficult to predict how people would adjust to a new and uncertain life.
After 1975, the Parish entered a new period. Some parishioners left while some remained loyal to the land. So the number of parishioners was reduced (in 1964: 2030 people; 1975: 1729). The number of parishioners decreased. Life was difficult with severe food shortages. However, a new talented and devoted shepherd was sent to the Parish. He was Reverend Nguyen Huu Dang. He repaired the most badly damaged areas of the church depending on available funds. First, he raised and installed steel beams supporting the roof. Then he tiled the roof, built the porch and the bell tower, re-installed electricity, sound, light and fan systems etc… This was the second church of the Parish.
In 1995, the country was in a reformation process. The number of parishioners increased to 3100 parishioners and the issue of rebuilding the church was again brought up. With the help from overseas Thanh Duc parishioners, a long-term fund-raising campaign was started. Each person would contribute 200 dong per day for 3 years.
Technical survey, design and blueprint were also started. Due to the scope of the project, the topic of holy art was also considered: how to create a church worthy of the contribution and wish of local and overseas parishioners and also at the same time create the first church of the new 21st century. The church had to be tall but comfortable, capable of turning people’s mind to God. The altar in particular had to match with theological meaning and holy art, prominent but not different, elegant but not too sophisticated, formal but should not prevent parishioners from intimately and earnestly taking part in worship. This was a big challenge and the Management Board created a competition to design the altar. In addition, there was the need to combine the historic requirements of the church and yet keep it in balance with the bell tower, the great work of the previous parish priest, plus the limit of the fixed terrain conditions.
The huge scope of the project made selecting the contractor difficult. Who and how to choose was debated at great length and a process in compliance with common construction practice was reached: public bidding to all who were qualified and experienced.
There were unforgettable moments when young men in the Parish demolished concrete stabs under the summer sun. Older men straightened old steel rebars for reuse. Many moved hundreds of cubic meters of debris out of the construction site. Everyone was delighted, especially at the drawing of the new church. “All for the new church” was the slogan at the time.
The Management Board consisted of the chief parishioner representative as the chairman, a technical deputy, a supervisor, a secretary cum accountant, a warehouse keeper and 2 persons assigned to material purchasing, the parish priest in charge of the funds. Besides, there were members of the Parish Council to take care of meals and night watches and the women to bring daily drinks for workers.
The construction site was cleared on time for the contractor who won the bidding. On 16 May 1999, the local bishop laid the first stone and on 17 May 1999 construction started.
There were many wonderful ideas, divergent opinions and egos: some had technical knowledge, some did not but were willing to help, some were keen on criticizing etc…
To make people work together and turn those elements into energy was the motto of the Management Board. There was a book for opinions, a mailbox and even a telephone at the office for everyone.
The project was huge but no casualties occurred: purchases were signed by the warehouse keeper, loads of sands and rocks were confirmed, and expenses were recorded and approved by the chairman. Labor safety was also checked regularly.
Underground work such as digging, columnar and rock foundation was supervised and recorded by the accountant for later payment.
There was special focus on technical work, besides the technical supervisor, the technical deputy was present at the site to check and report on the quantity of mortar and concrete for each unit of work. He was also in charge of labor safety compliance and resolving problems so that the project went as scheduled at the minimum expense.Other purchases and services such as sound equipment, electricity and water were all contracted and approved by the chief. Documents were kept for later payments.
The Management Board met monthly to review, plan for next tasks and reported to members and the parish priest. Thanks to experience and best practices, the actual cost of the project was much lower than the allowed budget.
People and other dignitaries who visited Thanh Duc Parish such as Cardinal Pham Dinh Tung, Bishop Nguyen Van Yen, Monsignor Nguyen Van Phuong, Mr. Pham The Duyet (Chairman of the National Front Committee), Mr. Nguyen Ba Thanh (City Party Secretary) and Mr. Nguyen Van An (Chairman of the City People’s Committee)… all praised Thanh Duc church construction project. It was the efforts of many local and overseas parishioners who silently contributed to the church over the years…
The Thanh Duc church on the side of the 3rd of February street is a reminder of many hardships, difficulties and obstacles that those who were in charge had to overcome with their highest resolution: the church is my own home. No one can count the sleepless nights that the parish priest had to endure and the drops of sweat that workers shed at the site.
SOME PHOTOS…
Bishop F.X. Nguyen Quang Sach laid the first stone to start the construction of the new church (16 May 1999)
The start of the construction of the new church (17 May 1999)
Ground-breaking ceremony (17 May 1999)
The roof top of the church under construction
The inauguration of the church (29 June 2000)
The Mass in the church on the inauguration day (29 June 2000)
Performances to celebrate the inauguration of Thanh Duc church (29 June 2000)
Cardinal Paul Joseph PHAM DINH TUNG – President of Vietnam Conference of Bishops visited Thanh Duc church (30 June 2000)
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THANH DUC PARISH - DA NANG DIOCESE
History can teach us many lessons. There are lessons we must learn to live with gratitude and dignity so that our ancestors can be proud of us. However, history also has painful lessons that we must learn to avoid repeating the tragic mistakes. Nonetheless, those are valuable lessons that future generations must respect and remember.
Our parish history is just a little piece in the history of the universal Church or the Church in Vietnam. But it does contain many countless examples of the unselfish sacrifice that our priests, monks, nuns and the whole congregation have made. From those we can teach ourselves to be grateful to the Lord, Mary and our predecessors; to cherish the spiritual and material legacies left to us such as solidarity and sacrifice for the common good. It is also our responsibility to maintain our facilities and contribute in one way or another to the growth of our Parish. If we let our Parish fail, we neglect our obligation to our children.
MARKS IN TIME
1966
1991
2004
The Holy See delegation led by Monsignor C. Migliore, Secretary for Relations with States and Monsignor B. Phuong visited and celebrated Mass in the new Thanh Duc church (13 October 2002)
Co-celebrated Mass and the congregation…
Easter in 2000
*Source: http://www.thanhduchaingoai.com/D_1-5_2-209_4-315_5-4_6-1_17-1_14-2/
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