CATHOLIC EDUCATION IN VIETNAM It is my joy and honor to be here in the forum on education in preparation to the coming FABC which

will be held in Vietnam for the first time. That obviously is a divine gift to the Church in Vietnam on the way to be a faithful witness to Christ. It is he who is the only Master of wisdom. His Spirit is the only Educator who transforms the fragmented human heart into the unified one of Christ. For today's colloquium, I will present my reflection in three parts. First, I will piece by piece create a panorama of the Church in Vietnam in educational field. Then, I will point out the challenges in the present time. Finally, I will talk about some opportunities to be brought about in the consciousness of the Church in Vietnam regarding to education. I. A panorama of the Church in Vietnam regarding the educational field 1. Traditionally the Vietnamese pay great concern about education, not so much in terms of knowledge as of forming good human beings.1 The learned are those who sacrifice themselves on behalf of family and country. They have to be kind, courageous, diligent, and selfless. However, to gain knowledge is so important that it is synonymous with education. It is said that the learned are the educated people who have morally good behavior. Therefore, parents invest energy and resources to their children to school with a hopeful future in view. The whole family willingly makes sacrifices of all sorts, no matter how great are they, for their children's attending school. For the ordinary and working class, higher education is a path to a bright future. Vietnamese pay great esteem to teachers as dispellers of
Some folksongs describe the importance of education in the Vietnamese thought: No master no success!" Or "The fish will be spoiled unless absorbing salt; analogously, children will be uneducated (spoiled) with no obedience to their parents." Or Your children will not be taught well unless you show respect and reverence toward their teacher." Or "You should pay concern to others while feeding yourself." My children, listen to parents' advice if you want to be truly human." Or "Be working hard in studies Or Dads' merits be as high as the peak of Thai mountain, Moms' merits be likened to the wellspring of water. Pay great honor to your parents. That is filial piety." Or "Your siblings and you are like bodily members. Imitate not the cocks which are competing and fighting to each other." Or "Wisdom is like a dense forest. No way to delve into it unless starting to study from the childhood."
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darkness out of their children's mind. Teachers are counted as one of the greatest benefactors in parallel to parents. Inherited from such a beautiful tradition, the Church in Vietnam has made its own remarkable contribution to Vietnam. An unforgettable contribution of the Church in Vietnam to educational development and advancement is the Romanization of the Nom language into the Latin characters. Sure, it is a real work of the whole country, but the Catholics in Vietnam have their own specific part. At first, Romanization was used by the foreign missionaries in Catholic circles for evangelization. Then it was increasingly publicized and popularized. Thus, names such as Alexandre de Rhodes came to be remembered for ever in the Vietnamese culture and history. 2. Gradually, the common Vietnamese language strengthened national unity against the Chinese dominion over the country. It was also helpful to fight for freedom from French colonialism. By means of newly-invented language, the intellectuals recognized that Vietnam lasts while its language remains. Therefore, a policy to make elementary education obligatory was promoted, although that was not completely successful. Some well-known intellectuals such as Petrus Ky, Nguyen Tuong To, and others promoted an educational national reform. They ran newspaper offices, working for national independence. They translated some significant works to foster significant values. In so doing, authentic human values such as equality, justice, liberty, and goodness were disseminated. In addition, they encouraged some able students to go abroad for education. 3. Catholic intellectuals acted as a bridge between the Church and the society. Some were poets, others teachers, others politicians. They deserve all the credit for introducing evangelical values into Vietnam. For example, some poems of Poet Han Mac Tu, filled with a Christian sense of religiosity were published. By their works, the name of the Christian God was no longer strange at the Vietnamese ears; likewise, people became accustomed to justice, peace, and solidarity.

4. When the Church in Vietnam was firmly consolidated, step by step it entered into the educational system. It ran some private schools well known for their discipline and talented teachers and professors. In the rural area, schools were often attached to parishes so that elementary education was offered. They welcomed children, no matter what religion they belonged to. Sure, religious instruction was obligatory there, but besides this, some research for non-Christian religions was also promoted there. In the cities, some Catholic schools received a good reputation by their good results in the national exams. Through a cultural exchange, the face of Vietnam was transforming day by day. Some Catholics who graduated from Catholic schools or colleges participated in political arena on behalf of the future of Vietnam. Some became famous leaders. 5. Education in Vietnam was benefitted with the presence of some religious and educational congregations such as the De La Salle brothers, the Jesuits, and the Salesians. They ran colleges and schools which trained personnel for the country in varied fields.2 They also opened technical schools or vocational training centers to meet the needs of young workers. At the same time, through hostels, boarding schools, colleges, and universities, where students streamed, many values of the gospel were permeated into the country. Together with that, the religious congregations got involved in orphanages, and work with juveniles. To sum up the period, it is worth quoting the bishops of Vietnam: "The Dalat University is a great concern of the bishops' conference. The bishops search for a way to maintain and consolidate it so that it can bring about higher national education. At the same time, the bishops ask for unified policies and methods for the private schools. That aims at supplying a more integral education."3 Elsewhere, the bishops of Vietnam delivered the instruction that scholarship organizations need to be established at the parish and diocesan levels so that poor students could be given an opportunity to gain education.

2 3

Bishops of Vietnam, the decree of 1964; Cf. the Bishops' Circular Letter on the Building of Peace, 1969; Episcopal meeting on May 3, 1968 at Saigon.

Cf. Bishops' meeting on May 3, 1968 in Saigon.

6. The events of 1975 brought Catholic schools to a full stop. All schools were confiscated and nationalized. From then on, an educational monopoly has reigned. There has been no dialogue at all! The Church has been set aside in academic education. Atheism has publicly and openly been taught; meanwhile faith and its practice have been considered private. The lifestyle has been patterned after Ho Chi Minh or Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin. Life has been closed only in earthly realities, and nothing more. All means of social communications have to serve as a kind of brainwashing from any transcendence. It has been militant and exclusive atheism. Breathing such an atmosphere, everyone has unconsciously and progressively been poisoned. 7. Together with political dictatorship, the rapidly changing world makes an idol of pleasures and relaxation. The Western and American lifestyle molds the way of thinking of the young. They run after the "American standard". Moral laxism and relativism devastate traditional sense of modesty and sacrifice. Gangs are more widespread. A vast emigration from North and Central Vietnam into the South causes many educational disturbances. The number of illiterate youths increases. The educational level is increasingly poor. Child labor is out of control. Forgive me not to list these things in detail as I become pessimistic. In all, the educational situation is not bright in many aspects. 8. The Church in Vietnam lives the long day of darkness in terms of education. It feels bound or hamstrung, seeing many youngsters lead their lives to a dead end. Finally, at least a spark of light appears at the end of the tunnel. The Spirit breathes a new wind into the dark world. The movement of Perestroika has found its way to Vietnam, and the government now permits kindergartens to be run by the Church. Making use of this opportunity, some religious institutes for women launch kindergartens. They train their members to get national qualifications. Soon their kindergartens have impact even on governors and policemen. Sometimes it is a bitter criticism that nuns act as baby-sitters. That is not true. In education, no periods of age are unimportant, though the age of youngster asks for more concern. No doubt, with a mission viewpoint in the work of kindergartens, nuns can cultivate and imprint human values into very little boys and girls.
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At the same time, in the face of the immensity of abandoned, illiterate youths who are prey to gangs, addiction and social vices, some religious institutes start creating works of socalled charity-inspired classes or schools. Some vocational training centers are opened so that many apprentices can find a job for a better life. Some boarding schools under the name of vocational training centers, which basically Catholic ones, play a strong impact on the youngsters who used to be a shame to their parents. In the face of many students streaming to cities for their higher education, many Catholic hostels are opened offering them support and opportunities to be successful. There, the lifestyle based on diligence, sincerity, mutual fellowship and solidarity, in short, human virtues is promoted. Together with these, some religion-based organizations for scholarship offer support to those eager in studies. It is interesting that having received generous assistance, the graduated and successful ones voluntarily play an active part to scholarship organizations. Another feature of this colorful picture in terms of catholic education, an experience-based catechesis grows amidst the teenagers and youths. Some of them participate in the apostolic groups of volunteers to the service of the poor in summer breaks. Seemingly, those described above may be likened to a drop of water in a turbulent atheistic society of so many disappointing episodes. It seems true. The results coming from these activities, however, are not banal at all. They voice that God is still at work, that the seed of goodness still grows in the darkness. They gives educators hope and strength. What is beneficial if the educator has no hope, no dream? Moreover, it convinces that education is worth investing all material and spiritual resources. It truly says that forming a a true human person is the ultimate aim of material construction and building. Education must be personcentered, never building-centered, though it is easy to fall into the trap of apparent effectiveness. 9. As time passes, the increasingly strong storms of atheism, consumerism, and relativism devastate the country, the level of education is decreasing; and through this, the Church in Vietnam knows itself better. It definitely recognizes its mission role as nurturing and fostering the elements for perfection of society. It

raises its voice for the right to contribute its part to the benefit of the country through education.4 II. The challenges of the present time Such a picture points out some bright and dark angles of education on which the Holy Spirit leads the Church in Vietnam in holistic service to all humanity. The bishops at their 2007 annual meeting note some optimistic signs. They affirm the efforts of governors to 'purify' and 'clean up' the educational environment, fighting against insincerity in the exams, against false academic achievement and reputation, and against irresponsible pedagogical approaches. Many parents make big sacrifices on behalf of their childrens education. Language centers sprout increasingly. A less discriminatory policy brings about more opportunities for Catholic youngster to attend university. A better use of high-tech products facilitates the results of education. 5 These positive points cannot eclipse some negative ones. (1). The congress of God's people in Vietnam in 2010 echoed an educational emergency. It raises a warning light to both the quantity and quality of education. It re-echoes Professor Hoang Tuy's voice when he speaks of the very poor philosophy on education applied in Vietnam. He defines it as "a paralyzed educational system."6 It pays no attention to the model role of educators, who are absorbed by their interests. Effectiveness seems the only concern. The system cannot keep pace with the rapid change in society. (2) There is a lack of education in forming a mature personality. Varied forms of insincerity, cheating or fraud, school violence, and injustice are on the rise. Respect for teachers, a characteristic of Vietnam, is ignored. The self-interest is empowered at school. Plagiarism is current in the society. Drugs are sold in schools. (3). The Church in Vietnam affirms education as one of its top priorities for pastoral care and planning in the coming years. On the one hand, the Church in
4

Bishops' Conference, The 2007 Pastoral letter, 16; Post-Congress Letter to the God's

People in Vietnam, 37 5 Cf. Bishops' Conference, the 2007 Circular Letter on "Education Today for the Tomorrow of Society and Church" 8.
6

Cf. Hoang Tuy, "Some Notes on a Poor Education in Vietnam".

Vietnam asks for the end of monopoly or dictatorship in education; because the development of the country belongs to all the citizens and religions. On the other, the Church in Vietnam urges all adult Church members to care for children and youngsters.7 Against the background of educational monopoly, the Church in Vietnam should reflect whether there is a new kind of school. If yes, what is it? III. The Church in a progress of self-renewal on educational dimension 1. Education is much richer than knowledge. The bishops in Vietnam definitively affirm that education aims at the maturity of personality. It must be person-centered, not thing-centered. It must be understood in the light of mission rather than of actitvities.8 As Cardinal Ratzinger said: "Human life cannot be realized by itself. Our life is an open question, an incomplete project, still to be brought to fruition and realized. Each mans fundamental question is: How will this be realized becoming man? How does one learn the art of living? Which is the path toward happiness? To evangelize means: to show this path to teach the art of living. At the beginning of his public life, Jesus says: I have come to evangelize the poor (Luke 4:18); this means I have the response to your fundamental question. I will show the path of life, the path toward happiness rather: I am that path. The deepest poverty is the inability of joy, the tediousness of a life considered absurd and contradictory. This poverty is widespread today, in very different forms in the materially rich as well as the poor countries. The inability of joy presupposes and produces the inability to love, produces jealousy, avarice all defects that devastate the life of individuals and of the world. This is why we are in need of a new evangelization If the art of living remains an unknown, nothing else works. But this art is not the object of a science this art can only
Bishops' Conference, the 2007 Circular Letter on "Education Today for the Tomorrow of Society and Church" 11-15; 19 in particular. 8 Bishops' Conference, the 2007 Circular Letter on "Education Today for the Tomorrow of Society and Church" 3.
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be communicated by one who has life he who is the Gospel personified." It is evident that there is a very close relationship between education (to be truly human) and evangelization (to be truly sons or daughters of God). To project after Jesus, the Son of man and of God, to be human to the full is to be evangelized and to be evangelized is to be human par excellence. "Education by evangelizing and evangelization by educating" should be the sure path to the Church in Vietnam. With humility but courage, the Church in Vietnam believes that it can bring the medicine of the gospel to the educational illness of Vietnam today. I would like to quote here a strong voice of the Congress of God's People in Vietnam in 2010: "To exercise the mission in the current situation, the Congress of Gods People has a special concern for education. We propose the government to open wide the door for religious institutions and men of good will, that they may contribute more positively to school education, which is the key element for a brighter future of the country. The Catholic Church can offer the society its philosophy and experiences in education, in view of forming human beings who are responsible to themselves, to others and to the society. At the same time, the Church urges Christian communities, families and associations, parishes and religious congregations, to be more interested in education in terms of helping poor students, elevating education levels for youth, vocational training for rural youth , accompanying with Catholic teachers. Beyond skill training and formal elements of schooling, true education leads us to Christ, as a Perfect Man. Therefore, faith formation should be the guiding principle, essence and end of all endeavors in family, school, and parish. Such an education will help receivers listen to God and find their vocations in His plan."9 It is clear that the Church in Vietnam can contribute an educational key: a philosophy of education. Without it, education certainly fall into collapse. Not only that. The Church in Vietnam can bring a theology of education,10 namely, loving and merciful
9

Post-Congress Letter to the God's People in Vietnam, 37.

God's view to human destiny, the ultimate goal of education. It transforms human beings into God's collaborators. 2. More emphasis on integral education. Against both materialistic and spiritualistic viewpoints, the Church in Vietnam searches for an equilibrium. To the environment where the face of Jesus is prohibited, the members of the Church try to present human values inspired and permeated and molded by the human heart of the Son of God. To the environment where the Son of God is welcome and reigns, the Church in Vietnam makes efforts to show his human and kind character. Concretely speaking, the Church in Vietnam recognizes that with no solidly human foundation, no spiritual construction can be firmly erected. In this light, schools are alienated or has no authentic meaning if integral education is set aside. 3. More concern to communion or community dimension in education. Against the individualistic and selfish tendency of the consuming society, the Church in Vietnam makes great efforts to cultivate a communal dimension in Catholic education. Catechesis is not limited to abstract dogmatic formulae, but also finds ways to put them into practice. Youths are encouraged to form "small ecclesial groups" for sharing gospel reflections, for social services and for mutual fellowship. "Boy Scout" groups are revived with a more Christian inspiration. This movement makes it clear to us: schools are not much a place as a joint journey of teachers and youths to search for truth, love and hope. 11 Similarly, the family is not much a house as a joint journey of parents and childrens to search and commit themselves to happiness. It is by nature a school of communion, as John Paul II says. That leads us to a new insight of the Church which is regarded not so much an institute as a joint journey of Christ's disciples under the unifying Holy Spirit. Perhaps, the Church in Vietnam little by little view such a light at the end of the spiritual tunnel. 4. The role of family. Though burdened with great difficulties and changes, the family role is indispensable for education. It is the key for social renewal. No education is effective without the
Bishops' Conference, the 2007 Circular Letter on "Education Today for the Tomorrow of Society and Church", 4-7. 11 Cf. John Paul II, Pastores dabo vobis, defines the seminary as a joint journey to search for
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Jesus Christ.

contribution of families. The Congress of God's people in 2010 said: Facing with the current crisis of family life, the Church realizes that we need to foster and renew family ministry[...] Inherited from a culture of filial piety that is deeply rooted in family, we urge the faithful to concern yourself with building your family as a domestic Church, the first school to form new generations who are firm in faith, courageous in morals, responsible with society and the Church [...] promoting their prayer lives, fostering their union and fidelity, cultivating vocations, educating their children in the holiness and stability of their matrimonial grace.12 In the Lay Witness, the article "Chastity Begins at Home Parental Rights and Chastity Education" affirms the principle of subsidiarity. Other authority "must not usurp the family's prerogatives or unnecessarily interfere in its life", especially in educating children in chastity.13 In this context, it is interesting to observe that the parish is considered as a family rather than an institute. It is educational if all events of the parish will be celebrated as celebrations in a family spirit. 14 5. Community or fellowship. It is true that the young learn through friends. The impact of group 5. The role of moral conscience. As mentioned above, education is an art rather than a heap of knowledge. So, the Church in Vietnam, against the context of educational monopoly policy, finds the path of conscience to be essential. It says: "Specifically, the Church is convinced that the formation of moral consciousness is of utmost importance. According to the proposition of the Congress of Gods People, parishes should be more concerned about the formation of moral consciousness, humanistic values, a culture of dialogue in light of the Gospel. An honest consciousness will help the faithful overcome the so-called moral relativism and truly live their vocation, profess their faith consciously and maturely.

Post-Congress Letter to God's People in Vietnam, 43. Lay Witness, "Chastity Begins at Home Parental Rights and Chastity Education". 14 Bishops' Conference, the 2007 Circular Letter on "Education Today for the Tomorrow of Society and Church" 28-29.
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Moreover, to make a decision to live honestly will become a message that invites others to live honestly and truthfully." 15 Immersed in the context of slavery of all forms, only an honest, transparent, clear and just conscience will bring about true liberty. To form a righteous conscience is in the final analysis indispensable. James v. Schall, in the article "An Illiberal Education" writes: "Truth, Aquinas said, is the "conformity of the mind with what is." Any education that does not aim at this relationship is, yes, "illiberal." Whatever the current pedagogues say, it does not free us."16 It goes with humility which "has never consisted in not asking questions; it does not make men less themselves or less intelligent, but more intelligent and more themselves." 17 A good conscience understands these things clearly. Conclusion Catholic education should be taken as mission. If so, every Christian cannot be himself or herself without awareness of being sent. So, in a certain sense, each and every Christian should play an educational role. It should be done even without educational institutes, colleges, or schools. It should begin in the family. However, Catholic education cannot be achieved if "ultimate questions"as the basic questions of human existence - are absent to each and every one.18 The ultimate questions should be kept in mind: "Why is there something rather than nothing? Why does the human heart yearn for love, liberty, justice, peace? What is the meaning of life? What is the meaning of my life? What happens when we die?" Who is God of Love? Who is Jesus Christ? In Catholic education, there is something analogous to citizenship. Moms and Dads will instill into their children what the citizenship is by practicing conduct such as "law-abiding, concerned for the common good, solicitous to the needy, and
Post-Congress Letter to God's People in Vietnam, 38. James v. Schall "An Illiberal Education". 17 Charles Williams, the Book of Job, quoted by James v. Schall in "An Illiberal Education." 18 Raymond J. De Souza, "Answering the big questions."
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grateful for the blessings of a free and prosperous country." 19 There is no different path in Catholic education! Teachers, educators, and parents will hand on to their next generation their good answers to ultimate questions by living them out. In this light Raymond J. De Souza rightly writes: "Parents owe their children their best answers to the deepest questions. Children are genuinely interested in the larger questions, as anyone who has spent an hour with a four-yearold asking "why" about everything knows. For many parents though, being honest with their children provokes an awkward examination of conscience. The religious formation of children requires one to be honest about one's own religious practice. It would be very difficult to say to one's childrenand to oneself: Your mother and I are superficial people who do not bother to seek answers to the fundamental human questions. Or: We are religious believers but too lazy to actually worship or pray with you. Or: We have gotten so busy with secondary things that we neglected to teach you about primary things. Or: We are atheists, and believe that you are a product of random chance of no eternal significance. Or: We care enough about you to worry about the health of your body, but not enough to worry about your soul. So much easier to simply say: We won't impose anything on you, and let you choose for yourself. That is not education, but abdication. A seventh-grade teacher, to say nothing of the school nurse, couldn't get away with that. Parents owe their children the best of themselves. Their best is not only good schools and extracurricular programs. It is their basic values, including their answers to the ultimate questions. The Apostle Peter said, not about the Olympics, but about the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ: "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I give you." Parents should do no less."20

19 20

Raymond J. De Souza, ibid. Raymond J. De Souza, ibid.

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