Brother Joseph Nguyen Van Hiep

Labor Day September 7, 1998, the weather in San Jose seemed unusually warm, too warm. Even humidity was high, even too high.

5:15PM, I called for Brother Cosmas Tuan and asked him to go swimming at the De La Salle Chapel swimming pool. Seeing Brother Joseph sitting on a sofa, I called for him, “Hieäp! Let’s go swimming!” He replied, “No! I’m too tired!”
- “I’m tired, too! That’s why it’s good to go swimming.”
- “No! I have a headache!”
- “Me, too! Maybe because of the unusual weather today! OK! Let’s go swimming!”
Brother Joseph hesitated for a while, then said, “No! I’ve got to go to market to buy rice. There is no more rice for the community, and for today!”
- “Oh! It doesn’t matter, let tomorrow get the rice, it’s not that necessary for today! Noodle cup is enough!”
Brother Cosmas Tuan added, “That’s right! Let’s go swimming first! There is enough time going to market after swimming! OK! Let’s go!”
- “No! You and Valery, go swimming, I want to stay home...”

6:00PM, I met Brothers Phong and Joseph Hung at De La Salle Chapel. It seemed that they came back after working all day long - on the Labor Day! - at the Vietnamese Parish. We got back home at Maxey Court together. Brother Joseph Hiep was not home.

6:15PM, Brother Joseph Hiep was carrying a small bag of rice and some bags of food supplies, mumbling, “I forgot today’s Labor Day! No rice at the Vietnamese stores, let’s enjoy with American rice!” then sat on a sofa, his face looked quite haggard and wasted.

6:30PM, the community gathered at the small oratory for personal spiritual readings, reflections and Evening Prayers. Brother Joseph Hieäp didn’t show up. Every Brother thought he was taking a rest in his room.

Evening Prayers had finished, the community stood around the dinner table, waiting for Brother Joseph Hiep. For a while, without seeing him, I asked, loud enough, “Hieäp! You’re still tired? Come to dinner!” No answer. Brother Phong inquired, “Did Hiep go out?” I ran out to the parking, noticed that all cars were there, then said, “His car is still there.” I went to knock and open his room’s front door, he was not there. Brother Phong said, “Maybe he is... busy in the toilet?” I went to the toilet, knocked the door then shouted, “Hieäp! You’re there?” No answer and no light reflected from inside the toilet. The door had been locked from inside. Every Brother present became anxious, knowing something bad must have happened to Brother Joseph Hiep. I tried to open the door but couldn’t. Brother Phong had found the appropriate key, opened the door, but we couldn’t push the door opened. It seemed something heavy was resisting it. Two of us pushed the door hard and it gradually opened, and everyone was horrified finding Brother Joseph Hiep lying down on the floor, his body along the opening of the door and his head against the wall of the room. Brother Phong had touched his chest, then shouted, “It’s hardened!” had I touched his hands and feet, then shouted, “They’re still soft. Quick, call 911...”

7:20PM, While Brother Phong held the phone in contact with 911, Brothers Cosmas, Joseph Hung and I moved Brother Joseph Hiep’s body from the bathroom to the dining room. Brother Phong listened to the 911 operator then told me to follow the instructions.

7:25PM, the emergency team came and immediately started doing every necessary steps to revive Brother Joseph Hiep. I noticed that when an emergency team member injected serum into Brother Joseph Hiep’s hand, several fresh blood drops ejaculated. Still hope... Another member injected I didn’t know what kind of medicine, and the third one followed heart beat on a small screen. A few minutes later, a second dose of medicine was injected. And a few more minutes passed, before injecting the third dose of medicine, the team member said, “The last one – The last chance.” I was panic-strike hearing it.

7:45PM, no sign of optimistic hope. One of the emergency team - the leader, I guessed - called up all the Brothers apart, then, shaking his head, he said, “I’m sorry - we have tried to do our best - but it’s too late. He’s dead.”

7:50PM, The emergency team left. Two policemen remained nearby Brother Joseph Hiep’s body. One of them said, “Wait for the coroner’s inquest, then he’ll say what to do next.” According to my understanding, because Brother Joseph had died so suddenly and in a certain unusual circumstance, policemen had to be at the site of the accident and that the victim’s relatives must wait for the coroner’s inquest.

Brother Phong told me, “An, call to Brother David and email the Brothers in Vietnam, especially Brother Francois, Visitor, and ask him to announce the bad news to Hiep’s mother and sister. For me, I’m calling to Brother Hiep’s sister and relatives and friends living here in San Jose, and to the La Salle Sisters. By the way, which Funeral Home is the most convenient?” Some Brothers suggested the one nearby Saint Patrick Church on Santa Clara Street.

I called to Brother David, Visitor of San Francisco District, but he was not around. Brother Stanislaus, Auxiliary Visitor, picked up the phone instead. I said, “Brother Joseph Hiep...” then I suddenly exploded in tears, not able to continue... From the other side of the phone line, Brother Stanislaus inquired, anxiously, “Valery, calm down... What happened to Brother Joseph?” I tried to regain my composure then said, “He’s dead!”

8:00PM, The La Salle Sisters and Mr&Mrs Chuc-Hoa, Brother Joseph Hiep’s brother-in-law and sister, entered the La Salle Vietnam House just on time to witness the coroner bring Brother Joseph Hiep’s body to the ambulance car. The coroner informed us that in two days, “His body will be at the Fisher Funeral Home.”

1:00AM early Tuesday morning, every “guest” went back home, and the Brothers at Maxey Court tried to take a nap. Laid down on my bed, I couldn’t sleep. At about 2:00AM, I went downstairs in intention to get a cup of coffee. Right near the place where Brother Joseph Hiep had been on the floor, Brother Phong, unable to sleep like me, rolled over on the floor. Looking at me with tears on his eyes, he whispered, “I want to be here, close by my beloved Brother...” Then both of us exploded with tears. A blank night...

9:00AM, Brother David, Visitor of the District of San Francisco and Brother Stanislaus, Auxiliary Visitor, came to La Salle Vietnam House from Napa. I noticed that Brother David secretively wiped out tears from his eyes when he had seen Brother Phong and I couldn’t retain exploding in tears. We discussed about the funeral mass programs. At the end we decided to have it celebrated at De La Salle Chapel, where Brother Joseph Hiep had dedicated his heart and mind and soul to young people. And after the funeral mass, he would be buried at the cemetery of the San Francisco District at Mont La Salle, in Napa.

The programs “Educate Children From Three Years Old” and “After School” at De La Salle Chapel continued their courses, normally. It’s good to recall that Brother Joseph Hiep had been Director and Principal of the After School Program for the school year 1998-1999, which began just two weeks before his death.

News about Brother Joseph Hiep’s death was quickly spread out through local newspapers, radio, and e-mails. In Vietnam, Brother Francois Anh, Visitor, has been clever in preparing their psychology and mind for Brother Joseph Hieäp’s eighty- year old mother and his younger sister to accept “God’s Will” about their beloved son and brother’s death.

10:00am Saturday, the Funeral Mass gathered nearly eight hundred Brothers, Sisters, concelebrant Priests, former students, actual students and friends at De La Salle Chapel at Kirk Avenue in San Jose. Sister Marilyn, USCC Director, who had just come back from Africa on the previous night, rushed to be at De La Salle Chapel on time to “meet” for the last time with Brother Joseph Hiep.

After the funeral mass, on the road to Mont La Salle in Napa, I led the funeral car stopping by La Salle Vietnam House at Maxey Court for a moment. A minute of remembrance and farewell was not enough for the Brothers members of La Salle Vietnam community to recall everything that Brother Joseph Hiep had done at the community during more than eight years (1990-1998.)

Brother Cosmas accompanied Brother David Brennan in the funeral car to Napa. Brother David looked back and estimated that there were about twenty five cars accompanying Brother Joseph Hiep to the cemetery. He called the chef of the cooking team at Mont La Salle and ordered him to prepare lunch for about fifty persons. He was wrong. There were nearly three hundred persons accompanying Brother Joseph Hiep to the cemetery! It would take nearly two hours to drive from San Jose to Napa!

Brother Joseph Nguyen Van Hiep died at forty five years of age. The La Salle Vietnam Community unanimously decided to open an account in his memory, “Brother Joseph Hiep Memorial Fund.” With the lovely active collaboration of many of his former students and friends, this Memorial Fund has effectively contributed to the service of poor people, especially in realizing the project in Cambodia.