On the occasion of the final profession of Sr. Maria Trâm Bùi, OP, an opportunity to reflect on the rich history of Vietnamese Dominican Sisters of Peace, which began in St. Catharine, Kentucky.
Below, an excerpt (pp.218-220) from “Signadou: History of the Kentucky Dominican Sisters” by Paschala Noonan, OP is shared.
One event which occurred in 1962 with far-reaching and continuous effects was the return of Sr. Maria Rose Huong to her native Vietnam. As a young woman, she had come to the United States sponsored by Bishop Peter Chi. Since she was a candidate for religious life, he advised her to obtain her religious life education formation in this country. After she had obtained her B.A. from St. Mary of the Woods, Indiana, she applied for entrance to St. Catharine Novitiate in September 1959. Mother M. Julia received her religious profession in 1960 in the name of Sr. Maria Rose’s Congregation in Bien Hoa, Vietnam. Following her profession, she earned an M.A. in Education at Spalding University (Nazareth College) Louisville. The time had come for her to return to her native land. The Kentucky Dominicans agreed to support her repatriation in whatever way possible. It was a tearful parting when she left in 1962. Who knew what lay ahead for her?
In letters back to St. Catharine, she described appalling conditions in war-torn Vietnam. Because of chaotic circumstances, letter became more infrequent and contact with her was lost for about a decade. Occasionally, Fr. Edward Gaffney, OP, stationed with the Army in Thailand relayed information about Sr. Maria Rose.
In April 1972, Fr. Gaffney was ordered to close the Army Retreat House in Cam Ron Bay because the North Vietnamese army was advancing rapidly to the area. He had all the chapel equipment which had been donated by Cardinal Terence Cooke of New York, transported south to Long Binh Post where he could give it to Sr. Maria Rose. As chaplain he brought the plight of the sisters to the attention of the soldiers and American Catholics at his Post. They were magnanimous in their donations to help build a church in Da Minh and to support the orphanage and convent.
Not until 1974 was actual contact made between Sr. Maria Rose and her Kentucky sisters. That year, Sr. Virginia Smith, OP, went to Bangkok at the invitation of Fr. Gaffney to teach his catechists. While she was there, Fr. Gaffney arranged for her to visit Sr. Maria Rose in Vietnam. It was a risky undertaking during the last days of the war, but Sr. Virginia was a risk taker. Her experience of the primitive conditions under which the sisters lived made an indelible impression on her. When she left Sr. Maria Rose and her companions, she felt she was abandoning them to certain death. Afterwards, she could not talk about it without crying.
At the Chapter of 1974, Sr. Virginia reporter about Vietnam and Sr. Maria Rose. She described burned out villages, children disfigured and wounded, adults starving and maimed, and sisters forced to work in rice fields or to raised animals to support themselves and their ministry. Her report so touched the hearts of the delegates that by Chapter Act, the Kentucky Dominicans pledged to assist Sr. Maria Rose in her ministry in a tangible way for two years. Sr. Virginia declared, “We are always responsible for those with whom we have shared life.” Her words bore fruit. At Chapters in 1976, 1980 and 1984, commitment to Sr. Maria Rose and her people was renewed.
Just prior to the fall of Saigon, April 30, 1975, the Council agreed that St. Catharine, Kentucky would assume responsibility for Sr. Maria Rose and her companions. The Vietnamese sisters were scattered because they had been advised by their Bishop to return to their families until matters improved. Their schools, hospitals and orphanages were confiscated. They were forbidden to teach. Although Fr. Gaffney offered to help Sr. Maria Rose to escape to the States, she chose to remain with her people.
Again, the Kentucky Dominicans tried to reach out to the refugees by contacting the Immigration Department in Washington, D.C. to offer to take care of any of the orphans from Sr. Maria Rose’s orphanage. Evacuation of the children was a fiasco. None of them reached Sr. Catharine, but, in time, some of the Vietnamese sisters found their way to Kentucky. Vietnamese Dominicans Srs. Hue Thi Le, Hoang Thi Luu, Binh Thanh Nguyen, Mary Phuc Nguyen, Rosa Thi Nguyen, Nang Thi Nguyen, Tuyet Ngoc Tran and Nang Thi Nguyen transferred to the Kentucky Dominican Sisters. Linkages of a Dominican Army chaplain, a Vietnamese Dominican sisterhood and Kentucky Dominicans, a continent away, attest to what it means to belong to the Dominican family.