Bishop, Vietnamese Apostolate, observe New Year with Mass, celebration

Vietnam, like many East Asian countries, observes a lunar calendar, thus the celebration of New Years Day varies annually, but always occurs between late January and early February. 

This year members of the diocesan Vietnamese Apostolate began the celebration of the holiday, known as Tết, on Feb. 4 with Mass celebrated by Bishop James F. Checchio in Our Lady of Czestochowa Church, South Plainfield. 

Msgr. John N. Fell, director, Office of Priest Personnel; Father Peter Tran, pastor, and a number of priests from the Diocese and the Vietnamese Communities of Metuchen and other dioceses concelebrated. 

The Mass was offered in memory of Bishop Checchio’s father, James F. Checchio, Jr, who died February 4, 2019.  Bishop Checchio’s mother, Mrs. Helen Checchio, and other family members joined with the Bishop at Mass. 

The sounding of a bronze drum heralded the beginning of Mass as members of the community, dressed in traditional attire, led the ministers to the altar with incense sticks symbolizing the prayers of the congregation rising to heaven.

Two young members of the community proclaimed the First and Second Readings for the Mass in English and Vietnamese. Tuan Bui, a member of Immaculate Conception Parish, Somerville, and a candidate for ordination to the permanent diaconate, felt that, “Having the young people participate in the Mass was a great way of showing that the Vietnamese culture and language is alive and flourishing here in the United States in the American-born generation.”

In his homily Bishop Checchio reminded the congregation that complacency can creep into our lives very easily, “The moral compass that guides so much of our world is pretty low right now. Many people don’t come to church, don’t go to Mass.” But, Bishop Checchio said, “Jesus does not want us to become complacent and the greatest antidote to complacency is the Eucharist.  Jesus gave us the gift of the Eucharist so that we would always have access to him.”

Bishop Checchio observed that the celebration of the New Year, Tết, presents an opportunity for followers of Jesus to look at their lives and to make a commitment to not let complacency slip in. He challenged the congregation, “to make this year a Year of Eucharist in our lives.”

The Bishop thanked the people, “for your commitment to the Mass, to the Eucharist and for the witness you give, not just within the Vietnamese community but to the entire Church.”

Andrew Dong, a long-time celebration organizer and member of the parish for more than 10 years, said, “Having Bishop Checchio celebrate the Mass and be part of the entire celebration was a great honor and appreciated by the community.”

After the Mass, the celebration continued on the grounds of the parish where a tent had been erected to accommodate the participants. The festivities included a variety of Vietnamese dishes, including desserts.  The entertainment provided consisted of songs and stories and concluded with a traditional Dragon Dance performed by two dragons, one red and one gold, appropriate colors for the New Year.

Kien Nguyen, a member of our Lady of Czestochowa Parish has been a youth leader for the Apostolate for five years.  He explained, “In Vietnam Tết is the major holiday of the year comparable to Christmas in this country, so to celebrate the day with a Mass and the other events was a wonderful opportunity for all to witness and honor the Vietnamese culture.”

Our Lady of Czestochowa is a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic parish dedicated to Our Lady of Czestochowa and Our Lady of La Vang. Both Marian statues are located to the right and left of the sanctuary. Our Lady of La Vang refers to a reported apparition of the Blessed Mother in central Vietnam at the beginning of the 19th Century, a time of great persecution in the country.