Cha Vũ Kim Điên Thành Lập Foyer Phát Diệm

Many Vietnamese pilgrims to Rome, including priests, religious men and lay people, while residing in Foyer Phat Diem (Phat Diem Nest residence) want to know about the history of formation and construction 

How did Foyer develop Diem? Now on the 30th anniversary of the anniversary of the late father Phero Maria Vu Kim Dien, who built this house, we would like to write a few lines to remember you, the very elite son of Phat Diem.

The late father Phero Maria Vu Kim Dien was born 02/02/1914 in the parish of Phat Diem, he died in Rome on 13/07/1985.

Vietnamese Catholics visiting Rome easily agreed with Monsignor Tran Ngoc Thu, the personal secretary of Pope John Paul II once said with admiration:"the father tried to pass away, leaving a monumental memorial in the Roman Catholic church, foyer Phat Diem". It is a large 4-storey house, containing more than 100 pilgrims, which we translate as Phat Diem nest near the Vatican.

Although it was not the beginning of construction, because it was the merit of the late father Luca Tran Van Huy started in 1949, but then from 1964 onwards, also by Bishop Le Huu from sai, father Dien followed the fact that Father Huy, having expanded the house twice, and lo refurbished, established the residence as we see it today.

The work seemed simple, but in those circumstances, everything was not easy at all. The main obstacle is lack of Finance and legal difficulties.

As a foreigner, there are many limitations in the laws of Italy, and then taxes are high, and finance is not there:we can imagine how many barriers. In that situation, I tried to run out of debt everywhere. It is easier for Vietnamese giants to know in Switzerland and France, but with high interest, up to 20% per month, which is required to receive capital to start. That way, when the builder approached the roof, the Italian bank, who had previously refused because there was no prospect of repayment, now obviously on the contrary, opened the Great loan safe at an interest rate of 5% per annum. Excited, father power stepped full force to reach the goal and take care of debt payment, the prepaid heaviness, the postpaid lightness but on time, lest the bank will enforce the condition of commitment to confiscate the facility.

Thankfully, you have fulfilled your wish. On 19/03/1969 father Vu Kim Dien inaugurated the new house, received St. Joseph as a teacher and enthusiastically entered the residence.

In front of the city, this is a "pensione" (meaning shelter), like the other hundred of sisters, but in the church it is a place for Vietnamese Catholics to gather, celebrate Sunday, welcome bishops, priests, monks to visit Rome, fathers and seminarians to study abroad, to resurrect the Dear moments of Vietnam.

Indeed, the Great Power father was very popular with his brothers for his hospitality, popularity and generosity. Whoever visits, he also invites rice and encourages " to eat for the Church, for souls!". Then occasions such as The New Year or the Great Feast will add cards to you, so that young people cheat and laugh for the day of Jubilee reunion. Among those endowed, he especially favored the Roman missionaries, regarded them as the future of the church and also to quietly recall the time when he was a seminarian there, then became a priest in the same place in 1939, the first study abroad, after the completion of the little Seminary of music.

After 1950 he was kept in Italy to study again, then returned to Saigon after 1955 as a professor of theology and philosophy, plus 2 bookcases he left behind, one in Phu Nhuan and one in Rome with expensive precious books, expressing his respected intelligence and hospitality.

To others, his charity is evident to those in need. Let's take a few examples. On the occasion that the whole of Western Rome was short of water because of the broken pipe in August 1965: the House had a deep well full of water, so he pumped it up, giving it to the people. After all, when the Jews who had to leave Russia for Israel needed to stay here to wait for check-in and flight, then the Vietnamese boat people massively arrived in Italy after 1975: they were all welcomed by him for considerate service. In addition, because it is the only sustainable Vietnamese establishment in Rome, when there is something to do with Vietnamese, or our culture, or the need to contact the Vatican, he is often used, such as as an interpreter for Pope Paul VI when he met the envoy of Hoa dam VN Le Duc Tho in 1973, or Vietnamese exams for French baccalaureate candidates in Rome and translated important documents requested by the Holy See, or helped obtain Vatican permit documents.

These are special occasions, but the usual job is to take care of the foyer Phat Diem residence, so that it is the true" nest", to take care of the nuns who work for the House, serve Vietnamese as well as foreign guests, to help our fellow citizens live in Rome: the task is diverse, there are times when it is very difficult delicately, but with God's grace, he has solved everything in order.

The great joy of the great patriarch is to welcome the Vietnamese bishops, in particular the "Visita ad Limina", which has the opportunity to last more than 2 months: to provide all the necessary needs such as residence, travel, reception, visitation there; in addition to take care of special medical care for the elderly, seek financial help from charities, buy the necessary equipment for the dioceses, and send items to Vietnam for them...

And the occasion of unspeakable joy, long - awaited: welcome and devoted to the service of the father of the Paul Bui Chu creation.

In the Golden Book, there is a record of solemn praise and touching gratitude of the leaders of the Church.

It is true that the peak of joy and pride is June 22, 1980: in front of the Vietnamese Bishops ' Conference headed by Cardinal Trinh Van Căn, with the presence of the pope, Pope John Paul II suddenly came to visit the House on his own. Therefore, the father of the Great Power is pleased to bring people in from the outside and, after all, offer a golden book, asking for a memorial signature. Without hesitation, the pope smiled and wrote: "CUM BENEDICTIONE JOANNES PAULUS PP. II " (Father Blessed Pope John Paul II).

Morally as before 1964 as a seminary professor in Saigon and the first director of the newly established Long Xuyen Seminary in the New Saigon neighborhood, he took care of the practice of virtue: simplicity, poverty, humility, cleanliness, meekness, cheerfulness, attentiveness, passion for reading, prayers, especially devotion to the Eucharist and Mary. At the table, he also told the story of the Old Monday: as a young priest, Roma himself, very passionate pastoral activity helped Father Huyen, the scout and the law, then as the manager of the House of Chung Phat Diem, before being sent to study abroad for the second time, as mentioned above, but this time mainly on farming to prepare for greater work for the territory. With the Apostolic enthusiasm available,now in Rome, he competes in chaplaining to a large congregation of sisters, home to both the principal and the practitioner, by daily mass, confession and training with well-written sermons. When he was in trouble, he often went on a plea pilgrimage, such as to the Holy Land, Lourdes, Fatima and famous or miraculous places. The miracle expected was mainly for the Foyer family or difficult difficulties depending on the destiny of the fatherland of Vietnam, and for himself he did not care much, because he has long been used to living sacrifices. Just a few typical things are enough to say this feature. During the years of building his house, he suffered from absolute poverty: empty house, winter 0 degrees, summer 40, alone did everything from going to the market, cooking, laundry, to keeping the house, watching the builders, running back and forth with tired feet using the original public car, then later better, also only small Fiat bought and damaged...

This old car image can be applied quite appropriately to his body in the last years of his life. In the spring, not a strong force but also excessive strength to study in 2 periods, but then too labor in operation,so quickly to exhaustion. Fortunately, thanks to the simple, heartfelt piety, he exemplified the pattern of disease in the last period: lying in hospitals, moving from one place to another according to specialists, starting from high blood, Cardiovascular, to polio and cerebrovascular rupture...

It happened on July 13, 1985 at the CRISTO RE hospital (Christ The King), with a life expectancy of 71 and 46 years of priests, in the mourning, affection and gratitude of everyone.

 

 

Reply of a priest, former resident at Foyer:

 

From:

Sent: Thursday, July 16, 2023 3: 21 PM

To:

Subject: Re: the father,

 

I haven't written a letter to you in a long time.

I just read my article about foyer Phat diem, on Vietcatholic page, grateful to the founders, to thank sour, and to pray for the Vietnamese Church, for foyer Phat Diem, growing and also I do not forget the Happy Days With You and dear Sr there, a few years ago.

In fact, we must thank God, because God through the room, for the church in Vietnam, poor, has luck and is loved by the church, creating conditions for a facility in Italy, thanks to which the bishops go to meetings, fathers, school teachers, including the Vietnamese people themselves travel, have shelter, at least some time, to pilgrimage, study or travel.

You're fine, aren't you? Foyer's job is good, isn't it? In the summer, the tourists are more crowded, right?

I am still grateful, praying for you and your Sr., half the teacher, to take me to visit St. Francis Of Assisi...

You let me see all Sr's, and May God bless Foyer and his service there!

 

Con Dominh Vu Ngoc Thu, Tan Viet country, Ho Chi Minh City

 

The following are two very meaningful letters issued by the president of the Union of monks of Rome.

Letter dated 1/9/2023 :

 

Honourable Father director,

The first letter, with love and gratitude, prays to God, through the intercession of Mary and St. Joseph, to give the Director always peace.

I am sending you this letter to ask the director to help us culinary work on the upcoming Lunar New Year at Collegio San Paolo, Sunday 02.02.2014.

Honestly, when you embark on the work of liaison in the family of the Roman Monks, you can only count on the generosity of the director and Foyer to help us in this important work, a work that Foyer to Diem has wholeheartedly undertaken since the birth of the Roman monks to this day. The history of the formation of the Roman Pantheon from its earliest days was associated with the generous contributions of generations in foyer's development.

I know only because of my love for God and want to give us moments of complete encounter in the activities that the director father and the foyer family are willing to take hard, even disadvantaged by worrying about Vietnamese meals for you. Every time I had the opportunity to have rice at the Diem House or at the interfaith meetings, I felt the grace, love of the director father and each one of Foyer, and I always thanked God for it.

May God, who is the source of Love, pay immensely for the generosity of the director father and foyer to develop Diem.

Today's letter.

I

Lm. By Joseph Bui Cong Trac

 And letter dated 9/7/2023:

Skin: 

Data invio: giovedì 9 luglio 2023 18: 52

A: 

 

Honourable Father director,

In the heart of gratitude to the late father Peter Maria Vu Kim diem on the occasion of his 30 years of death, I am pleased to come "to celebrate" and at the same time as a gesture of gratitude to the preceding teachers, and the occasion of gratitude to the director, father, sister and teacher Foyer of Phat Diem diem, always favored, sincere, just as the late father Peter Maria once said: "Eat For The Church, for souls". That love, we can't forget.

May God, through the intercession of Mary, Saint Joseph and the Vietnamese martyrs, always preserve and protect the director and everyone in the Diem House. For my part, I promise to remember the director and everyone before God.

Today's letter.

 I

Lm. By Joseph Bui Cong Trac