Hoi Yen church visit

We took half a day to travel to a the Hoi Yen church outside of DaNang. This poarish has been in existence for over 400 years and once was the place of pray for over 4000 people. It is located in a very rural and poor region of the country. During winter season, the area is affected by numerous typhoons every year. Over the course of many years of weather destruction, along with poor construction, the church was damaged beyond repair. When you pull up the path, all you see is the original foundation for the church, about 2 feet above ground level. The community assisted with the salvage of any materials and the building of a small shed to house any of the original artifcacts from the church. Today, mass is held in a temporary building until funds and supplies can be obtained to construct a new church. 

We met the current priest, who has been at this parish since 2008. His congregation is now at 400 people.

His hope and prayers are that his community will overcome this hardship and rebuild the church within 5 years.