austraLasia #1828

Thien An - God's Gift to Vietnamese youngsters in inner city Melbourne

MELBOURNE: 24th April 2007 -- On Sunday 22nd April, the Provincial of Australia-Pacific province, Fr Frank Moloney, and the Vice Provincial of the Salesian Sisters South Pacific Region, Sr Margaret Bentley joined Mr Anthony Helou, former mayor of Moreland City (suburban region of Melbourne), 375 visitors and 200 students to take part in the blessing and opening of Thien An Centre.  Thien An, which means 'gift of God' in Vietnamese, was once an old clothing factory in the inner city area of Brunswick, not far from Melbourne city centre.
    Fr Anthony Quang SDB, who was appointed parish priest of St Margaret Mary's Parish, North Brunswick earlier this year, took over the old clothing factory, and with the sponsorship of Lafarge Plasterboard Company and many Vietnamese benefactors and volunteers who worked day and night for the past four months, has converted it into a beautiful and functional education centre.
    Like many of his contemporaries in the 1970's, Fr Quang arrived in Australia as a refugee, having survived unspeakable dangers on the high seas and in refugee centres.  He, along with a number of other Vietnamese clergy now fully integrated into the Australian Church and society, has a pastoral ministry that includes thousands of Vietnamese who have become an integral part of Catholic life in the major population centres.  A number of Salesian Religious in the Australia-Pacific area are of Vietnamese origin.  Fr Quang is ably assisted in the new education centre activity by Sr Marguerite Nguyen FMA, who has gathered and coordinated many volunteer tutors for the Centre. She has been designated the Principal. With 200 students attending Maths and English programs on Saturdays, and Vietnamese classes on Sundays, and all for free, the Centre has gained the attention and won the admiration of many families, as well as the civic authorities.  The tutoring programme aims to help children who are disadvantaged in their studies because their parents only speak Vietnamese at home.
    There is more of course - a Salesian education centre would not be complete without a youth centre - the Savio Vicuña Youth Club caters for children who attend the Thien An Centre. Sr Thuy-Linh Nguyen, who is attached to St Margaret Mary's, assists with the running of the youth centre.
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