The Saint Joseph Jesuit Scholasticate of the Vietnamese Province organised the second “Come and See” programme for the youth of Tan My Parish in Ho Chi Minh City on 19 May. The programme brings together many young people from various groups to explore and learn about vocation in religious life.

This year, Jesuits from our scholasticate community collaborated with religious sisters from several congregations, including Order of the Servants of Mary (OSMC), the Company of Mary Our Lady (ODN) and the Society of the Daughters of the Heart of Mary (DHM). More than a hundred young people came to the event. In addition, 27 students from four Catholic student groups accompanied by the Jesuits also came to help.

During the programme, the young people had the opportunity to visit the various rooms of the scholasticate to better understand the religious life of the Jesuits. They spent some time at the main chapel admiring the relics of St Ignatius Loyola before offering a prayer for vocations. The tour culminated with a visit to the waste classification model, where the participants learned about waste segregation and making organic fertilisers, which are used to enrich the community’s organic vegetable garden. The tour served both to promote vocation awareness and educate young people on the principles outlined in Laudato sí.

Afterwards, the young people enjoyed answering trivia questions around the theme of vocation and discerning God’s voice in daily life. They were guided by the Jesuits and the religious sisters. Their final activity was a teambuilding exercise centred on the missionary journey of St Francis Xavier to help them better understand the spirituality of the Society of Jesus.

We hope to continue our collaboration with the academic community, the vocation promotion committee, the Catholic youth and student committee, and the other religious congregations working together to build a strong network rooted in the love of Christ.

Watch highlights of the event: