Việt Nam
The Diocese of Kon Tum brought the statue deep into the jungles of Kon Tum Pronvince, Việt Nam, by helicopter and erected it in 1971 on a simple pillar, but then, due to the war, the statue was damaged. The surrounding area became desolate as the people in the villages left. According to the documents of the diocese, this statue was carved by Rev. Thomas Le Thanh to resemble Our Lady of Fatima.
In 2006, the government wanted to expand the road system so they began demolishing the jungle. As bulldozers knocked down trees and removed wood, a worker found a statue with a damaged face and hands. He thought it was a Buddhist statue. He brought it home to fix it. He tried and tried to fix the face and hands but the replaced parts kept falling off. Then he realized that it wasn't a Buddhist statue because of the heart on the chest. He brought the statue back where he found it. He and other workers continued clearing the wooded areas for constructing new roads. Every time bulldozers got near the statue, they all broke down. For months, workers were unable to clear the woods because of the broken-down bulldozers. Word got out and Catholics came to see the deformed and disfigured face and hands that are somewhat similar to a leper patient's. The Diocese of Kon Tum has tried to replace the face and hands but nothing can be done.
This Central Highland region is home to many leper colonies. Our Blessed Mother not only appears beautiful but also ”appears” deformed among the lepers. She is the Mother of all people including the sick such as those with Hansen’s Disease.
Let us consecrate our country, Church, families and ourselves to Our Blessed Mother.
In 2006, the government wanted to expand the road system so they began demolishing the jungle. As bulldozers knocked down trees and removed wood, a worker found a statue with a damaged face and hands. He thought it was a Buddhist statue. He brought it home to fix it. He tried and tried to fix the face and hands but the replaced parts kept falling off. Then he realized that it wasn't a Buddhist statue because of the heart on the chest. He brought the statue back where he found it. He and other workers continued clearing the wooded areas for constructing new roads. Every time bulldozers got near the statue, they all broke down. For months, workers were unable to clear the woods because of the broken-down bulldozers. Word got out and Catholics came to see the deformed and disfigured face and hands that are somewhat similar to a leper patient's. The Diocese of Kon Tum has tried to replace the face and hands but nothing can be done.
This Central Highland region is home to many leper colonies. Our Blessed Mother not only appears beautiful but also ”appears” deformed among the lepers. She is the Mother of all people including the sick such as those with Hansen’s Disease.
Let us consecrate our country, Church, families and ourselves to Our Blessed Mother.
Father Tri goes on a mission to Việt Nam every autumn.
The videos on his YouTube channel called "JosephTri Pham" show the types of work he does.
Here are some highlights of Father Tri's mission to Việt Nam in October 2016.
Thank you to all donors past and present who make this mission possible!
The videos on his YouTube channel called "JosephTri Pham" show the types of work he does.
Here are some highlights of Father Tri's mission to Việt Nam in October 2016.
Thank you to all donors past and present who make this mission possible!
Here is one of his videos called "Mission Trips"
(approximately 10 minutes). |
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And another titled "Journey with the Lepers 10th Anniversary of Priesthood"
(approximately 10 minutes). Please go directly to Father Tri's You Tube channel to view more videos and learn more about his mission. You may subscribe to Father Tri's channel to get updates if you have a Google account (such as a "gmail" email account). |
My ministry Sandals for the Lepers started in 2010. Every summer I travel to the Central Highlands region of Việt Nam to make sandals for the patients. We make roughly 2000 sandals for the patients, and every six months, they get a new pair. In this slideshow, you will see how the sandals are made by hand in very primitive settings. This is because most people with Hansen's Disease are cast out of society to live in rural, undeveloped villages like Phú Bình in Việt Nam.
Over the years, my mission has expanded from focusing only on spiritual needs, to supplying a practical need, to assisting with medical needs. You will see some photos of a few of the two hundred Sisters of the Miraculous Medal who live in Kon Tum, Việt Nam. Twelve of these 200 Sisters have medical degrees (nurse, pharmacy, med tech) and help me in my mission. Some of the money you donate goes to their education; they cannot afford to pay for their own education, and without your help in sending them to school, no one would be qualified to serve the medical needs of these neglected and ostracized patients.
Besides my focus on the lepers themselves, I also focus on their children's education, especially making sure no one drops out of school. Thanks to your donations and the gifts collected by Charitas of Kon Tum, we are able to answer any doubt and overcome any obstacle to education. We give away college scholarships to older children and gift bicycles to the younger children so transportation to school is never a problem. Recently, one young man who had received scholarship monies graduated with his Doctor of Medicine degree (M.D.) and has returned to his home village to permanently live and to serve the lepers there, thanks be to God!
Thank you for participating in this ministry. Hansen's Disease patients in Việt Nam are truly among the poorest of the poor. For more information, including contact information to donate, please call me at 772-335-2385.
Thank you and God bless you,
Father Tri
Over the years, my mission has expanded from focusing only on spiritual needs, to supplying a practical need, to assisting with medical needs. You will see some photos of a few of the two hundred Sisters of the Miraculous Medal who live in Kon Tum, Việt Nam. Twelve of these 200 Sisters have medical degrees (nurse, pharmacy, med tech) and help me in my mission. Some of the money you donate goes to their education; they cannot afford to pay for their own education, and without your help in sending them to school, no one would be qualified to serve the medical needs of these neglected and ostracized patients.
Besides my focus on the lepers themselves, I also focus on their children's education, especially making sure no one drops out of school. Thanks to your donations and the gifts collected by Charitas of Kon Tum, we are able to answer any doubt and overcome any obstacle to education. We give away college scholarships to older children and gift bicycles to the younger children so transportation to school is never a problem. Recently, one young man who had received scholarship monies graduated with his Doctor of Medicine degree (M.D.) and has returned to his home village to permanently live and to serve the lepers there, thanks be to God!
Thank you for participating in this ministry. Hansen's Disease patients in Việt Nam are truly among the poorest of the poor. For more information, including contact information to donate, please call me at 772-335-2385.
Thank you and God bless you,
Father Tri
HAITI
On October 6-8, 2016, we experienced Hurricane Matthew, a powerful Category 4 storm. Thanks be to God we here in Port St. Lucie remained safe with relatively little damage and inconvenience. However, many Caribbean countries were devastated and destroyed, especially Haiti. About 80-90% of the southern part of Haiti was destroyed. One city that Hurricane Matthew destroyed, Chantal, I visited on a mission trip 6 years ago after the earthquake that killed over 180,000 people.
From October 17-21, 2016, I joined Father Yves, Pastor of Sacred Heart Church, along with 8 others including doctors, nurses, and volunteers in Chantal to help. Our medical team provided medical assistance to those who were injured, and our roof project team fixed houses that lost their roofs. Thank you for your prayers for our mission while we were there. Please continue to pray and support continuing efforts for the rebuilding of Chantal and all of Haiti. Above all, ask God to give us confidence that He hears our prayers to answer the deep needs of those around us, especially the people of Haiti. St. Paul wrote, "The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes...for the saints according to the will of God" (Romans 8:26-27). ~~Father Tri |
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