Ad Honorem Immaculatae Conceptionis Mariae Oblatio

187 Introduction The beginnings of the Congregation of Marian Fathers in Vietnam and the testimonies of the first Vietnamese Marians As I arrived in Saigon on September 8, 2015, to initiate the presence of our Congregation there in accordance with the decision of the Superi- or General, questions about the sense and purpose of this mission, which had already been raised by many, came back to me with redoubled force. Nobody expected us there. Although Catholics constitute only 7% of Viet- nam’s population of ninety-million, their churches, more numerous than in many countries of the secularized West, are bursting at the seams. There is no shortage of priests. Religious congregations, both foreign and domestic still spring up like mushrooms after the rain. The vast majority of young men considering the path of God’s service called there “đi tu,” opt for di- ocesan seminaries rather than joining a religious congregation, especially a foreign one. This situation is especially noticeable in big cities such as Saigon with its nearly nine-million pool of residents. Diocesan priests en- joy great respect and authority among Vietnamese Catholics, much greater than religious order members, which is due to the former’s social standing as leaders of frequently very large parishes. Our relatively small Congre- gation did not seem attractive to those who compared it with the other communities which were already established or which had newly come to Vietnam. Nobody knew us here. If someone had heard of the Marians, he was convinced that our main goal was to spread the Divine Mercy devo- tion, which was what attracted his attention. In fact, in recent years, this devotion has become very popular here. Already in the first month of my stay in Saigon, a priest of a certain diocese was introduced to me, who ex- pressed his readiness to join our community, provided that our main goal in Vietnam was to promote devotion to the Divine Mercy. After he was told about our charism and our goals, his interest in the Marians and his enthusiasm diminished considerably. However, this meeting urged me to ask myself a specific, and at the same time, fundamental question: what is this mission about? Am I here only to look for so-called “vocations” or potential candidates for the Congre-