17 January 2015, Father General arrived the Vietnam Province to participate in the commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first Jesuit in Vietnam. He was accompanied by the Regional Assistant, Fr. Daniel Patrick Huang, and also by Fr. General’s Regional Assistant for Western Europe, Fr. Antoine Kerhuel. One day before the closing Mass of the Jubilee, Father General presided the Mass with the members of Vietnam Province and received the final vows of 11 Jesuit priests and brothers at the chapel of Saint Joseph Jesuit Scholasticate.
Father General also attended the conference of the Provincials of the Asia Pacific, as well as the President of the Jesuit Conference of Europe, Fr. John Dardis and Fr. General’s Regional Assistant for Western Europe, Fr. Antoine Kerhuel from 19-23 January 2015 in the Archdiocesan Pastoral Center in Ho Chi Minh City. After the meeting, on 23 Jan 2015, Fr. General, arriving at a Jesuit parish in Ho Chi Minh City, being welcomed by some of the 178 candidates of the Jesuits in Vietnam.
During the trip he met many Jesuits and lay collaborators of Vietnam Province. Especially, on 24 Saturday he met all formed Jesuits in the morning and Jesuits in formation in the afternoon. Up to now, Vietnam Province has 212 members including: 1 bishop, 55 priests, 96 scholastics, 18 brothers and 42 novices.
Before ending the visit in Vietnam, on Sunday 25, morning, Fr. General met the Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli, non-resident Pontifical Representative for Vietnam, greeting, as he frequently does, the ecclesiastical authorities of the places he visits. At noon, Fr. General blessed the new retreat house of Vietnam Province and visited the Holy Family community, a Jesuit apostolic community located in Dong Nai (approximately 40 km northeast of Ho Chi Minh City).
