According to Father Anthony Pham, Superior of Saint Joseph Monastery, the monastery is trying to bring Saint Joseph’s spirituality and intercession to the faithful and encouraging them to pray to Saint Joseph. Further, it is an opportunity for the monastery to promote Saint Joseph’s way of life, because he is the patron of the Universal Church and a role model for all the faithful.
The celebration began outside of the monastery in front of a 19-foot statue of Saint Joseph. The faithful gathered behind the processional cross led by ten altar servers dressed in red and white. There were elders dressed in traditional blue and green gowns hitting gongs and drums. The women dressed in Vietnamese traditional gowns called áo dài were faithfully praying through songs. Also, there were men dressed in black suits carrying the statue of Saint Joseph. Father Anthony and other priests initiated the celebration by lighting candles and burning incense. They carefully climbed up to the base of Saint Joseph’s statue and placed incense in front of it while the elders continued to hit the drums and gongs to the rhythm of the song from the faithful. After the initiation, the faithful again gathered behind the processional cross and walked toward the church while singing and praying with intensity.
Father Anthony served as the principal celebrant and was joined in the celebration by multiple priests. The faithful, consisting of children as young as three years old to adults in their late eighties, filled the church. They also sat outside on both sides of the church due to overflow. There was a sense of delight in worshiping God.
Father Anthony’s homily was about two disciples who left the Apostles and other disciples in Jerusalem to journey home to Emmaus. On their way home, they met an extraordinary traveler and urged him, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.”(Lk 24:29). As the faithful listened to his homily intensely, Father Anthony delivered his final message that we must learn a lesson from the two disciples. We usually want an instant answer for our circumstances, our difficulties and our quests from God. The Risen Lord brings us back to the Word of God and asks us to be patient with ourselves and with others.
At the end of the Mass, Father Anthony expressed his thanks to approximately 30 people who had assisted Saint Joseph Monastery in many ways and to organize this successful annual celebration in the High Desert. He also expressed thanks to the Vietnamese faithful who took a long journey to Saint Joseph Monastery for this special celebration.
Prior to leaving the monastery, the faithful had lunch together and shared with each other about their wonderful personal experiences. It appeared that all the faithful were looking forward to the next year’s celebration.
The Saint Joseph Monastery was established by Phuoc Son Abbey in Vietnam through Saint Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. The Phuoc Son Abbey responds to spiritual needs of the Vietnamese Catholic population in Southern California. Saint Joseph Monastery was officially accepted into the Diocese of San Bernardino by Bishop Gerald Barnes on March 31, 2005. Father Anthony also completed his mission of building a church inside the monastery. Currently, there are four priests and two brothers residing at the monastery.
Van Hoang is Vietnamese Cursillo Lay Director for the Diocese of San Bernardino.