| Author | |
Erin
Forum Moderator
Joined: Feb 23 2005
Location: Australia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5814
|
| Posted: Oct 22 2006 at 6:08am | IP Logged
|
 |
|
For the past few days I have been engrossed in the world and words of Tom Dooley, an American Naval Doctor who gave medical aid to 600,000 Vietnamese refugees in their flee from the Viet Minh in the 1950s. Later Tom dooley set up Medico. Deliver us from Evilhas really made me stop and think, about the selflessness of Doctors and medical staff in refugee camps, about the generosity of the American Navy and in fact the American nation.
Most of all I have become fascinated by the Vietnamese people and their history. Their tenacity to hold onto their Faith is astounding, the Communists cruelly tortured these people for holding true to the Catholic Faith. 150,000 of Vietnamese's 200,000 Catholics lived in North Vietnam. Deliver us from Evil describes the rush of the Vietnamese to escape from the North to the South before the Bamboo curtain closed. Under the Geneva Treaty they were to be allowed to go South if they wished, in reality many never made it.
I wish to share a passage that brought tears to my eyes. This paragraph describes the rescue in the final leg of an incredibly heroic escape of 1100 people who had lashed together 14 sampans and braved the open sea for five days and nights. Travelling 300 km by sea. Their skin was cracked and dry, they were absolutely miserable and yet...
When our LSM was close enough for the refugees to make out the French flag on our stern, a heart-warming thing happened. Recognizing us as friends and not as foes, they hoisted, on a broken spar their own drenched flag: a flag they had hidden for years...their symbol,their emblem, their heraldry.
To the top of their highest mast they hauled the Papal banner, a yellow and gold flag displaying the Pope's tiara and the keys of Saint Peter.
__________________
Erin
Faith Filled Days
Seven Little Australians
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
ALmom
Forum All-Star
Joined: May 18 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 3299
|
| Posted: Oct 22 2006 at 9:38am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Erin:
We had the priviledge of getting to know a soldier from the South Vietnamese Army, now a US citizen. He spent some time in re-education camp after the fall of Vietnam, obviously hiding his identity until the family was able to escape to Thailand. His wife died in a refuge camp in Thailand. He is so devout, so kind - he is quite elderly and for a while was actually riding his bike to get to daily Mass. This was not a short distance and he had heart problems, and on busy streets in an area not geared for pedestrians at all. He no longer drives his bike to Mass as he now lives further out with his son and family - and we no longer belong to the same parish after our move, but I still remember the inspiration he gave to us.
Janet
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Rachel May
Forum All-Star
Joined: June 24 2005
Location: Kansas
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2057
|
| Posted: Oct 22 2006 at 1:10pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
This looks great, and timely for us since Bill is going to Vietnam in the spring. I think I'll have to buy the book since I can't find it at the library.
Beautiful quote.
__________________
Rachel
Thomas and Anthony (10), Maria (8), Charles (6), Cecilia (5), James (3), and Joseph (1)
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Erin
Forum Moderator
Joined: Feb 23 2005
Location: Australia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5814
|
| Posted: Oct 23 2006 at 1:58am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Wow Janet your elderly gentlman went through so much.
Rachel
I'm not certain that these books (there are 4) are still in print. His last 3 books cover when he went back to Laos and worked there. He did all his work in the space of 5 years!
__________________
Erin
Faith Filled Days
Seven Little Australians
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Rachel May
Forum All-Star
Joined: June 24 2005
Location: Kansas
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2057
|
| Posted: Oct 23 2006 at 8:38pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Erin,
He sounds amazing! Amazon has the 3 bound together (from your link) for cheap if I buy it used. Just need to convice Bill that this is what Santa wants to put in my stocking!
__________________
Rachel
Thomas and Anthony (10), Maria (8), Charles (6), Cecilia (5), James (3), and Joseph (1)
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
ALmom
Forum All-Star
Joined: May 18 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 3299
|
| Posted: Oct 23 2006 at 11:38pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Rachel - I saw the same thing with the same thought - hope there are plenty of copies!  .
Janet
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Dawnie
Forum All-Star
Joined: Aug 30 2005
Location: Kansas
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 841
|
| Posted: Oct 24 2006 at 8:45am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Erin wrote:
| To the top of their highest mast they hauled the Papal banner, a yellow and gold flag displaying the Pope's tiara and the keys of Saint Peter. |
|
|
 This brought tears to my eyes...how beautiful to be united in faith with these courageous people!
Dawn
__________________
Mom to Mary Beth (99), Anna (02), Lucia (04), Clara (06), and Adelaide Victoria (2/28/09)
Visit my blog!Water Into Wine:Vino Per Tutto!
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: Vietnamese Catholics
