VietBF - View Single Post - Topic April 30-1975 Stories

florida80 · 08-25-2019

I was tempted to hesitate for the first time in my life but I found the strength to affirm my faith when I saw the interrogation room stained with the blood of all the other prisoners there on the wall.

I was shaken and suddenly I remembered the blood of Jesus – on His cross was the same blood. I said, “No, I cannot make Him shed blood again.”

So I said to the interrogator, “No. I will never say that.” That was my first conversion.

When I moved to the common rooms there were hundreds of prisoners. I organised story telling every night for two hours and they called me “Cinema.”

For the next eight years that I was in jail I tried to tell them every detail I remembered and sometimes I would imagine and invent.

When I told a story they would give me a bit of sugar to give me energy to go on and all who had received a gift would share it with the Cinema.

My family did not know where I was until I had spent seven years in jail and when they found me they sent me a piece of sugar – that’s all because that was all they could spare.

The best story I told to convert all the non-Catholics to Catholic was Quo Vadis. I had seen the movie and I had already read the book in French so it was easy to tell the story in Vietnamese.

It took me eight months to tell the story. After that I found out that some prisoners came to the priests to be baptised. That was very moving.

I was sentenced in prison for 13 years. After I stayed for over ten years I had Amnesty.

Those that had less than three years left of their sentence were released.

God said, “That’s enough for you.” That was 1998. I have done martial arts since I was eight years old and have a black belt in Karate, Judo, Tae-Kwon-Do, Aikido and Kendo and the government needed instructors so that was what I became.

Then my Vietnamese Karate group was invited to attend the Olympic Games in Sydney 2000.

I was the coach of a team of 10 athletes. We went to Australia in 1998 for an intensive ‘Martial Art Training Course’ preparing for the Games and, after the Olympics, everyone escaped to begin a new life in Australia, including me.

That is why I have my name on the blacklist of the Vietnamese government.

They accused me of organising the escape but after the training course everyone escaped privately. How could I come home alone to go to jail again?

After several attempts, I discovered with my limited English that I could not teach in the Catholic schools of the De La Salle Brothers.

I realised many Vietnamese immigrants would be in the same position with their English and I decided the best way I could help them was in the Sacramental ministry, Reconciliation and all the pastoral ministries.

That’s why I went to St Charles’ seminary to become a priest and sat for an interview with Bishop Don Sproxton and the staff.

They must have looked at me and thought I was too old at the age of 53!! But they accepted me and, in June 2003, I left my Congregation to join St Charles’ Seminary in Guildford.

On May 12, 2006 I was ordained a priest by Archbishop Barry Hickey and was the last one to be ordained at the old St Mary’s Cathedral before it was renovated. I am happy to be the old man ordained in the old Cathedral.

I served at Lockridge Parish, Port Kennedy Parish and now I am an Assistant Priest at the Vietnamese Community Catholic Centre. The Parish Priest is Rev Fr Huynh Nguyen.

I must confess that I learnt magic tricks whilst I was in prison. A lot of prisoners are experts at pick-pocketing. Now I can open any lock (I couldn’t escape from prison because they gave us nothing made in metal, only plastic).

08-25-2019	#2126
florida80 R11 Tuyệt Thế Thiên Hạ Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 113,793 Thanks: 7,446 Thanked 47,181 Times in 13,137 Posts Mentioned: 1 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s) Quoted: 511 Post(s) Rep Power: 162	I was tempted to hesitate for the first time in my life but I found the strength to affirm my faith when I saw the interrogation room stained with the blood of all the other prisoners there on the wall. I was shaken and suddenly I remembered the blood of Jesus – on His cross was the same blood. I said, “No, I cannot make Him shed blood again.” So I said to the interrogator, “No. I will never say that.” That was my first conversion. When I moved to the common rooms there were hundreds of prisoners. I organised story telling every night for two hours and they called me “Cinema.” For the next eight years that I was in jail I tried to tell them every detail I remembered and sometimes I would imagine and invent. When I told a story they would give me a bit of sugar to give me energy to go on and all who had received a gift would share it with the Cinema. My family did not know where I was until I had spent seven years in jail and when they found me they sent me a piece of sugar – that’s all because that was all they could spare. The best story I told to convert all the non-Catholics to Catholic was Quo Vadis. I had seen the movie and I had already read the book in French so it was easy to tell the story in Vietnamese. It took me eight months to tell the story. After that I found out that some prisoners came to the priests to be baptised. That was very moving. I was sentenced in prison for 13 years. After I stayed for over ten years I had Amnesty. Those that had less than three years left of their sentence were released. God said, “That’s enough for you.” That was 1998. I have done martial arts since I was eight years old and have a black belt in Karate, Judo, Tae-Kwon-Do, Aikido and Kendo and the government needed instructors so that was what I became. Then my Vietnamese Karate group was invited to attend the Olympic Games in Sydney 2000. I was the coach of a team of 10 athletes. We went to Australia in 1998 for an intensive ‘Martial Art Training Course’ preparing for the Games and, after the Olympics, everyone escaped to begin a new life in Australia, including me. That is why I have my name on the blacklist of the Vietnamese government. They accused me of organising the escape but after the training course everyone escaped privately. How could I come home alone to go to jail again? After several attempts, I discovered with my limited English that I could not teach in the Catholic schools of the De La Salle Brothers. I realised many Vietnamese immigrants would be in the same position with their English and I decided the best way I could help them was in the Sacramental ministry, Reconciliation and all the pastoral ministries. That’s why I went to St Charles’ seminary to become a priest and sat for an interview with Bishop Don Sproxton and the staff. They must have looked at me and thought I was too old at the age of 53!! But they accepted me and, in June 2003, I left my Congregation to join St Charles’ Seminary in Guildford. On May 12, 2006 I was ordained a priest by Archbishop Barry Hickey and was the last one to be ordained at the old St Mary’s Cathedral before it was renovated. I am happy to be the old man ordained in the old Cathedral. I served at Lockridge Parish, Port Kennedy Parish and now I am an Assistant Priest at the Vietnamese Community Catholic Centre. The Parish Priest is Rev Fr Huynh Nguyen. I must confess that I learnt magic tricks whilst I was in prison. A lot of prisoners are experts at pick-pocketing. Now I can open any lock (I couldn’t escape from prison because they gave us nothing made in metal, only plastic).