Vietnamese Christmas has Eucharist at its heart

Intermountain Catholic

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The Nativity scene beneath the altar of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Vietnamese Church in Kearns was hand-crafted by a Vietnamese artist living in California. ?With so much emphasis on gift giving, I must focus on the spiritual,? said Pastor Father Dominic Thuy Dang Ha. IC photo by Barbara S. Lee

KEARNS — Christmas among the Catholic community of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Kearns is one of recollection. They are a people who have suffered greatly through war, persecution, loss, and relocation half way around the world. The one aspect of their lives that has not changed is their faith. Father Dominic Thuy Dang Ha, a refugee himself, puts the Eucharist; the incarnation of God in human form, then into sacrifice, before his parishioners in direct contrast with the consumerism that surrounds them.

"In Vietnam, we would decorate the living rooms of our homes using black paper to make a cave, and cotton for the snow," he explained in a Dec. 15 interview with the Intermountain Catholic.

"In our villages, we lived very close to one another, so we would walk to Midnight Mass together. The Catholic Church is very strong in Vietnam.

Although Fr. Thuy has not celebrated a Christmas in Vietnam since 1962, and even in Vietnam the celebration of Christmas has been "much westernized," the fond memories of Childhood Christmases influence how he celebrates the holy days today. The Nativity set in his own apartment is peopled by images of children dressed as the Holy Family, the shepherds, wise men. In the church, before the altar, another Nativity set created by a Vietnamese artist living in California. It is a stunningly beautiful representation of the birth of Jesus.

A three-day parish retreat has prepared the Vietnamese Catholic community for Christmas.

"The first day our theme was Winter with Mary," said Fr. Thuy. The second day, the theme was the Incarnation and the Annunciation to Mary by the Archangel Gabriel. The third theme was "With Mary we celebrate Christmas," and we talked about and prayed about the importance of Mass and the Eucharist. We celebrate that Jesus is born again in us."

Planning for Christmas begins in the parish before Thanksgiving, with about a dozen parish members putting up trees and lights.

"There is work and joy for everyone," Fr. Thuy said, "children and adults are the same. Just like in Vietnam. Here, people tend to say that Christmas is for children. We say Christmas is for everyone."

The custom of Midnight Mass, lost in some places because children can’t stay up that late, is a large part of the Vietnamese tradition. A Christmas Eve Vigil Mass and Masses on Christmas Day are also celebrated.

"All Vietnamese families have children," Fr. Thuy said. "Christmas is a spiritual celebration first. We will have an exchange of gifts after Mass this coming Sunday."

The Vietnamese Catholic community will also welcome their seminarian, Tai Trong Nguyen, 40, who is studying for the priesthood at Mount Angel Seminary. He will participate in the parish’s Midnight Mass.

Following the Christmas celebration, the Vietnamese community looks forward to the arrival of the three kings.

"Since Vietnam is in the East," Fr. Thuy said, "perhaps our three kings arrive from the northeast.

"When we were in the seminary, we celebrated the feast of the Immaculate Conception, and we made a paper star almost a month before Christmas. We had no stained glass, so we made our star out of a box with colored paper. The lights shone through. The three kings would follow the star until they arrived at the crib on Epiphany."

There is much preparation among the Vietnamese, he said, cleaning the house, washing clothes, and decorating the church.

"We also prepare our souls," he said. "We go to confession."