Catholic followers stay united, contribute to common development. In the image: The Catholic people of Xuan Tien commune (Xuan Truong District, Nam Dinh Province) develop the profession of making traditional rice paper cake. (Source: baonamdinh)

Priest Hoang Van Tuan, Chairman of the provincial Committee for Solidarity of Catholics, said to promote the movement of “building advanced parishes and exemplary Catholic families”, the committee has added some criteria relevant to local conditions to the movement implementation.

Over the last five years, more than 890 parishes have been recognised as advanced ones and over 151,760 Catholic families won the “Exemplary Catholic Family” title.

The committee has also coordinated with the provincial Public Security Department to combine the “self-management, self-prevention, and self-protection” model with emulation movements such as those on building advanced and crime-free parishes and exemplary Catholic families.

Those movements have been carried out strongly and fruitfully, the priest noted, adding that many parishes and Catholic clans have held meetings to disseminate the Party’s guidelines and the State’s policies and laws and raise public awareness of hostile forces’ sabotage plots, worked to contribute to the great national solidarity bloc, and helped promote the practice of “living a good secular and religious life”.

Some pastoral councils have signed agreements with local administrations on firecracker trafficking prevention. Every year, the Bui Chu Episcopal Palace issues a letter to call on followers to join hands in the combat against crimes, including drug, gambling, prostitution, and illegal racing, to help maintain security and order, he went on.

In response to all-level Party committees and administrations’ call for COVID-19 prevention and control, the Hanoi and Bui Chu episcopal palaces also released appeals for followers to join common efforts. All parishes, Catholic orders, seminaries, and followers have seriously adhered to the Government, authorities, and churches’ instructions in the pandemic fight, Tuan noted.

Since 2017, Catholic followers in Nam Dinh have donated over 180ha of agricultural and residential land to road expansion without claiming compensation. They have also contributed billions of VND to the upgrade and construction of roads, lighting systems, cultural centres, schools, and clinics.

Nam Dinh province is home to more than 720 parishes and Catholic clans with about 470,000 followers.