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The group, from Son La province, the northwestern highland province of Vietnam (328 km or about 150 miles from Hanoi) where Christians are suffering severely from religious and human rights abuse as alleged in the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom's (USCIRF) latest report, has made the effort to catch up with the Hanoi Catholic community's rhythm in celebrating 80th anniversary of the Redemptorist establishment in Hanoi, despite of difficulties they may be facing on their way back home.
To learn about how much the minorities of Northwest and Northeast provinces in Vietnam have been suffering under scrutiny of the government's oppression, one has to look at the USCIRF's 2009 report as follows:
“Since the Commission's last report, in Bat Xat district, Lao Cai province, police harassed and confiscated food and other materials from a group of unregistered "house church" Protestants celebrating Christmas. In another village in Bat Xat district, police reportedly confiscated livestock and other belongings from the members of another Protestant "house church" celebrating the Lunar New Year.
In Son La province, ethnic minority Catholics reported that government officials and police regularly threatened the loss of government benefits and services unless they returned to traditional practices; and in Ha Giang province, local officials have used similar tactics in the past and have refused to allow a Catholic priest residence in the province."
The Archbishop of Hanoi and the Redemptorists as well as their fellow Christians at Thai Ha parish were well aware of the agony their brothers and sisters in Christ from the above regions are suffering, and by inviting the minorities to the celebration, the Thai Ha -Redemptorist community would like to show them how much they mean to the Catholic Church as a whole, especially at time like this, when Catholics at Thai Ha are also victims of abuse from the government except in different forms. The Superior of the Redemptorist monastery had been reportedly dropping everything to run out and welcome the group upon their arrival at Thai Ha. The congregation was equally elated to see the fellow- Catholics they have been faithfully praying and waiting for.
Another highlight of their visit was the group dance they performed and invited the congregation to join in. There seemed to be no difference, no formality can prevent the sound of music from bringing the Viet-Kinh parishioners together with the ethnic J'rai or H'mong at the Golden Jubilee celebration on the evening in early May of 2009.
The presence of the ethnic minority Catholics at Thai Ha parish had spoken volume, as if when secular power would do their best to prevent God's word from reaching those who are observed to be at the bottom of Maslow hierarchy of both material and spiritual needs, they will set out to go find it, as Jesus once said “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (Jn 10, 27)