Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Hanoi (Fides Service) - Dalat Catholic Pastoral Centre which provides formation for young people, seminarians, missionaries is open to all young people. It has become a centre for spreading the Gospel and promoting education following the charisma of St John Bosco. The centre is run by the Salesians and this year, as the Salesian bulletin ANS reports, 72 students completed their novitiate. In the past Dalat Centre has formed missionaries from Europe, China and various other countries.
Dalat is known as “the city of eternal Spring” because of its green grasslands and woods and clean air. It is in the central mountains of Vietnam 1,500 mt above sea level. The first Salesian Centre for the study pastoral and theology was opened in Dalat in 1972, about 30 years after the arrival of the first Salesians.
The first to come in 1941 was French Salesian Fr. Francois Dupont who set about caring for orphans in Hanoi. He was killed in 1945. In 1960 the Holy See created the diocese of Kontum in central Vietnam where a Salesian mission and novitiate was opened in 1962 at Tram Hanh and then ten years later Dalat study centre.
In 1975, when the communist regime confiscated all church possessions, the Centre closed. it resumed its activity some years later and was officially re-opened in 1991.
In Vietnam today there are 207 Salesiani, in 17 comunità. Salesians Sisters came in 1961 and today they number 81 in 8 comunities. The first Vietnamese Salesian bishop, Bishop Joseph Hoang Van Tiem is in charge of the diocese of Bui-Chu. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 21/9/2005 Righe: 26 Parole: 261)
