“Du Sinh is more than just a name. It is the 14th religious group of Bac Hai Parish.” In 1994, the theme was “Diocesan Missionary”. Obeying the spiritual father, Legio parishioners from Bac Hai parish visited families in remote areas.
Du Sinh is located on a vast hilly area. This land is part of the Bien Hoa airport belt. From tree number 7 along National Highway 1A. Today it is Nguyen Ai Quoc road. Go north about one kilometer deep. It runs along the stream. Du Sinh land borders the parishes of Dai Lo. It also borders Xuan Tra. It is near Bac Hai and Loc Lam. The area also shares a border with two wards. These are Trang Dai and Tan Phong. Deeper to the west is the Bien Hoa Forest Enterprise.
Initially, about 40 families of all religions lived in this wild land. They came from the North. Some came from the Central and Western regions. They came to start businesses. They lived in thatched houses and temporary shacks. They grew green vegetables. They also hoed cassava. Some collected scrap metal. Their living conditions were poor. Their children could not attend school.
The Legio parish understood the families’ suffering. They asked Father Giuse Pham Ngoc Hoan for permission. He was the former parish priest of Bac Hai. He was also the manager of Ho Nai district. They wanted to form a missionary prayer house in this area.
Mr. and Mrs. Co Phero Phan Khac Kham of Hoi Am religious group donated land. It measured 20 meters wide and 50 meters deep. After leveling the ground, a pioneering missionary prayer house was formed.
Every night, an oil lamp hung in the prayer house. There was a class on love. There were also catechism lessons. These were for children. They were also for people who wanted to study the scriptures and be baptized. This was maintained regularly.
Seeing the progress here, people from near and far helped. The simple missionary prayer house was replaced. A new prayer house was built. It was made of cement. It had a tiled roof. A small electric light provided enough light. There was a statue of Saint Joseph.
On May 1, 1994, Father Giuse Pham Ngoc Hoan cut the ribbon. He blessed the prayer house. He also blessed the statue of Saint Joseph. He offered a Mass to thank God. He named it Du Sinh Hamlet. Saint Joseph was chosen as the patron saint. His feast day is celebrated on March 19 every year.
More joy followed. On May 15, 1994, Bishop Paolo Maria Nguyen Minh Nhat visited. He was the Bishop of Xuan Loc Diocese. He also chaired the Vietnam Episcopal Council. He visited the children at the prayer house. He blessed the missionary work here.
On June 14, 1995, Father Giuse Pham Ngoc Hoan presided over the ceremony. He baptized people. He administered the sacraments. Thirty brothers and sisters joined the Catholic Church.
On December 31, 1996, Bishop Paolo Maria Nguyen Minh Nhat approved a request. It was to place the Blessed Sacrament permanently in the missionary prayer house.
With the Blessed Sacrament in the prayer house, liturgical activities flourished. The Masses helped the religious life here to warm up. People became closer. They lived in unity. They helped each other.
After 17 years of formation of Du Sinh Religious Group from 1994 to 2011, there have been three terms of the Representative Board.
Currently, Du Sinh religious group has 158 Catholic families. This amounts to 624 people. They live in harmony with other religious families. Many houses are beautifully built. Many families have cars and trucks. Many students have graduated from universities. Some are studying at major city schools.
On Wednesday morning, September 7, 2011, Du Sinh religious community celebrated the inauguration of the new Prayer House. In the Nguyen Duong lobby, Father Dominh Tran Xuan Thao and Father Dominh Bui Van An cut the ribbon. The community was overjoyed.
Entering the Mass to thank God, the district manager presided over the ceremony. He blessed water. He blessed the prayer house. He blessed the statues in the new prayer house.
The new third prayer house is spacious. It is 34 meters long. It is 13 meters wide and 14 meters high. It took more than 49 months to build from July 2007 to 2011. The total cost was nearly 3 billion VND.
May God bless the new prayer house. May God bless those who have contributed to building God’s house. May God especially bless Mr. and Mrs. Phero Lucia Phan Khac Ngon. They are originally from Hoi Am religious group. They currently live in the United States. They provided financial assistance for building this prayer house. They helped build the religious group, parish, and Church. May it become more beautiful. May they live their faith faithfully. May they become witnesses of faith to the world today.