MESSAGE FROM FATHER THOMAS J. DUNLEAVY MaryKnoll to ALL VIETNAMESE LAND REFUGEES AROUND THE WORLD

Fr Thomas Dunleavy addressed to all VNLR and dignitaries at the 30 years VNLR Reunion in Montreal 22 June 2013 (Photo courtesy of Le The Phung Facebook)

Dunleavy, Thomas	4:26 PM (37 minutes ago)
to Vietnamese Land Refugees

Dear Vietnamese Land Refugee Community,

With a humble heart I write to thank you for your kindness, love and respect during the many years as refugees and the thirty years since that time.  The weekend of June 22, 2013 was powerful and emotional for all of us.

I will carry you in my heart, prayers and my thoughts.  I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

You and your families will always be with me in prayer.  Even though we may be worlds away from each other the ground between us will be holy ground.  We don't have to be Christians to be holy and people of rightness.

We are all brothers and sisters on life's journey to the mountain of God.  I know we will all meet there.

I received from the organizing committee on Sunday June 23, 2013 over $19,000.00 to be used for my present refugee work.  On behalf of the refugees that will receive help I thank you.  You are a kind and wonderful people.

I would like to leave you with a story about what happened on your second day at Red Hill.  That camp was classified as a Khmer Rouge Camp but with a small number of Vietnamese.  When I reached the Vietnamese on their first day they asked me for Mass on the following day which happened to be Sunday.  

VNLR in RedHill after evacuation from Phnom Chat - dry season 1983

When I arrived in the camp the Vietnamese refugees had surrounded the area for Mass by blue plastic.  Non-Christian Vietnamese on guard outside.  Mass started and by the time we reached the Gospel the wind blew the blue plastic away.  All I could say it was the work of the Holy Spirit and their song got louder.

May God's blessing rest upon all of you until we meet again.

Father Thomas Joseph Dunleavy MM

MARYKNOLL

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Posted in: Re-union