Bishop Joseph Vu Van Thien In Brief
A diocese in northern Vietnam has begun construction of a church dedicated to Dominican martyrs, replacing the ruins of an earlier one destroyed during a US air raid in 1967.
Bishop Joseph Vu Van Thien of Hai Phong celebrated a special Mass to begin the construction of the new church at the Hai Duong Martyrs Shrine, about 35 miles southeast of Hanoi.
Seventy priests concelebrated at the Mass, attended by 7,000 people from throughout the country. Representatives from government agencies and Buddhists were also present, with many offering congratulatory flowers.
“Today, 50 years after the destruction of the martyr shrine, we are happy to begin the construction of the new church. This is a historic landmark of our diocese,” Bishop Thien said during the Mass.