CHAPTER IV
Trying to recover his place
In the above chapters,we studied in details the identity of the Brother ( or The image of a lasallian Brother) basing on the RULER and on the instructions of Superiors , as well as the field of possible actions which, half-opening, responds to his vocation that is “ education of the young and the poor as priority”. Is it necessary to stay there ,waitng for a “favorable time” to recover his place in this socialist country ? It is the very central question of this thesis. Naturally , in this situation, we cannot do what we want. The Brother John Johnston affirmed that ” we have to start by ourselves . Let not play the role of the victims. Let not condemn the others nor, simply curse the night “ for the problems from which we are facing.We have to take our responsibility of our life.We must be ready to take our lives backwards, if necessary, to re-start from zero” [1]. However, as we saw, the success of the Past printed in the people head that, even in the mind of brothers , a false image of a Brother-educator, is uneasily to remove, even in the case where “ the Institute like that does nothing. It is we who do”[…] : we, brothers individuals; we members of our communities; we members of the Districts” [2]. At the same time, he suggested lots of projects to those who dared create, in the Pastoral Letter of 1999. Let’s mention some of them :[3]
“- organizing at the level of Regions or Districts gatherings of interested brothers by Sessions of Discussion and “brainstorming”.
“- declaring , in writing, to be pledged in defending the children as an integral dimension of the Mission of the District,
“- carrying out the recommendation of the General Chapter to evaluate the efficiency of our programs and our action for the “promotion of Justice , particularly what is concerning the literacy, the rights of children,the values of education and the specific accompaniments.”
“- supplying materials to a permanent formation of instructors, personnel, parents, members of offices and old-boys to the social doctrine of the Church and to the orientations of the Institute.
“- Organizing seminars, colloquium , conferences, discussions ,wokshops to the members of lasallian Family.
“- Developing funds for scholarships in order to ensure a total or partial aid to many as young in need as well as possible.
“- creating educational programs to form all our young to take conscience of the consequences of the poverty and the deficient social structures.
“- Helping our children develop a social conscience and accept their responsibility of change.
“- organizing conferences ,seminars on the topic of exploited children.
“- participating to the political system as advocates for children . By honorary doctorates or other awards.
“- making them know the persons who devoted their life to promote the human rights of children.
“- in our program of formation of teachers , one has to assure the future teachers know well the universal declaration of the Human rights, the convention on the rights of the child and their implications for teachers and educators.
“- promoting the notion of “ every school = an impact center”.
“- fostering the creation of “outreach programs” in the local neighborhood , town,or city.
“-urging parents, former students, and pupils themselves to participate in programs of service to needy children.
“- encouraging the Lasallians, Brothers, partners, parents, former students, board members, pupils, to become actively involved with international , national, civic, Catholic and ecumenical organizations dedicated to confronting in a political manner unjust structures and inadequate legal protection of the young.
“- promoting vigorously the development of Lasallian Youth and Lasallian Volunteers on long and short term bases,recommending that they devote themselves in a particular way to neglected and marginalized children and youth.
“-We can strive to put into practice articles 40a and 19a that mandate districts to develop a plan to make the direct service of the poor progressively “ their effective priority” both in the geographical area of the district and abroad.
“- Supporting proposals “ to hand over to others some works of the district to meet more urgent demands.”
“-Moreover we can offerourseves for service in “places where there is a greater need for the ministry of the Brothers.” ( Ruler,40a,19a )
“- We can reinforce current endeavors and initiate new communities and “projects of insertion” in por sectors (Circ 435,pp 25,55 ).” There are many communities that live and work among the poor and the marginized; they embrace their conditions of life and shae in their sufferings, problems, and perils”.
“-Exploring the possibility of “itinerant schools,” such as the network of classroom vans in France.
“-We can reinforce existing programs and establish new centers for street chikldren,orphans and abandoned children.
“- Wecan maintain our long Lasallian tradition of working with children with behavioral problems by providing specialized assistance in our schools or by reinforcing or creating centers specifically designated for this purpose.
“- We can provide necessary facilities and care in our schools for children who have mental or physical disabilities but can function in an ordinary school environment.
“- We can also work directly or indirectly with children who are severely disabled,particularly when they are neglected and even abandoned.
“- We can improve the quality of our professional formation and we can strive to involve our school educational communities in our work.
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These above recommendations of Brother Superior are related in length can no doubt make readers dizzy . But, it is probable to admit sincerely and humbly that it is essential to further the conviction of brothers ,collaborators, and also readers of this document. Without basing on these writings, I will be alone “ to swim in backward flow “ . The Call of Brother Superior to choose the “ poor as priority “ ,”as a major topic” in the District Chapters… are not new, but dated since 1994 and more. 12 years after this letter publication and other documents concerning the Lasallian identity, with many efforts to “ convert” the mentality of the “ members of the Lasallian Family” in Viet nam. There are still a great number of them who do not believe completely in it , considering as “replastered”[4] what are realized .
However, concerning these questions on the possible options to live the Lasallianvocation in such a concrete situation , in spite of multiple and various responses , the choice of the poor always has top priority.
· Which ones need most the brothers? ( there are multiple choices at the same time= 285 responses )
- students: 55
- pupils: 62
- people of poor quarter: 76
- teachers: 20
- parents of pupils: 72
· What domains could the brothers integrate into the actual situation ? (there are multiple choices at the same time =240 responses )
- general teaching schools: 11
- professional formation centers: 21
- abandoned people centers ( drug addicts, street children …): 46
- teaching in public schools: 14
- social activities: 38
- collaboration with parishes: 29
- opening formation sessions: 13
- all the above domains: 68
· Which domains are the most urgent ?
- opening general teaching schools: 9
- professional formation centers: 11
- abandoned people centers ( drug addicts, street children, disabled…): 64
- teaching in public schools: 7
- social activities: 16
- collaboration with parishes: 14
- opening formation sessions: 12
We discern in Viet Nam and inside of the District 2 categories of service of the poor:
a) “ seasonal activities “ :
Since several years,the brothers have invited themselves and have been invited to animate groups of young, to organize outings for orphans, street children…during some holidays in the years such as : mi-autumn ( children feast ), Christmas, Tet, June 1st ( international children holliday ) ..Or to come in help the inundation or storm victims , in order to hand out some 10 kgof rice or 3 or 4 USD each family or to consult and hand out some medicines gratuitously to patients…All these human activities are called “ seasonal activities” (photo,p.478 )
b) “ permanent activities” : long- term projects as mentioned in the list of the annexes[5]
Why this distinction? The “seasonal activities” are firstly cyclical. Afterwards, one does not remember any more about life or death of those who enjoy our “ compassion”. I do not mean to abolish or to trivialize the good will of these charitable persons or moreover to criticize them .(photo,p.467 ). Surely no. The poor need these good beings to relieve and help them get out of such a miserable situation without having, however negative incidents in organization. I convince myself, among the brothers, there is noone who organized and participate to these activities much more than I did since my coming back from France in 1999 and I still do it up to now: consultations and distribuations of medicines to the poor in provinces once a month; visits and gifts
to isolated patients in hospitals, hospices , orphanages,ethnic minority families…But, when meeting these poor by means of human activities ,I always feel something unsatisfied . It is not sufficient for the Brothers’ life . It cannot stop there. It is from this reflection that I search endlessly – a little conceited word – all means to establish something (it is not any foundation ) stable that can respond to my educator- vocation (photo,p.468,469 ).
1st attempt : professional formation class
The procedure of the establishment of the professional formation center DUC MINH consists of three stages :
The first stage from 1989-1992,the second from 1992-2004 ,the third from 2004 – today. The first and the 2nd ones are already mentioned in the chapter 4 of Part II. I continue here the third one. (photo,p.470 )
The third stage
The professional formation Center has been running with no incident till the year 2003. This Center was open officially as a satellite of the Formation Center of District 3 ( a government Center ) since 1992. By the month of October 2003, the Headmaster invited me to his office and told me :” After more than 10 years of running, DUC MINH got all the possibilities to demand the licence for a new private Center “. I asked him the reason. After a long reflection and on my insistence , he gave me a response aside : “ the thing is insignificant.However, it is better not to let the others base on it to make trouble…”. He promised me to do his best to help me get the autorization for a developing private Center of professional formation. And he kept his words giving me a very favorable evaluation and presentation paper . Later, I understand the reason I could not do when asking in vain the headmaster : there was a quarrel of power inside the Committee of directors! Some comments on the subject of my Center as a satellite with the conclusion : It is thanks to his protection that my Center can exist. In fact,essentially because this center is a religious community. As a result, since that day then I had no right to recruit any new trainees. In reality, our classes were not stopped at all. However, we had to announce to our new comers they could not get any certificate at the end of the session.
I started then getting information from experimented persons and especially looking for a “ powerful person” to help me . One of my friends introduced me a Lady who was qualified as an intimate close friend of another , a member of the Invalids& Work Service , the Office that inspects all dossiers of this category. I agreed to do approaches with her promise to help me without any conditions. However, 6 months later, the dossier had no progress . Worried,I looked for another way. One day , a well- dressed gentleman came and told me he was sent from someone I know well and said he has been working for a construction Company and saw what and how to do for my request. However, being member of such a company, he needed a reason to justify his intervention . More clearly, he wanted a constructing work inside the community. I gave him my agreement: add another floor to the new building. The contract was then signed with 2 different parts : charges for a permission of a private professional formation Center and the cost for the construction. The price can be negotiated. The limit was finally fixed : 6 000USD for the license and 12 000 USD for the construction . The price was inaccessible for a non- financial ressource community.So I appealed to the vietnamese overseas Brothers . In this case, only vietnamese can see deeply the problem and judge its urgent necessity.
The approach started and the man promised a result in 3 months later. A month passed , he urged me to pay him a part of the sum to start building the construction for the opening of the Center. When the floor ended he asked me to pay him all the rest to get materials and even threatened me to stop the construction if I would not agree. However, after getting the money he disappeared for ever and I have never seen him till now. But his contractor always continued the work and finished the construction. At the same time, thanks to the person who introduced me …,the dossier was approved because of his reputation .Finally, I got the permission to found a Center signed on April 12th 2005, after a year and a half of interruption and approach. Since now, the private professional formation Center DUC MINH has the RIGHT to issue certificates after apprenticeship. It is an important and encouraging event for the brothers, former students,and persons who know the Brothers because DUC MINH is today the First Center of Education recognized officially by the Government after 29 years of absence.
The story revealed us that this event is only a return to the source as the historian of the Brothers ,br. Alban wrote : “ As the schoolteaching the poor was the predilection work of Saint John Baptist de La Salle , a gratuitous school was openend inside the Institution Taberd.[…]
“To finish ,let’s point out a school for the deaf-mute was established some time before the arrival of the Brothers. Also, the Missionaries hurried to confide it to the Lasallians who relocated it at Tan Dinh adding to it a professional establisment. The building block was named Saint-Michael School”.[6]
And later in his work, Br. Alban provided some more details about that first class of apprenticeship for the poor : “ 2 km far from Gia Dinh, with the straw huts made from bamboo trees sticked with mud and covered with panama hat leaves- we were in 1900- in the midst of coconut palm and arequiers. Here is the deaf-mute Lasallian school .[…]Active and clever, the little deaf-mute are initiated to joinery, veneer, furniture, vietnamese and french sculpture on wood, shoe-reparing. They work and live happily. A small proportion of these children are catholics, but they are all trained and taught the christian ethics by pictures.[7]