We have a great love for our Vietnamese community!

I'm posting this letter from Fr. Matt Libra at St. Rose of Lima (Update from same below, so if you're getting this at 7pm on Christmas Eve, be sure to read the whole thing, or come back!) based on the news this morning, because due to our connection to St. Anthony's, we've got a great love for our Vietnamese community.

At 12:30 am Christmas Eve, a vandal drove an SUV through the Vietnamese Vicariate parish Our Lady of LaVang.  The vandal first hit the building, then drove through the main entrance, drove in circles over the pews, then exited the building, and was finally captured by police 15 minutes away at the Baxter Auto Parts near Portland Meadows (the pictures on Koin 6 shows that this wasn't exactly an off-road SUV, damage to the vehicle is so extensive that I'm surprised he made it that far).

However, I think that the response of Fr. Angsar and Fr. Libra is appropriate, and amazing.  Please keep this congregation in your prayers.

Attack at Lavang

https://www.koin.com/news/crashes/suv-crashes-at-ne-portland-church-drives-off/1673505837 Dear Parishioners and friends, Someone drove their vehicle into Our Lady of Lavang parish early this morning and destroyed all their pews and several entryways.  Their parishioners heard about it on the news and have showed up en masse to help clean up so they can celebrate Christmas.  Fr. Ansgar and several of their parishioners have been working since 2am. They don't know what to do at this point.  Luckily the building remains structurally sound and their plan is to clean up and hold services in their church tonight.  We offered them our chairs, our space, anything we can give.  They are quite overwhelmed and shocked as you might imagine. The one thing Fr. Ansgar, their pastor, asked for was that we pray for forgiveness.  The perpetrator turned himself in, is not known to their parish, but Fr. Ansgar doesn't want anyone's heart to become hard at Christmas.  I know you are all busy with Christmas preparations, but please pause for a moment and pray for Our Lady of Lavang parish, pray for the offender, and if you have any practical skills or help you can provide check in with them. with Hope that Christ might change our world for better by changing each of our hearts, Fr. Matt Libra --------------------------------------- From Fr. Matt, a few hours later: Lavang update In 3 hours time parishioners from Our Lady of Lavang showed up to make room at the inn for Jesus.  Lavang also wants to thank the St. Rose parishioners who showed up to help.  What happened brings tears to our eyes. Destroyed pews are removed.  Broken glass and mangled entryways have been cleaned up and made "temporary new".  Even temporary doors have been installed to keep the cold out.  A thousand chairs have been set up.  Hundreds of people have come and are still coming to help out in any way, from people with construction skills, to youth, to priests and bishops, everyone who believes it is better when Jesus is in the center of our world.  One parishioner said to me "My faith is stronger because of this".  In moments like this, God does something.  When distraction and distress happen, we learn what matters most and what doesn't matter.  No one cares that there is plywood showing.  Everyone is beaming, because of this response of love.  Thank you to all the parishioners and priests of Our Lady of Lavang parish - you gave us a beautiful example of making room for Jesus at the inn of your hearts! All Masses at Our Lady of Lavang will be held as scheduled, they even gained some seating by doing it this way.  As Fr. Ansgar said - now our church will be a place of pilgrimage as people come to see what has happened here.  He continues to ask for prayers for the person who did this, who suffers from mental illness.