While many Northern Virginia residents were still digging out from the recent snow, the scene inside the Dulles Expo Center was a celebration of bright colors, dragon dancing, joyful singing and a variety of Vietnamese cuisine. The celebration of the Vietnamese Lunar New Year was held Jan. 20-21 attracting approximately 12,000 attendees.
Also known as Tet, the lunar new year is a part of Vietnamese Catholic culture in the diocese. The two-day event is organized by Our Lady of La Vang Mission in Chantilly to help build its own church. “In the beginning we only had one church and now we have a missionary church, which will become a parish soon,” said Hanh Vu. “I hope that we will continue to grow.”
Kimberly Ma, 16, said young Vietnamese Catholics are showing a growing interest in learning about the faith. “I think it’s important that young Vietnamese people know about our Catholic culture. A lot of people nowadays really embrace our culture, especially young Catholics.”
Bishop Michael F. Burbidge celebrated Mass and encouraged members of Our Lady of La Vang to be bold in their plans for the future in his homily. “Don’t be afraid to discern as a parish, what new spiritual, pastoral or faith programs or initiatives, or service or evangelization opportunities might the Lord be calling us to embrace at this moment in time — to touch more hearts, to transform more lives, to move forward as a parish,” he said.
After Mass, Bishop Burbidge was presented with a traditional Vietnamese Ao Dai tunic. He wore it while mingling with festivalgoers and sampling Vietnamese food. “The message from the Bishop is very clear,” said Kevin Pham, president of Vietnamese-American Community of Washington, D.C. “God’s love is for every culture, from every corner of the world, so we need to spread love no matter who we are or what language we are speaking.”
Hale can be reached at [email protected]
