austraLasia #3295
TAINAN:
7 October
2013
-- Fr
Klement interviews Fr Matthew Tri, 40 year old
Vietnamese-born Rector
of the Tainan Salesian Community, Parish Priest and Migrant
Centre
leader.
1. Who introduced
you to Jesus Christ and his Gospel and Church?
I come from a Catholic family; in fact I don’t know how many
generations we have been Catholic, so I am blessed indeed that
I grew
up in a Catholic atmosphere especially my dear father's piety
- he was
the very first one to talk to me about vocation and gave his
full
support for me to follow God’s call. There are so many
beautiful
memories which come to my mind whenever I recall my vocation
and even
my life. I am no five in a family of seven children.
2. What was the most
profound experience of your 10 years of Salesian initial
formation in Vietnam?
I came to know about the Salesians from the House of Studies
in Dalat
when I was just ten years old, where all our young Salesian
Confreres
were for their initial formation. At that time, I think, the
Salesian
spirit was still very fresh (and authentic) from our pioneer
missionaries most of whom came from China Province, such as
Frs Louis
Massimino, Mario Aquistapace, Andrew Majcen, Matthew Kim… I
heard from
our Salesian Confreres about them. Unfortunately, I didn’t
have a
chance to meet them face to face. But what I learned most from
these 10
years is what it means to be an authentic Salesian, the
Salesian Don
Bosco wants. I know it’s not easy. I am not perfect. Actually,
I still
have many defects and make many mistakes but I have to try my
best day
by day in order to be better. Please pray for me!
3. Did you think of being a
missionary ad gentes in China-Taiwan before 2003?
Looking back on my Salesian vocation, somehow I could say it
looks like
the life of Abraham. After formation in Pre-novitiate,
Novitiate,
Post-novitiate and Practical Training as usual I only did the
first two
years of Theology in Vietnam. The following years were in the
Philippines. I returned to Vietnam but less than a year later
I was
called - to go to Taiwan in July, 2003 (it’s 5 year renewable
agreement
between the two Provinces, an expression of gratitude Vietnam
shows to
the mother province). Since then, I have come and worked here
in the
Tainan Community. It seems to have happened smoothly.
4. How did you arrive in
Taiwan in 2003?
After receiving the suggestion from my Provincial (Fr. J.B.
Them), I
processed all the papers for the Visa for Taiwan. On November
7th,
2003, I arrived in Taiwan without knowing anything. I mean, no
official
information about Taiwan (history, geography, language…). I
started a
new life in every aspect, almost from scratch.
5. How were the first two
years of language and culture studies in a new country?
As a new missionary, we had two years of language and culture
studies.
I was no exception (at least on paper!). Like a child in a new
environment, I had to start from the very beginning with the
language.
Even though I come from Vietnam which is much influenced by
the Chinese
culture, I didn’t know even half of the Chinese
characters. Everything
started from zero. My full time commitment to Chinese language
classes
was only during the first six months. After my priestly
ordination, I
was appointed as Economer in the Tainan community. My classes
continued
but somehow I started to be distracted… Since then, the work
has grown
and expanded (school - spiritual animator and in the Diocese
of Tainan
- migrant ministry); and of course, my time for studies grew
less. As a
consequence, I never finished my two years of language and
culture.
Anyway, I think that is missionary life. We learn as we work
and vice
versa.
6. You have been Rector of
the Tainan community now for a year?
(NB Matthew is the youngest of 7 confreres in Tainan, living
with very senior confreres, one former provincial.)
I was really blessed when I was called to be the Rector of
this
community where I am now the youngest. Moreover, I have had a
chance to
live with not only our senior confreres or former provincial,
but
before 1975 they were the Superiors of my Superiors in
Vietnam. I would
like to express my special gratitude to Fr John Baptist Zen.
Thank God
for giving us such a good and exemplary confrere in the
community, as
Pope Francis recently said about Pope Benedict XVI being a
“Grandfather” in the family.
(NB there are three more Vietnamese missionary rectors -
Budapest, Albania- Scutari, Mongolia - Ulanbaatar)
7. Due to your language
skills you
have been entrusted by Tainan's Bishop Bosco Lin to build up
a migrant
pastoral centre in Shanhua (20 km from the school). Could
you share
your story of migrant ministry in Tainan diocese?
After my ordination towards the end of 2004, our Bishop, who
is
President of the ECMI (Episcopal conference for migrant
ministry) in
the CRBC (Chinese Regional Bishops Conference, Taiwan) asked
me to be
the Diocesan Coordinator for Migrants (at the time most of the
migrants
were Filipinos). Since then, I have been involved with this
new
frontier which the Church and our Congregation have
emphasized. After
several years going around to help them, both in spiritual and
physical
aspects, in 2009 our Tainan Bishop decided to open the very
first
Migrant Pastoral Centre in Shanhua – Holy Family Church, it’s
around 20
km from our Community. With an agreement between our
Provincial and the
Bishop I went as a Salesian in the name of the China Province.
I was
sent to set up the centre. As I looked back now it is like the
story of
the Pinardi house in Don Bosco’s time. Some parts of the
Church had
been abandoned for more than 10 years… With the help of our
Bishop we
were able to open the centre and begin serving our migrant
brothers and
sisters. I think it’s really meaningful for us to take care of
our
migrant brothers and sisters, in particular in the situation
of “the
Church on the move” today. Yes, I am very happy with this
work.
8. What about evangelisation
of young
people in the school and parish of Mary Help of Christians
where
Catholics are fewer than 1 percent? (NB since 1963 only some
600
baptisms in our parish).
This is a good question but also the most difficult one.
Someone once
said that doing missionary work in Taiwan is like trying to
pull a
buffalo up a tree. It’s not easy work, but I think this is why
we are
here! The young people in Taiwan now are quite different from
other
places. They are so much influenced by the local and
traditional
chinese religion. And, with such a developed technical and
material
focus in this country, the challenge of the missionary is even
more
difficult. Anyway, we have to plant and plant the seed
tirelessly… it
grows and bears fruit or it is not God's work.
9. Do you keep in touch
with many of the 100 Vietnamese missionaries ad gentes
around the world?
Yes, I do, but not with all. Most of them are young and I have
been
away from the Province a long time (around 14 years -
including
theology in Paranaque), so I don’t know them very well, just
their
names. Among them are some who were there in my time or some
were my
students with whom I still keep in touch.
10. You have never received
the missionary cross in these 10 years. Do you feel you are
a true missionary?
Time flies… ten years working in Taiwan, in Tainan! Since I
was sent
here I haven’t had a chance to go to other communities, not
even for
experiences in different fields of our Salesian work in
Taiwan. But so
far I am very happy to live and to work in my mission area.
Yes, you
might laugh at me because I am working as missionary without
'officially' receiving the missionary cross but I think
working in and
for the Salesian mission and being a Salesian is more than
enough for
me. The place does not really matter. What is important is
that we have
the heart of Don Bosco: for the glory of God and the salvation
of
souls, especially for poor and abandoned youth.
11. Any good advice for
young Salesians in the EAO region and especially in Vietnam?
Being a missionary ad gentes or not is not the
important
thing. What is important is being a good and authentic
Salesian. That's
what counts. So, before being a good missionary you have to be
a good
and true Salesian.
