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JULY 9, 1955.
THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
FIFTEEN
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Wonderful Faith Of Vietnamese
Refugees Impresses Navy Men
By Father Patrick O'Connor
. Society of St. Columban
(Correspondent, N.C.W.C.
News Service)
SAIGON, Vietnam — The en
gine of prayer throbbed mightily
in every U. S. Navy ship carry
ing Vietnamese refugees south.
Thousands of Catholic peas
ants would chant their prayers
together on deck during Mass,
weekdays and Sundays alike. In
compartments below decks, they
gathered in groups, by parishes
or families, to say the rosary.
“It was wonderful in the even
ings to hear the prayers and
hymns wafted up the ladder
wells,” Father (Lt.) Dennis C.
Kane, O. P., of Dorchester, Mass.,
chaplain of the USNS General
Brewster, said. “When the refu
gees prayed aloud at Mass on
the open deck, you’d see the
crew standing on the bridges and
watching themf. Our men admir
ed them for their great faith.”
The Brewster (home port, San
Francisco) took it first refugees
aboard on September 16 and its
last on May 14, when nine adults
and one infant were taken
aboard off the coast. It was one
of some 40 ships of Military Sea
Transportation Service that
helped in the Vietnam “Passage
to Freedom.”
The U. S. Navy sent ships for
this operation at the urgent re
quest of the Vietnamese govern
ment. Some of these vessels car
ried as many as 5,000 refugees
on one trip. In all, 293,000 civili
an refugees and 19,000 troops
traveled on the American ships,
out of a grand total of 790,000,
of whom 608,000 were civilians.
Father Kane’s experience was
typical of what all the chap
lains witnessed.
“For Mass, the refugees would
pack the deck so tightly that I
could hardly stir at the altar,”
he said. “Their reverence at Mass
was very remarkable.”
A priest in navy khaki was a
novelty to the people. But when
Father Kane donned his white
Dominican habit and the Mass
vestments, they knew him as a
real “Cha” (Father). Many of
them came from provinces evan
gelized by the Dominicans in
North Vietnam. Father Kane,
former professor in Villa Madon
na College, Covington, Ky., one
of four brothers, all Dominican
priests, felt that these refugees
had a special claim on him.
The majority came aboard
poorly dressed; some were dirty
and bedraggled.
“I reminded the crew that
these people were not tramps,”
the priest said. “They never beg
ged from, 1 me. Some of them had
given up comfortable homes. But
they had to struggle through
muddy rice-paddies and wade
across rivers, to escape the Viet-
minh. When they got a chance
to wash aboard ship, they ran
for it. I told our guys that the
(refugees were like GI’s after
combat, muddy dirty and ex
hausted.”
The sailors respected the refu
gees.
“They noticed the deep affec
tion between parents and chil
dren,” Father Kane remarked.
“Another thing was their endur
ance. A sailor went to help a
woman with a load she had been
carrying on her head. He could
hardly lift it!”
The children quickly made
friends with the crew. “They’d
love you to play with them,” the
chaplain said. “And just for a
simple caramel they’d be so
grateful.”
The ship’s store ran out of
candy. The sailors had bought
it all up to give to the children.
“The crew was terrific,” Fath
er Kane said. “They got a big
kick out of buying candy and
cokes for the kids. You’d see
Captain Harrington, too, going
around, handing out candy.”
A Vietnamese team comprising
a priest, interpreters, nurses and
social workers was assigned to
each U.S. ship. The Brewster car
ried a Buddhist bonze, too. But
as the refugees were 80 to 85 per
cent Catholic and Buddhists
rarely hold services outside their
temples, the bonze had time on
his hands.
Father John An-Hoa, young
refugees, described the passeng
ers as pleased and grateful”’
Vietminh propagandists had told
them that Americans would
mistreat them. They hadn’t be
lieved it but some had come with
misgivings.
“The moment they set foot on
an American ship, they realized
that everything the Vietminh
said was false,” said the priest.
From the start the refugees
were grateful. Last November
one of their priests wrote to the
then skipper _ of the Brewster,
Captain Swanson, his officers
and crew: “My people and I are
most humble and grateful . . .
Mav God bless you and be with
you always.”
The time to be hapy is now.
The place to be hapy is herb.
The way to be happy is to make
Vietnamese priest who made j other people happy.—R. G. Iri
more than ten voyages with! gersoll.
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