A Vietnamese Catholic Group in Cyberspace
In the years after the promulgation of the Second Vatican Council's decree on social communications, Inter Mirifica, and the pastoral instruction Communio et Progressio, remarkable advances in communications technology and the emergence of the world wide web system have created a need to critically evaluate how these technologies have affected the Catholic Church.
In a statement issued in connection with World Communications Day, May 27, 1989, Pope John Paul II said: "As the council fathers looked to the future and tried to discern the context in which the Church would be called upon to carry out her mission, they could clearly see that the progress of technology was already 'transforming the face of the earth' and even reaching out to conquer space. They recognized that developments in communications technology, in particular, were likely to set off chain reactions with unforeseen consequences."
"Far from suggesting that the Church should stand aloof or try to isolate herself from the mainstream of these events, the council fathers saw the Church as being in the very midst of human progress, sharing the experiences of the rest of humanity, seeking to understand them and to interpret them in the light of faith. It was for God's faithful people to make creative use of the new discoveries and technologies for the benefit of humanity and the fulfillment of God's plan for the world…using the potential of the 'computer age' to serve man's human and transcendent calling, and thus give glory to the Father from whom all good things come."
In light of the wisdom and insight of these pastoral instructions, the
Vietnamese
Dong Hanh (= Common Journey) group has taken full advantage of
these powerful resources provided by the computer age for evangelization and
catechesis. Moreover, its members try to embrace the spirit expressed in Communio
et Progressio: " The people of God walk in history. As they …
advance with their times, they look forward with confidence and even with
enthusiasm to whatever the development of communications in a space age may have
to offer." And for the Dong Hanh members, these new technologies
seem to offer an excellent way to promote communion and unity among themselves
and with the world, for communication is truly "the giving of self in love."
A Short History of Dong Hanh Group.
The group has its origin about 26 years ago, when the Jesuits established a student center in Saigon, currently Ho Chi Minh City, South Vietnam, named Dac-Lo Center after the missionary Alexandre de Rhodes, SJ (Dac-Lo is the transliteration of de Rhodes). (Beside his evangelization work, Father de Rhodes was mostly remembered as the primary author of the latinized Vietnamese language system developed in the 17th century). Everyday hundreds of college students gathered at Dac Lo to study and receive spiritual guidance from the Jesuit priests. In addition, the center also provided companionship through experience-sharing sessions. In the fall of South Vietnam in 1975, the center was forced to close and hundred of thousands of Vietnamese emigrated all over the world. Many of them resided in the United States, including some former Dac Lo members. And as early as in 1978, these members tried to revive the association. As the result, in June 1981, Father Pedro Arrupe, SJ, the late Superior General of the Society of Jesus, appointed Father Julian Elizalde, SJ, chaplain to the group. By that time, the group was renamed Vietnamese Retreat Group Abroad (V.R.G.A.).
As indicated by its name, the Vietnamese Retreat Group Abroad primarily focused on promoting the annual retreats based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola to its members and friends. In fact, facing the tragic events of separation from their homeland and alienation from the new culture, the Vietnamese refugees found in these retreats not only a healing power to their sufferings but also a spiritual renewal to their faith in the love of God through the mystery of Christ's Incarnation, Cross and Resurrection. Thus, the presence of Father Elizalde had been a blessing to the group. With much effort and ingenuity, he managed to travel around the country and give as many retreats as possible to the Vietnamese refugees every year. He also arranged for the collaboration of his fellow Jesuits to provide spiritual direction to the increasing needs of the Vietnamese community.
Moreover, after these retreats, the Vietnamese retreatants would come
together to preserve the experience of love and hope that was sorely needed in
their daily life. As a result, the number of post-retreat groups increased
steadily. Eventually, these groups realized that they were called to form an
integrated community, a community of small local groups scattered all over the
world, to integrate their lay experience of Ignatian spirituality with the
mission of bringing the gospel values to the world, especially to the Vietnamese
people. After the convention in 1983, to express the vision of the group as
committed individuals seeking to live a full Christian communal life, the
Vietnamese Retreat Group was renamed "Dong Hanh," which means "common
journey as companions of Jesus." As of early 1997, there are approximately
50 local groups as such in the United States, Canada, England and Germany. In
order to help each other live a full Christian life, they commit themselves to a
common way of life: conforming to the Ignatian spirituality, participating in
common activities, and attending group meetings.
Dong Hanh as a Christian Community
In a recent publication, the Dong Hanh Group defines itself as a "community made up of Christian men and women, adults and youth, of all social conditions who want to follow Jesus Christ more closely and work with him for the building of the Kingdom." Its members recognize "Christian Life Community as their particular vocation within the Church" and "aim to becomecommitted Christians in bearing witness to those Gospel values within the Church and society which affect the dignity of the person, the welfare of the family and the integrity of creation." The group is focused on preparing its members to be more effective "in apostolic witness and service, and assembling people in community who feel a more urgent need to unite their human life in all its dimensions with the fullness of their Christian faith according to its charism."
To help fulfill this goal, beside a bimonthly journal (also named Dong Hanh), the Dong Hanh Group has developed an efficient system of communications, to exchange news and messages among its members. A team of computer analysts created a network for the group, composed of an internal e-mail system called "dh-net" for its members, with the address dh-net@donghanh.org, and a Web site at http://www.donghanh.org where the home page of the group can be visited.
Thus, in accordance with Vatican II's Decree on the Apostolate of Lay
People, the Vietnamese group has demonstrated an ability to carry out its "apostolate
of evangelization and sanctification" by means of modern technology.
Indeed, through its internal communications system "dh-net", the group
has achieved solidarity among its members. In addition, its explicit dedication
to promoting communion with the whole Church, is manifested not only in its
members' involvement with the local church, but also in its united effort to
contribute to the Web. These activities truly reflect its active role in the "participation
of the laity in the church's mission."
Some special features of dh-net@donghanh.org
As previously stated, dh-net is the internal e-mail system of the Vietnamese group. It was created in 1990 by a member to share news and experiences among a ten-person group. The number grew to twenty-five in 1991, mainly on the West Coast. During the last few years, due to the rapid expansion of the Web, the number of participants has increased sharply. It even went international! The first e-mail connection to Asia took place in 1994, and Australia in 1995. By 1997, dh-net has approximately 200 participants residing in the United States, Canada, Asia, Europe and Australia.
How does dh-net operate and what are the incentives to itsmembers as a medium of communication? The distinctive characteristic of dh-net is the embodiment of Ignatian spirituality from all its participants. Other than that, this is an open area for any form of writings: experience sharing, scriptural reflections, translations of various religious articles and announcements or regular messages. Everyone has unlimited access to the system and the freedom to express, provided that the sense of community is maintained.
A glance at the daily writings shows how some dh-net members take on the task of proclaiming the Word. Besides sharing faith experiences, they also discuss spiritual writings, or write beautiful poems praising God and his love. Others focus their reflections on a way of life centered on Christ. For example, the "Today's Special," a daily devotional passage in English, appeals especially to the young members who are more proficient in English. Another feature, "Food for Thought," focuses on the contemporary meaning of various spiritual texts. Recently, an effort has been made to introduce materials related to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, as faith-sharing resources. These weekly resources are aimed at those catechists who need to be acquainted with the new Catechism. Every Thursday, the Bible Project team also posts the "Sunday Gospel Reflection" to help the group better understand the coming Liturgy of the Word.
In sum, the postings on dh-net are rich and diverse. They range from
routine announcements of retreat schedules and news to scriptural reflections,
catechetical resources, and prayers. The Internet allows Dong Hanh
members to overcome geographical limitations to be "one" in
Christ. To a certain extent, sharing on the Internet makes Dong Hanh
members realize a sense of communion, a sense that their group is a community of
committed Christians.
The Sunday Gospel Reflection Project
Dong Hanh's most innovative venture is the creation of the Sunday Gospel Reflection Project, started roughly two years ago. And since its inception, more than 5,000 visitors have signed the guest book, some of them have taken time to write comments or to share their reflections with the team. The project was instigated by a member who, after experiencing the transforming power of the Word, decided to study the Sunday Scriptures with his relatives, and then share their reflections with each other. He shared his findings with the present chaplain of the group, Father Dominic Hung, SJ. Together they came up with a plan of sharing God's Word with the community. The Gospel reflections would have to be prepared by its own members, and distributed on the net for all before the Sunday mass. They invited other local groups to join in with the preparation of the reflections and discussion questions that follow after. The purpose is to bring the Sunday Scriptures to the group in a contemplative way, and not simply as a pure intellectual process of scholarship. In the Introduction to the project on the Internet, the following statement indicates its nature and aim: "Several groups of us realize that we need to learn the meaning in the Scriptures if we want to appreciate them and want to use them for prayer. So we read some books, share what we find among ourselves, pray over them, and now we want to share them with those who are interested."
The feedbacks on the project were very positive, not only from Dong Hanh members but also from the visitors. Some excerpts from the comment log show its popularity. Here is a message, dated March 8th, 1997 from a visitor referred from Desperate Preacher's Page: "This will be a regular stop on my surfing for lectionary thoughts. I especially like the fact that it is coming from those who have been or are involved in a very different culture than my Caucasian, eastern Kentucky roots." Another guest of the same day wrote: "I am an Army chaplain, and find your site very helpful. May God bless you as you seek to help us minister the Word." A short comment from a visitor recently has deeply touched the group: " I am glad that I found this site. Please continue to let God use you the way He wishes."
Another interesting fact is the high number of Protestant ministers who signed the guest list. Would it be possible to have an ecumenical dialogue on the Web? Until now, the question had never come up. However, this may be a good opportunity for Dong Hanh members to practice tolerance, friendship, and understanding of other Christian denominations. Here is another message from the comment log: "I look forward to visiting your Home Page from time to time as I am preparing sermons. I serve the First Presbyterian Church of York, PA. Tonight I was doing a search of the net just using the word 'lectionary.' As I bounced from place to place I am overwhelmed with all the resources I have found…" How meaningful and valuable are those comments to the Dong Hanh group? They help the group to realize a new understanding of its mission as a community of Christians, living in solidarity with the world. For it is in the world that one can find God in all things, and better love and serve him. After years of helplessness and alienation due to a sudden exile, Dong Hanh has come a long way not only to help its members on their faith journey, but also to be able to proclaim the Good News to the world. Its mission is made possible through these powerful means of new technologies. Along with Pope John Paul II who asserts that the use of media is now essential in evangelization and catechesis, Dong Hanh realizes that the Internet is God's gift in its task of spreading the Christian message. In fact, "our century is characterized by the mass media or means of social communication, and the first proclamation, catechesis or the further deepening of faith cannot do without these means…When they are put at the service of the Gospel, they are capable of increasing almost indefinitely the area in which the Word of God is heard; they enable the Good News to reach millions of people. The Church would feel guilty before the Lord if she did not utilize these powerful means that human skill is daily rendering more perfect. It is through them that she proclaims 'from the housetops' the message of which she is the depository." In light of this, would not it be Dong Hanh's obligation to understand and take advantage of the new communication technologies in its task of evangelization?
Please send your comments about
these pages to the
webpal@donghanh.org