austraLasia
#1828
Thien An - God's Gift to
Vietnamese youngsters in inner city Melbourne
MELBOURNE: 24th April 2007 -- On Sunday 22nd April, the Provincial of
Australia-Pacific province, Fr Frank Moloney, and the Vice Provincial of the
Salesian Sisters South Pacific Region, Sr Margaret Bentley joined Mr Anthony
Helou, former mayor of Moreland City (suburban region of Melbourne), 375
visitors and 200 students to take part in the blessing and opening of Thien An
Centre. Thien An, which means 'gift of God' in Vietnamese, was once an old
clothing factory in the inner city area of Brunswick, not far from Melbourne
city centre.
Fr Anthony Quang SDB, who was appointed
parish priest of St Margaret Mary's Parish, North Brunswick earlier this year,
took over the old clothing factory, and with the sponsorship of Lafarge
Plasterboard Company and many Vietnamese benefactors and volunteers who worked
day and night for the past four months, has converted it into a beautiful and
functional education centre.
Like many of his
contemporaries in the 1970's, Fr Quang arrived in Australia as a refugee, having
survived unspeakable dangers on the high seas and in refugee centres. He,
along with a number of other Vietnamese clergy now fully integrated into the
Australian Church and society, has a pastoral ministry that includes thousands
of Vietnamese who have become an integral part of Catholic life in the major
population centres. A number of Salesian Religious in the
Australia-Pacific area are of Vietnamese origin. Fr Quang is ably assisted
in the new education centre activity by Sr Marguerite Nguyen FMA, who has
gathered and coordinated many volunteer tutors for the Centre. She has been
designated the Principal. With 200 students attending Maths and English programs
on Saturdays, and Vietnamese classes on Sundays, and all for free, the Centre
has gained the attention and won the admiration of many families, as well as the
civic authorities. The tutoring programme aims to help children who are
disadvantaged in their studies because their parents only speak Vietnamese at
home.
There is more of course - a Salesian education
centre would not be complete without a youth centre - the Savio Vicuņa Youth
Club caters for children who attend the Thien An Centre. Sr Thuy-Linh Nguyen,
who is attached to St Margaret Mary's, assists with the running of the youth
centre.
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