On Christmas Season 1986, the LASAN SPIRIT group, which are composed of
former Juniors at La Salle Thu Duc Junioriate, had been able to contact some of
their friends who were students at different schools of De La Salle Vietnam
before 1975. Among them, Tran Quoc Bao, a former student at La Salle Mossard Thu
Duc and editor in chief of the famous magazine Thế Giới Nghệ Sĩ (The Artist
World,) suggested and promoted the idea that former students of the La Salle
Education System in Vietnam before 1975 get together to “keep the La Salle
Spirit alive overseas, particularly at the Santa Ana county region where many
Vietnamese refugees have been resettled since 1975.”
The first rally was set on December 27, 1986. I was invited to talk about “The
daily life of The Brothers in Vietnam after the events of 1975.” I told Brother
Phong, “Our former Juniors and students are organizing a gathering in Santa Ana.
Do you intend to go there, participating to the gathering?” He answered, “No!
They didn’t invite me!” I went overnight to Sinh&Mai’s family on December 26. On
the next evening, there were about fifty people at the gathering. They
delightedly and happily shook hands each other, showing their joy to be meeting
again, for the first time after more than ten years. I didn’t know all of them.
More than half of them were in their 60’s and 70’s. They had attended the La
Salle schools in Hanoi - Puginier School, or in Hue - Pellerin School, or in
Saigon - Taberd School, etc. in three decades of thirties, forties and fifties.
I was moved and fired up by the presence of three generations of former students
from the La Salle Vietnam Education System at the first gathering of the kind. I
felt joy, happiness and pride hearing everywhere the sound of the so familiar
and friendly word “LA SAN” spread from mouth to mouth, from old people to
younger people... I was also amazed to see Brother Phong present at the
gathering. I told to him, “Oh Oh! How great that you are here! When did you come
from Philadelphia?” He just smiled, without saying a word.
For the talk, I tried to recount succinctly many aspects of the changing-life
that Vietnamese people had to endure in adapting to the new life-style which the
communist government from North Vietnam had imposed to the whole country. I
particularly talked about the “new education system” which had dramatically
affected the La Salle Vietnam Education System after 1975:
* All of twenty seven La Salle establishments were forced to be offered to the
“socialist education system;”
* Nearly all of the Brothers were forced to give up their educational mission,
i.e. they were forced to leave the schools and to be incarcerated within four
walls of their small convents;
* There were various ways for the Brothers to survive...
Most of the questions that the audience inquired were related to Brother X,
Brother Y, Brother Z... who had been their Teacher-Brothers before 1975. Some
questions were like “Is he still in Vietnam, and where is his station?” or “How
can he live?” or “What does he do to survive?” or “Who takes care of the Old
Brothers? How are they?” etc. And the gathering came to an end. Everyone wished
to have another gathering, as soon as possible, and gathering as many former
students and friends as possible, etc... The group LASAN SPIRIT volunteered to
plan for the next gathering.
***
The LA SAN SPIRIT group had decided to hold the La Salle Alumni second
gathering on December 28, 1987 with a younger look, i.e. with sportive
competition among students from different schools of the former La Salle Vietnam
Sport League before 1975. “It can remind all of us of the vitality of the
student body of our De La Salle Schools,” argued the organizers for the
gathering: Sport competition composed of Volleyball, Basketball, Soccer, and
Ping-pong. I asked, again, if Brother Phong could come to the gathering as in
the previous year. He responded, “Probably not!”
As the Fall Semester 1987 had ended nearly two weeks before Christmas Day, I
profited from the Fall break to make a tour of visit in Texas and Louisiana
where many of my friends’ families like Mr. Donatien’s, Mr. Martin’s, Mr. Joseph
Hanh’s, etc. and of my former Juniors’ families like Mr. Nguong’s had been
resettled many years earlier. Joseph Hanh and I flew from New Orleans to Los
Angeles right on the Christmas Eve, December 24. During three days of Christmas
among my friends and former students, I realized, once more, “How good to be
member of the LA SALLE FAMILY!”
There were about one hundred former students and friends attending the gathering
this year. Like last year, people showed themselves joyful and happy meeting
each other. Some proudly exclaimed, “It’s more than twenty years that we had
seen each other!” The climate of joy - and of surprise - included me when, once
more, I saw Brother Phong among those “athletes” talking and shouting and joking
after the games... Just like these “old boys” several years ago.
During dinner, everyone had an opportunity to share with the audience what had
been his most moving or funniest souvenir in his “old time” from his classmates
or from his Teachers-Brothers. There was a “real old” alumnus in his 70’s who
recalled that when he was at Puginier School in the 30’s, his parents were so
poor that he would have had to leave the school if Brother Jourdain hadn’t
sponsored him in covering everything about fees and tuition, etc. “Therefore,”
he added, “I suggest that you, my friends and classmates or De La Salle
schoolmates, create kind of Association of De La Salle Alumni to assist and help
our Teachers and Brothers in Vietnam...” While he was calling upon the audience
to create a sort of Association, Joseph Hanh who sat at my side, whispered to
me, “An, beware of founding an association. Maybe it’s not time to do it yet,
because, last several years, there were some students who had abused the word LA
SAN to collect money, pretending to help the Old Brothers in Mai Thon, but
nobody knows where such collected money went...” I nodded, then whispered,
“Thank you! I understand!” Invited to give advice, I stood up, then said, “First
of all, thank you everyone for thinking of our beloved Brother-Teachers in
Vietnam. About founding an Association of La Salle Alumni, I think that it would
be better to postpone it until next rally, so that we have more time discussing
and examining more details.”
Before leaving, everyone expressed his/her aspiration to gather again, by next
year, with participation of more Brothers, students, former students and
friends. The LA SAN SPIRIT group, again, agreed to take responsibility to
promote, to be in contact with more former students, and particularly to plan
for the next rally.
Brother Phong and I went back to Philadelphia. I said to Brother Phong, “As you
can see, the Vietnamese and La Salle Alumni ethnic groups are quite numerous in
California. Their nationalist and Lasallian spirits are laudably precious.
Through two La Salle Alumni rallies - previously in 1986 and recently last
month, in December - an idea came to my mind that I want to share with you. ‘If
you can gather some Vietnamese Brothers and form a new community in California,
and when I return to Paris working in a Vietnamese community - at ALDER, then
the overseas Vietnamese Brothers at the two communities would collaborate
closely and maybe enthusiastically assist and help the District of Saigon for
short and long term as well.’ What do you think about it?” Brother Phong slowly
shook his head, then said, “It’s quite difficult! I had experienced about the
Vietnamese Brothers community right here, in Philadelphia, nearby the American
Brothers West Catholic community.” I asked, “Really? Was there a Vietnamese
Brothers community, right here?” Brother Phong seemed to be saddened. He
replied, “Why yes! Starting in late 1978, there was a Vietnamese Brothers
community which was composed of Brothers Cosmas Tuan, Long, Genereux Nhon, John
Chung and myself. There also were some Juniors - whom were later called
Aspirants - like Bui Quang Tu - your former Junior at La Salle Mossard Thu Duc
in 1974, you remember him?” Brother Phong stopped speaking for a while and was
nostalgic. “But,” he continued, “the community was to disappear, just about two
years before you came here in 1986. Brother Genereux Nhon moved to New Orleans;
Brother John Chung moved to Calvert Hall; Brother Long quit the congregation
then moved to Louisiana; the Aspirants moved back to their families. Brother
Cosmas and I joined the West Catholic community, until now.”
***
Former students at De La Salle Schools in Vietnam and friends living in other
States than California like Virginia, Illinois, Texas, etc. who had heard about
the rallies of La Salle Alumni in California, wished to do so for their local
area.
Alphonse Vu Tran Thanh, ex-Brother Jean-Marie of the “Treøs Honoreù Freøre Nicet
Joseph Group” in 1963 at Mont La Salle Nha Trang, has always been sympathetic
with and zealous about the La Salle educational mission. He had failed joining
the La Salle Alumni at the rally on December 1987. He wished to found an
organization - not for profit if possible - gathering all former La Salle
Vietnam students who had been in Virginia, Washington DC, and some neighboring
States in the East Coast. The first step he had taken was to be in contact with
as many former La Salle students and friends as possible, suggesting that they
get together. Such a solicitation was positively and enthusiastically responded
to.
The Vietnamese Brothers present on the East Coast were invited to the first
rally at the Saint Vietnamese Martyrs Church in Alexandria, Virginia. Brothers
Cosmas Tuan, Fortunat Phong, John Chung and myself in company with about fifty
La Salle Vietnam former students and friends joyfully and happily shook hands of
each other, welcoming each other at the reception which began with the holy
Eucharist in honor of Saint De La Salle, presided by a pastor, Rev. Trong who
himself was a former student of the La Salle Brothers. This first rally was like
a catalyst or accelerator truly effective for the foundation of the non-profit
Association of the La Salle Alumni of Virginia&Washington DC in future.
Brother Joseph Ninh, Dean of the Computer Science Department at Lewis University
in Chicago, used to contact some former La Salle Vietnam students and friends
around the city of Chicago, like Mr. Chuong, Mai, Vinh, etc. The good and
enthusiastic news from the rallies in California and Virginia urged them to
follow the trend of enjoying and fostering hopes for conserving and developing
the “La Salle Spirit which had been bonding us since childhood.”
To start such a movement of solidarity, the group of the La Salle Vietnam
students and friends decided to honor Saint De La Salle on May 15, 1988 on the
property of Lewis University, and solicited as many Vietnamese Brothers and
friends around the region as possible to participate to the celebration. There
were more than fifty participants. And it was an encouraging starting point. On
this occasion, an old man in his seventies met me, and said in a way half joking
half serious, “Freøre! You are a young Freøre and deserve blame!” I smiled, then
asked, “For what does Uncle blame me?” He joyfully shook my hands, then said,
“Thanks to punishments I received so many times in my childhood from my
honorable Brother-Teachers that I am now what I am. Younger Brothers, you don’t
dare punish, nowadays, your students; therefore, they are not as good as
expected! Do you remember the proverb from our ancestors: ‘Spare the rod and
spoil the child’?” I just smiled, knowing not how to reply.
On this occasion, I told to Brother Joseph about the local government in
Philadelphia’s denying me a Social Security Card. He drove me to a local
government building, and I got one - right away - and “oh miracle!” there was
not stamped “NOT FOR WORKING” on it.
***
The climate of enthusiasm and moving solidarity among the La Salle Vietnam former students and friends through the rallies around the country had perhaps persuaded Brother Phong to think again about my suggestion to “create a new Vietnamese Brothers community,” somewhere in the United States. Indeed, he began to raise this idea among the Brothers, discussing it with former students and friends...