Father Costello in Vietnam

As part of my sabbatical research, I spent several weeks in the Diocese of Vinh in northern Vietnam during January 2017. The earliest evangelizers here were Portuguese and then French missionaries in the 17th century. The Church here today is very vibrant in its faith, is blessed with many vocations to the priesthood and the consecrated life, with an active and decisive participation of Catholic lay leaders. Many of the Vietnamese students at Good Shepherd College come from this area. I was able to visit some of their families, and Trung Van Nguyen was an excellent guide during my visit. I also met with many ex-students of the Gregorian University now working in the diocese, and gave some talks at the seminary and at a theological institute for the religious sisters. This experience gave me a new and very helpful understanding of the cultural and faith background that has shaped and formed our students who come from Vietnam.