The Cardinal greeting retired priests on the first days of Lunar New Year
As in other years, at 8:30 am on the first day of the Lunar Year 2011, the Cardinal John the Baptist Phạm Minh Mẫn together with Fr. Trương Kim Hương and the priests working in the Bishopric have visited the former director of the Seminary, Fr. Paul Lê Tấn Thành and the priests living in the Chí Hòa retirement home. The representative of the retired priests thanked, and expressed their respect to the Cardinal for the tasks that he achieved during the last year, and wished longevity to the Cardinal. In response, the Cardinal thanked the retired priests for having prayed for the success of the 2010 Congress of God’s People and asked them to continue praying for the renewal of the Church that the Congress of God’s People has promoted. Subsequently, Fr. Trương Kim Hương presented New Year Day’s gifts to retired priests. After a happy conversation between the Cardinal and the priests, the visit ended with the Cardinal’s blessing.
Leaving the Chí Hòa retirement home, the delegation went on to visit the old priests living in the Hà Nội and the Bùi Chu retirement homes.
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, the Cardinal and the delegation visited old priests in the Phát Diệm and Thái Bình retirement homes. And on the third day of the Lunar New Year, the Cardinal and the delegation visited and wished New Year’s greetings to Father Nguyễn Hữu Tấn at Foyer Cao Thái, and later visited old priests at the Bắc Ninh and Dòng Đồng Công retirement home.
Reserving all three spring mornings – the first, the second, and the third days of the Lunar New Year – for visiting and wishing New Year’s greetings to old priests in retirement homes, the Cardinal John the Baptist Phạm Minh Mẫn wished to express a special feeling: “Respectfully paying visit and wishing New Year’s greetings to retired priestss to thank them for having dedicated all their lives serving the Church, to support their spirits, and above all to ask them praying for all activities of the diocese.” The silent sacrifices in their sick and feeble old age and their prayers are a sacred and priceless treasure of the Church.
