Each parish engages in a community-oriented activity

Every few days, Nguyen Van Trung brings a 21-liter plastic bottle to get water from the clean water tap located in the Phuoc Long parish (Phuoc Long ward) for use. The water source provided by the parish not only helps Trung's family but also supports many other households in the area, contributing to facilitating the daily lives of the people.

Volunteers cut hair for children at Thien Binh Social Protection Facility (Tam Phuoc ward) under the Xuan Loc Bishopric. Photo: Van Truyen

Currently, depending on the needs of local people, parishes in the province all invest in water filtration systems and provide clean water to serve the community. In addition, through coordination with local authorities and based on the conditions and capabilities of each parish, many other social welfare activities are also organized, contributing to caring for the lives of people in Dong Nai province.

Serving the people together

Dong Nai province currently has 16 deaneries, 336 parishes, 1 pastoral center, 1 major seminary, 322 religious communities belonging to 3 dioceses including: Xuan Loc Diocese, Buon Ma Thuot Diocese, Phu Cuong Diocese. In recent times, Catholics in Dong Nai province have actively implemented patriotic emulation movements and the 1980 Joint Letter of the Vietnamese Bishops' Council: "Living the Gospel in the heart of the nation, to serve the happiness of the people", "Building in the church a way of life and a way of expressing faith in accordance with the traditions of the nation, actively contributing with the people nationwide to protect and build the Fatherland" and the annual pastoral guidelines of the dioceses. Thereby, many good models, creative approaches, and many exemplary individuals have emerged as advanced examples, good people - good deeds. The total budget for charitable activities carried out by Dong Nai Catholics in 2025 is over 252 billion VND.

Currently, charitable activities carried out by Dong Nai Catholics focus on 6 key tasks, including: solidarity to help each other develop economically; helping each other reduce poverty sustainably; organizing welfare activities for the less fortunate in society; building solidarity in parish communities and sub-parishes with other religions; participating in building the government, strictly implementing legal regulations; actively maintaining environmental hygiene.

Priest Nguyen Manh Cuong, Dean of Tan Mai Deanery, Head of Caritas Xuan Loc Social Charity Committee, Parish Priest of Tan Mai parish (Xuan Loc Diocese) said: In 2025, the social charity activities of the entire Xuan Loc Diocese will be 241 billion VND. Each parish has humanitarian charity activities to serve the community. For example, at Thien Binh Social Protection Facility under the Xuan Loc Bishopric, 155 orphaned children, lonely elderly people, and people with disabilities are being cared for. In addition, 30 parishes belonging to Long Thanh Deanery have joined hands to implement promotion of learning and talent, supporting over 3.1 billion VND for students to continue their study, regardless of religion. Meanwhile, 26 parishes belonging to Gia Ray Deanery have coordinated to carry out many social welfare activities such as: supporting the construction of solid houses for the poor, helping patients in difficult circumstances, providing capital to create jobs, giving gifts to people on holidays and Tet, with a total budget of over 13.6 billion VND.

According to Priest Nguyen Minh Chanh, Vice Chairman of the Committee for Solidarity of Vietnamese Catholics in the province, Parish Priest of An Khuong parish belonging to Phu Cuong Diocese (Tan Hung commune), for many years, the parish has actively carried out social charity activities, coordinating with the locality to care for difficult circumstances. In particular, the parish maintains 2 clean water plants to serve the daily needs of the people.

In addition, the parish also organizes free meal provisions every day of the week for 70 elderly people. After being packaged, the meals are delivered to their homes by the parish, contributing to supporting, sharing difficulties with people in the area.

Besides caring for material life, the work of building spiritual life for the people is also of special concern to parishes. According to Priest Nguyen Van Yen, Parish Priest of Son Giang Parish, Buon Ma Thuot Diocese (Phuoc Long Ward), every year, the parish organizes many cultural activities associated with parish events, creating a healthy spiritual playground for local people.

These activities attract a large number of people, regardless of religious or non-religious residents, thereby strengthening interaction, community cohesion, and demonstrating the spirit of solidarity between religious and non-religious people in the area.

Recognizing the contributions to the community of Dong Nai Catholicism, the Committee for Solidarity of Vietnamese Catholics recently awarded Certificates of Merit to 13 priests, nuns, and parishioners for their excellent achievements in implementing the Patriotic Emulation Movement among Catholic compatriots in Dong Nai province in 2025.

Supporting those in need

Priest Nguyen Manh Cuong said: Along with independently implementing social charity activities, the Dong Nai Catholicism continues to coordinate with authorities at all levels to contribute with the entire province to care for disadvantaged circumstances in life. For example, on November 14, 2025, the Dong Nai Provincial Fatherland Front Committee issued an open letter calling for support for the Fund for the Poor of Dong Nai province to assist more than 4,800 poor and near-poor households and thousands of people with extremely difficult circumstances. In response to this call, the Caritas Xuan Loc Social Charity Board, Xuan Loc Diocese, donated 500 million VND to the Fund for the Poor of Dong Nai province.

According to Priest Tran Xuan Thao, Chairman of the Committee for Solidarity of Vietnamese Catholics of Dong Nai province, Dong Nai Catholicism always adheres to the pastoral direction of "Living the Gospel in the heart of the nation, to serve the happiness of compatriots." Therefore, in 2026, the Provincial Committee for Solidarity of Vietnamese Catholics will promote mobilization of dignitaries, officials, and Catholic compatriots to actively participate in patriotic emulation movements launched by the government and the Fatherland Front; guide and encourage Catholic compatriots to continue implementing and concretizing the contents of good implementation of Party congress resolutions at all levels for the 2020-2025 term; Resolution of the Provincial First Congress of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, for the 2025-2030 term; Resolution of the eighth Congress of Vietnamese Catholics to build and defend the Fatherland, for the 2023-2028 term in the province. The committee will also mobilize parishes and religious orders to promote social welfare work...

In addition to caring for the lives of people in residential areas, Dong Nai Catholicism also pays special attention to those who are helpless by prioritizing resource allocation, spreading the spirit of love to more than one thousand orphans, lonely elderly people, and people with disabilities who are being cared for at 18 social protection facilities run by Catholicism, so that each facility truly becomes a home for those less fortunate.

Through these humanitarian activities, Catholic compatriots in the province have been contributing with the people to build the image of compassionate and humane Dong Nai people.

By Van Truyen – Translated by Mai Nga, Thu Ha