Did you hear about the church that started as a place for the Chinese community but grew to welcome everyone? That’s Nh\u00e0 th\u1edd Gi\u00e1o x\u1ee9 An B\u00ecnh. It stands here a testament to faith community and change.
Nh\u00e0 th\u1edd Gi\u00e1o x\u1ee9 An B\u00ecnh also called Gi\u00e1o x\u1ee9 Th\u00e1nh Giuse An B\u00ecnh is more than just a building. It’s a vibrant hub located at 4 An B\u00ecnh Street Ward 5 District 5 Ho Chi Minh City. It belongs to the S\u00e0i G\u00f2n Ch\u1ee3 Qu\u00e1n area of the Tổng giáo phận Sài Gòn.
Back in 1967 Father Joseph Guimet from the Th\u00e1nh Phanxic\u00f4 Xavi\u00ea group started building this church. Many kind people especially from the Chinese community helped out. The Holy See also lent a hand.
Just a year later on December 22 1968 the new church was blessed by Angelo Palmas. It was dedicated to Saint Joseph the Worker. That day 17 Chinese people were baptized by Đức Tổng Giám Mục Phaolô Nguyễn Văn Bình. They gave thanks and prayed for everyone involved.
Father Joseph Guimet officially became the first pastor of An B\u00ecnh Church on January 24 1969. Later in March 1975 he went to France for medical treatment. Father Gabriel Lajeune took over with help from Father Paul Vallat.
In July 1976 Father Lajeune had to return to France after serving in Vietnam for over 20 years. Father St\u00eaphan\u00f4 Hu\u1ef3nh Tr\u1ee5 also from Th\u00e1nh Phanxic\u00f4 Xavi\u00ea became the caretaker. By April 1978 Father Hu\u1ef3nh Tr\u1ee5 had to step aside too. Father Đaminh Nguyễn Xuân Hy then took charge assisted by Father Martinô Đỗ Văn Diệp.
In June 1990 Tổng Giám mục Phaolô Nguyễn Văn Bình appointed Father Martinô Đỗ Văn Diệp as the official pastor. He expanded the church to welcome Vietnamese Catholics from districts 5 6 and 7. By 1995 there were over 1000 members.
When Father Martin\u00f4 got sick Fathers Gioan Baotixita Nguy\u1ec5n Ti\u1ebfn Tuy\u1ec3n and Vinh S\u01a1n Nguy\u1ec5n V\u0103n Đ\u1ecbnh helped out. They held services in both Vietnamese and Chinese.
After Father Martin\u00f4 passed away in July 2012 H\u1ed3ng y Gioan Baotixita Ph\u1ea1m Minh M\u1eabn appointed Father Giuse Đinh Đức Thịnh as the pastor in August 2012. In June 2016 T\u1ed5ng Gi\u00e1m M\u1ee5c Phaol\u00f4 B\u00f9i V\u0103n Đọc assigned Father T\u00f4ma Hu\u1ef3nh B\u1eedu D\u01b0 as the new pastor. Fun fact Father T\u00f4ma had worked with the Chinese community here for nine years before. Father Phaol\u00f4 Hu\u1ef3nh Qu\u1ed1c Vinh became the assistant pastor that year.
Despite facing challenges like an aging building and limited funds Father T\u00f4ma has worked hard to improve the church. He involved children from Đ\u1ee9c B\u00e0 H\u00f2a B\u00ecnh and the Đồng Tâm choir in cleaning the church grounds. He also renovated the ground floor into a chapel for weekday services and repaired the Resurrection House.
Today Nh\u00e0 th\u1edd Gi\u00e1o x\u1ee9 An B\u00ecnh is a place where Vietnamese and Chinese cultures come together in faith. It is a place of unity love and service to others. The church preserves its traditions while looking forward to a bright future. It serves not only its parishioners but also reaches out to those in need. Father T\u00f4ma believes in preserving the past to share the faith with future generations.