Chattanooga’s Vietnamese community packs its worship space for Bishop Beckman’s first visit
By Dan McWilliams
The Vietnamese community in Chattanooga turned out in full Dec. 8 as Bishop Mark Beckman made his first visit to the St. Faustina Public Association of the Faithful at its meeting place in an industrial park.
Some 350 packed the worship space, making it standing-room only as there were only 285 chairs available, as the diocese’s shepherd celebrated Mass there on the second Sunday of Advent.
St. Faustina pastor Father Nick Tran concelebrated, with Deacon Wade Eckler of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Chattanooga serving as deacon of the Word and Deacon Hicks Armor as master of ceremonies.
Bishop Beckman called the evening “incredible, fantastic” after Mass.
“It’s a beautiful, vibrant community—deep faith,” he said. “They were packed in like sardines, as we say. It was really a very beautiful, beautiful turnout.”
The bishop’s homily and other remarks were translated into Vietnamese, but the different languages showed the “oneness” of the Church, the bishop said.
“It was so beautiful because they chanted a lot of the parts, and the chants were so lovely,” he said. “They began to chant the Our Father, and I was saying it in English with them, and phrase for phrase—when I finished my last word—they finished chanting. It was a beautiful experience of oneness, even though we shared multiple languages.”
At the end of Mass, the bishop received a bouquet of flowers from the St. Faustina faithful. Father Tran also expressed to Bishop Beckman the growing community’s fondest desire.
“We would like to have a church, Bishop,” Father Tran said, drawing a round of applause.
Bishop Beckman replied: “The Church of God, which you are, needs a church.”
Deacon Armor, the diocesan director of stewardship and strategic planning, who also serves at the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga, is trying to make the St. Faustina community’s dream come true.
“They’re asking for a church, and I know that Deacon Hicks has been working very hard to help them find a location, which I’m grateful for,” Bishop Beckman said following the liturgy.
The bishop greeted the community at the beginning of Mass.
“Brothers and sisters, it is good to be with you tonight here at your community of faith. We celebrate tonight the beautiful second Sunday of Advent, a season of joyful waiting for the coming of the Lord,” he said.
Bishop Beckman opened his homily by saying “what a blessing it is to be with you all this evening.”
The day’s Gospel reading came from Luke 3 and opened with an account of St. John the Baptist receiving God’s Word in an era when Tiberius Caesar reigned, Pontius Pilate was governor, and Herod, his brother Philip, and Lysanias were tetrarchs in the region.
“In the Gospel tonight, we heard about all of the rulers in the days of John and the length that they served, their terms. And most of the time when we hear that, it goes right through our minds,” Bishop Beckman said. “So, why is it important? Luke wants us to know that what God does is something that is not abstract, but it happens at a very specific time and place. In that specific time, the Word of God came to John, the son of Zechariah. That Word spoke to John, changed his heart, and John began to preach the Good News of the coming of the One after him, all throughout the Jordan River area.”
John said to “prepare the way of the Lord,” the bishop said.
“Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every mountain and hill made low, and the valleys filled in, the rough places made smooth, the winding places made straight,” he said. “The Word of God also comes to you and me, right here and now. He speaks to us now, here in this place, so that our hearts can be changed like John’s, our roughness smoothed out, our weakness filled in, and our mountains of pride made low.”
Christ has a desire for those who await Him, Bishop Beckman said.
“The Lord wants us to be filled with joy at His coming, wants to remove anything in us that is not ready,” he said. “And then, He sends us into the world like John to help others to be healed of their roughness. He chooses you and me to go, like John.
“What a beautiful, powerful thing the Word of God is. All of you have heard this Word—that’s why you’re here. You bring from your own home country beautiful faith, traditions, and the gift of your own encounter with the mystery of God. And the Lord wants to use each one of you to make a difference in our world today. So are we ready? Are we prepared? Are our hearts open to the coming of the Lord? The day of the Lord approaches—let’s prepare our hearts.”
Before he led the closing prayer at Mass, the bishop told those assembled that “you pray together beautifully.”
“Your voices bring joy to the Lord,” he said. “I am so delighted to be with you. I am so grateful for your pastor, Father Nick—what a gift.”
That remark drew an ovation, and then Bishop Beckman made an appeal for priestly vocations that might come from the St. Faustina community.
“Maybe there will be some who will follow in Father Nick’s footsteps to be a beautiful priest for the Lord,” he said. “I’m grateful for our deacons tonight and all of our liturgical ministers and very grateful for our music ministry—you all were beautiful, beautiful.”
Father Tran thanked the bishop for his visit.
“It is truly a joy and honor to welcome you, Bishop Beckman, to our community today,” he said. “Your presence here reminds us of the unity we share as a family in Christ Jesus, and your pastoral care strengthens us in our faith. I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to you, Bishop Beckman, for taking your time to visit and bless our community. Your leadership and guidance inspire us to grow deeper in our faith and commitment to God’s mission.”
The St. Faustina pastor also thanked Deacon Eckler and Deacon Armor “for their great support and dedication to our church.”
Father Tran then expressed gratitude “to my beloved community. Thank you for the love, prayers, and commitment to making this community a welcoming place where Christ’s love is shared and multiplied.”
At the end of Mass, the worship space quickly turned into a dining area as all present took part in a hearty meal, and Bishop Beckman posed for photos with St. Faustina members in front of a large sign outside the worship area that bore images of the bishop and the community’s patron saint as well as greetings in English and Vietnamese.
“We’re so happy to have Bishop here with us today because he came here and made people happy because he is a good shepherd,” Father Tran said before the dinner. “He cares about his flock. We need Bishop’s love and care a lot for our future community.”
The turnout for Mass with the bishop exceeded capacity.
“We have 285 chairs in the church, but today they were full. We didn’t have enough chairs for the people,” Father Tran said.
The pastor said the bishop “will take care of us in the future” as St. Faustina looks to have its own church.
“We are trying our best in fundraising to have enough money to build a church or buy property in the future,” Father Tran said. “We want to have the first Vietnamese parish in Chattanooga.”