Reflexiones de Otoño

Mensaje cortesía de Elizabeth Nguyen, la amada hermana de nuestro fundador. En inglés.

Dear Ricardo,

[…] I email you a reflection to mark the 4th Anniversary of his passing. Thank you for the love you and your movement reserve for him.

Love, Elizabeth Nguyen


Each year, the return of Autumn brings back to our family special memories of very memorable moments lived with my brother, the late cardinal Van-Thuan in the last days of his life.

I still remember as clearly as yesterday, the Masses we offered together in the hospitals. Since most of us came from different parts of the world, arrived on different dates, and stayed in different locations in Rome, he always made a special effort to accommodate us within the hour, when most of us were together, to celebrate The Eucharist, even if it was very late in the evening, when he would be most tired.

One particular evening, in June, which will forever stay with me, saw many of us gathered around the Cardinal, in his small room at Gemelli Hospital in Rome.

My late sister Anne, fearing the sweltering humidity and cramped conditions would tax his breathing, advised us to participate in The Eucharist from outside the room, in the corridor and on the balcony. With a smile, he insisted that, no matter what, he would rather have everybody UNITED in the room, around his bed. He went on to speak to us on the UNITY and LOVE realised through The Eucharist.
He reminded us that :” Jesus , The Bread of Life urges us to bring forth The Bread of justice, The Bread of brotherhood, The Bread of freedom, The Bread of Unity” (Testimony of Hope )

That evening, his words never left us and brought to each one of us such grace and consolation . He brought this devotion, this faith to everyone he encountered, and most miraculously, to the guards responsible of him during the period under house arrest in Giang-Xa , North Viet-Nam.

As I was cleaning Anne’s house after her passing in 2004, I came upon a letter addressed to my mother from one of his former guards, it reads:

“ Dear Mrs. Nguyen, I wish to express my most sincere condolences on the passing of Mr. Thuan, your son………He did not spent many years with us in Giang-Xa, but , he has left us many valuable memories. He often explained to us what it means to be a true Christian, he often encouraged us to love one another, because, without mutual love , there is no unity, and without unity, nothing can be achieved.”

On this fourth anniversary of his passing, let’s renew our commitment to carry out his messagein our daily lives: LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

May Our Merciful Father and Our Mother Mary bless us and guide us in our endeavors.

Elizabeth Nguyen thi Thu-Hong
Windsor , Ontario, Canada
September, 2006