Sydney
28 April 2002
Home
Archive
Subscribe
Links
Contact
Archbishop Pell and the Philosopher’s Stone
All he needs is a home and a family with love
Caritas pledges aid to Holy Land
Tribute to dad wins award for Rita
Bondi schoolchildren go to Galilee
New shrine was born in stormy seas
One in four chance of World Youth Day gig
Fun-filled radio CD guide for young drivers
‘Living truth’ will wipe out barriers
Chastity leads to true freedom, seminar told
Church unity is Christ’s will: Cardinal Cassidy
Sri Lankan fare at Amnesty night
Editorial: Mission of love, charity
Letters: Reform of the Mass, or not?
‘My life, my love’ - a vocation story
Reflections: A lone voice for our ‘enemy aliens’
Trinh’s journey from refugee to religious
Earthquake, malaria, but what a faith experience!
Obituary: Fr Lex was a friend indeed to those in need
Obituary: Lawyer, nun, college principal
Inspirations: Honour for Viet cardinal’s mother
Inspirations: Honour for Viet cardinal’s mother
Elizabeth with Archbishop Pell, daughter Agnes Anh Tuyet and Cardinal Van Thuan
By Marilyn Kerjean
When Elizabeth Nguyen Van Am and her husband came to Australia in 1975, it was with much sorrow and also much hope.
Their son, Francois Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan, Archbishop of Saigon, had been arrested because of his position in the Church and because of his family connections.
His uncle, Elizabeth’s brother, was Ngo Dinh Diem, the first President of the Republic of South Vietnam, who had been assassinated in 1963.
Elizabeth and her husband were sponsored as migrants by one of their daughters, Anne Ham-Tieu, who was already living in Sydney.
They arrived here just days before Saigon fell.
“My mother lives the beatitudes,” says Anne.
“Throughout all these trials my mother was steadfast in her faith, she encouraged her family to do their duty as Christians.
“She taught us to forgive and love those who harm us and to fear only two things - God and our conscience.”
Now the Pope has recognised this humble Sydney woman’s lifetime of Christian witness and her service to the Vietnamese Catholic community in Australia.
Providence brought her a Papal award at the same time as her son - now Cardinal Van Thuan - was visiting her for her upcoming 100th birthday in May.
Her only response: “What have I done to deserve this? It is such a great honour.”
In Vietnam, Elizabeth tutored her children before sending them to school. And during holidays she taught them the Catholic faith.
When she settled in Sydney, she put her own troubles aside and became a stalwart in the life of the local Vietnamese Catholic community.
Daughter Anne thinks of her as a peacemaker; friends in the community often seek her guidance.
Cardinal Van Thuan says she is his teacher and a model of Christian virtue, “the strong woman who buried her brothers massacred by traitors, whom she sincerely pardoned”.
“When I was in prison, she was my great comfort.”
The Archbishop of Sydney, Archbishop George Pell, had petitioned the Pope to honour the mother of eight and grandmother of 13 as a Dame Commander of the Order of St Sylvester the Pope.
Dr Pell presented the Papal award and medal to Eliz abeth in her home, where she was surrounded by friends and family, including daughters Anne Ham-Tieu and Agnes Anh Tuyet and grandchildren Anthony Duc and Pascale Dan Dai.
Archbishop Pell said the award was “recognition of the many contributions Elizabeth has made personally in her family life, and also indirectly the wonderful contribution of her family and the Vietnamese Catholic community”.
Cardinal Van Thuan said: “This is a great honour for our family and community to receive this award from the Holy Father.”
Imprisoned without trial in 1975, Cardinal Van Thuan spent 13½ years in prison, nine of them in solitary confinement.
He was exiled from Vietnam upon his release.
He has been the president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace since 1998.
There are almost seven million Catholics in Vietnam - eight per cent of the population.
The government’s 1980 constitution allows for the freedom of worship, but many of the Church’s activities and appointments must still be supervised and approved by the state.
Elizabeth is the subject of a biography recently published in the US: A Lifetime In the Eye of the Storm.