| This Project in Ministry describes a parish-based program designed to train prospective animators of Basic Ecclesial Communities.; The purpose of this Project in Ministry is to offer migrant workers in Ho Chi Minh City a stable, personalized, and communitarian pastoral care. Since 1986, Vietnam has moved from a centrally planned economy to a market economy. While economic life grows, other problems have developed, particularly the increase in migration from rural to urban areas. The Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences has proposed a new way of being Church in Asia, which focuses on Basic Ecclesial Communities, as a response to a new pastoral challenge. Basic Ecclesial Communities are small communities in which believers meet regularly and usually under lay leadership to share the Gospel, to worship together, and to act in faith as they confront their life problems. For migrants, such communities have been found to provide a means of coping with a new environment and integrating into a local Church.; In order to form and maintain Basic Ecclesial Communities, training prospective animators is of particular importance. This project designed a training program that consisted of eight weekly sessions of two hours each and a retreat. The training sessions focused on the phenomenon of migration and its impact on migrant workers, the vision of a participatory Church, the ministry of community leadership, Gospel sharing methods, and leadership skills. The Project was a positive response to the needs of migrant workers in Ho Chi Minh City. It also promoted the Church's mission of love and service in a major city of Vietnam, which is undergoing great change that shape the future of the whole country. |
