Here are some comments to accompany pictures sent by from Archbishop Daniel Bohan who is currently on a pastoral visit to Vietnam.

Some Vietnamese fishing boats on the coast that Fr. Thomas says were just like the one he and 40 other people were crowded into on their escape. Another man, now a priest in our Diocese, F.r Peter Nguyen, lost his wife and two of his small children when their boat overturned as they fled the country. 

Our trip to the beach today was to a place that is a real resort area on the coast north of Saigon. However in the early 80's, following the end of the war, there were no resort hotels there only empty coast and small fishing towns. Many Vietnamese fled the country in small fishing boats. Over a million people left the coast of Vietnam this way. One half of them perished, and the remainder reached refugee camps in Malasia and Thailand. Fr. Thomas Nguyen who is travelling with me was one of the latter. This is a picture of him on those fateful shores in better times now.

But before that, this picture is of the Diocesan Marian Shrine in that place with Pastor, Fr. Joseph Duong Nguyen who has been treating us with the most generous of hospitality this past week.    It is very beautiful and typical of the Vietnamese ardour regarding their faith. There were several hundred people there, many like this family group in the picture quietly praying the rosary.