Vươn Lên Newsletter - Spring/Easter 2017 by TNTTADL

Đoàn Anrê Dũng Lạc, Giáo Xứ Mẹ Việt Nam, 11812 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring, MD

V Ư Ơ N L Ê N ĐOÀN ANRÊ DŨNG LẠC NEWSLETTER - SPRING/EASTER 2017 EDITION

What’s Ahead

In the pages ahead, we look

Our Journey to the Cross

There is a saying that the journey is just as important as the

destination, and this was definitely proved true for our Đoàn Anrê Dũng Lạc during this past season of Lent. If Lent is the journey, the destination is the love and salvation given to us by Jesus on Easter. Anything worth having takes hard work and a lot of sacrifice. During the season of Lent, our đoàn sinh not only sacrificed through fasting and abstinence, but tried their best to give up other selfish desires. There were also projects to encourage charity and almsgiving. Finally, through our Lenten Retreat and Spiritual Bouquet Campaign, we strived to create a prayerful mindset all throughout Lent. By doing our best to walk the Journey, finishing it, and coming out a better person at the end; we try to let God know how much His sacrifice means to us.

For Lent, I Promise Jesus That I will . . . P. 3

Giving Up Selling Sweets for Lent P. 14

back at the past season of Lent: all of the activities and projects that helped us grow closer to Christ. A selection of writers and short interviews from each ngành gives us a perspective on how our fellow đoàn sinh experienced the Lenten season. There is also additional material on our Tông Đồ Đội Trưởng Đội Phó Training Event. The preparation and sacrifice of becoming an Apostolic Team Leader ties into the preparation and sacrifice of the Lenten season. Hopefully, this newletter helps everyone to remember what an incredible journey we just walked together,how much we’ve grown, and vươn lên-ed during this past season of Lent. Have a very blessed Easter Season!

Walk the Lenten Journey P. 8

VƯƠN LÊN 2017

CONTENTS See all the awesome activities, fun games, and special guest speakers during our annual Lenten Retreat.

Read how our Ấu Nhi feel about the special time of year that is Lent and Easter.

Thiếu Nhi share their thoughts about sacrifice during Lent and some of their most favorite things during this season.

This section is all about Bó Hoa Thiêng AKA Spiritual Bouquet. Get the inside scoop and comprehensive analysis here!

Nghĩa Sĩ fill you in on what kind of charitable works they have been working on this past Lent.

Hiệp Sĩ give you the breakdown and share their thoughts about Lent and the charitable works they organized.

Trợ Tá Thiết writes in Vietnamese and shares his experience volunteering with Nghĩa Sĩ at Cup of Joe. A must-read for parents!

Find out what being a Team Leader is all about. The struggle, the pain, the triumph.

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Greetings,

As Catholics, every year we go on a forty day journey of sacrifice. This sacrifice is a way for us to experience just a small sample of what Jesus experienced during His forty days and nights in the desert. Sacrificing something that we love is a way for us to take a step closer to Jesus. This Lenten season, we achieved so many things such as fundraising, donating to charities,and spending time at food banks. Our weekly Gospel lessons focused on God’s sacrifice and truly gaining an understanding of what Jesus went through for us during His Passion on the Cross. We promoted the idea of prayer through our Spiritual Bouquet Campaign. We endeavored to strengthen our spiritual life through the three pillars of Lent: praying, fasting and almsgiving. All of these undertakings had one focus, one goal -- to bring us and others closer to God. This newsletter is a culmination of the unique experiences and varied perspectives from all ngành during this Lent and Easter season. I would like to thank Tr. Ann for compiling and editing the written works of the newsletter. Thank you to Tr. Tina and our newly minted leader, Tr. Dalena, for conducting field interviews and gathering content. Thank you to Tr. Tina, Tr. Trâm and Trợ Tá Phương for your photographic contributions. A sincere thanks to the contributors who were willing to share their thoughts with us. Finally, thanks be to God for allowing us to come together to collaborate and produce this newsletter. It is all for His Glory. We hope you enjoy reading this newsletter as much as we enjoyed writing it. May God bless you with love and peace in this Easter Season. -Tr. Định

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ADL Lenten R Active Prayer!

ADL

Chapter was fortunate enough to have Cô Thùy Anh Hoàng help with activities for ngành Ấu Nhi and Thiếu Nhi. Pictured here, the kids are paticipating in one of Cô Thùy Anh’s spiritual activities that help them reflect on the many things God has blessed them with. Thank You Jesus!

Walking with Christ

Ngành Hiệp Sĩ gave life to the

Stations of the Cross. Through their preparation, costumes, and solemn portrayal of Jesus’ walk to the Cross, everyone felt like they were really walking with Jesus, remembering His suffering and appreciating what He gave up for us. Pictured here are HS Bình, Xuân, David, Trung, and Brian depicting the Sixth Station of the Cross.

etreat 2017 Express Yourself!

There were many opportunities to share and reflect during the Lenten Retreat; saying sorry for our sins, giving thanks for all the blessings in our life, making promises to be better, and praising God. Our kids expressed themselves in a variety of ways; some are pictured below.

Spiritual Guidance

Retreats can’t happen without spiritual guidance. Our first spiritual director was our very own Tr. Ban

who made sure we started off our Lenten Retreat right with Marian Devotion. Whereas, ngành Ấu Nhi and Thiếu Nhi were led by Cô Thùy Anh, ngành Hiệp Sĩ and Nghĩa Sĩ enjoyed the spiritual guidance of Cha Giuse Hoàng Đức. Through music and singing, sharing personal stories, and discussion, Hiệp Sĩ and Nghĩa Sĩ were able to better understand how to live the season of Lent more effectively.

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Ấ U

N H I

Our Youngest Members Share Their Thoughts ...

What Did You Give Up for Lent and Why?

Ashlyn Châu

Nathan Đặng

Eric Nguyễn

I gave up candy because I have a tooth that is growing. I do love all types of candy and it is really hard to give it up.

For Lent, I gave up playing on my electronics on the weekdays because I spend too much time using my electronics. I also gave up candy because my brother gave up candy. My dad said that I should give it up as well. I don’t find it hard to give up the things I like because I pray to God to help me and I go outside to play with my brother as well.

Something I gave up for Lent is using my electronics on the weekdays and sometimes on the weekends too. I gave it up because I don’t want to upset my parents. I have also noticed that not using my electronics has helped me focus on doing my homework and not get distracted.

AN wanna-be Jonathan gives up driving for Lent

AN Tomi places his written reflection at the Cross

AN Kathryn has a lot on her mind during the retreat

What Is Your Favorite Thing About Easter?

Mykenzie Hồ

David Phạm

Bảo Anh Vô

My favorite thing about Easter is going to mass and praying with God. It’s my favorite Mass because God rose up from the dead on Easter Sunday. I also like the Easter egg hunt and I get to eat the candy that are in the eggs.

There is no school and I get to spend more time with God, but mostly because I don’t have to go to school.

I like going to the Easter night mass and getting to hold candles. It makes it very special because Jesus is back again with us. Everyone dresses really nice.

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T H I Ế U

N H I

Hy Sinh and Share Their Thoughts About Lent . . .

Why Is It Important to Sacrifice During Lent? It’s important to sacrifice during Lent because Jesus went to the desert and fasted. We should fast as well because Jesus died for us. Several things that I gave up this Lent are electronics and meat. Donna Lê I think it’s important to give up something during Lent because Jesus did not have food or water in the desert for 40 days. We should follow him and give up something that we like as well. I gave up using Instagram over Lent and it’s been hard for me. Anh Mi Lê

TN Annie and Emily write down their thoughts during one of the Lenten Retreat reflection journal times. The question they are reflecting on: What can I give up for Jesus?

The scratch paper revealed beautiful colors once you write on them.

What Was Your Favorite Thing About the Lenten Retreat?

My favorite thing about the Lenten retreat is praying the Rosary. It was very peaceful, quiet, and relaxing. Michael Bạch

During adoration, I got to write down my sins on a piece of black scratch out card. It allowed me to reflect on what I need to fix in my life and plan what I should give up during Lent. Vincent Trần

Above Left: TN Emily tells her friends to chin up during Cô Thùy Anh’s reflection activity. Below Right: TN Bình spends a quiet moment praying to Jesus before he places a candle next to the Cross. Above Right: The Cross is surrounded by candles after each Thiếu Nhi gets a chance to pray.

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KEEPING TRACK

Emily Dang Thiếu Nhi 35

With our Lenten Journey Wall and our weekly Spiritual Bouquet, we were able to track our progress

through the weeks leading up to Easter. The Lenten Journey Wall was a neat way to recognize the Spiritual Bouquet Leaders for that week. It also encouraged others to join in the act of becoming better people, better Christians, and better Thiếu Nhi Thánh Thể. Even people who are not in TNTT couldn’t resist taking a peek to see who was up on the wall of Spiritual Bouquet fame.

Why Bó Hoa Thiêng / Spiritual Bouquet?

You may be asking, “What is the point of marking down the times we pray, receive Holy Communi do. More importantly, Jesus already knows what I did. How does it help me?” Well, just take a look tools we use during TNTT sinh hoạt. It is a way to take the spiritual, something we can’t see, and tu It allows us to track our progress and find ways to improve. Đoàn Anrê Dũng Lạc started off really our spiritual activity levels, we started slacking off. Seeing the data in front of us like this lets us kn Just like how people wear those Fitbit fitness watches to track their activity levels, Spiritual Bou Bouquet motivates more people to start working out their spiritual muscles. When you see other but join in. So for our next Spiritual Bouquet campaign, we hope you encourage each other to pa

SPIRITUAL BOUQUET | BY THE NUMBERS Đoàn Spiritual Bouquet Performance Through the Season of Lent (measured in SF, Spiritual Flowers) 2,236 SF 1,455 SF

14% 28%

1,895 SF 1,292 SF

37% 20%

653 SF

56% 1

3 WEEK

Total Spiritual Flowers - 6,872 Ngành Ấu Nhi - 2.594 Ngành Thiếu Nhi - 1,410 Ngành Nghĩa Sĩ - 1,943 Ngành Hiệp Sĩ - 925

142

Chapter Members

Members who turned in at

79 least 1 Spiritual Bouquet 56%

Participation Rate

Beginning Sunday after Ash Wednesday and ending Palm Sunday

CONGRATULATIONS!

AN Kathryn

AN Minh Quân

TN Catlinh

TN Văn

NS Emily

NS Anthony

HS Xuân

HS Trung

ion, help others, or sacrifice? I already know what I did and did not k at the data we have above! Spiritual Bouquet is one of the awesome urn it into something visible and physical we can hold in our hands. strong and towards the end of Lent, where we should be increasing now immediately we need to improve next year and do even better! uquet helps us track our spiritual fitness levels. Moreover, Spiritual rs working hard and trying to improve themselves, you can’t help articipate and become even more spiritually fit and closer to Jesus!

Most-Improved Winners

AN Mykenzie

TN Rita

Congratulations to our overall Spiritual Bouquet leaders and our two most improved kids. You are role models to us! A special shout-out to the Spiritual Bouquet team: Tr. Ngân, Mai Anh, Mai Thi, Tina and Ngành Trưởng. Their dedicated work ensured a successful Lenten Spiritual Bouquet Campaign.

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NS Oanh Vũ on Why Almsgiving and Charitable Works is Important During the Season of Lent to help others in need. Lending a helping hand makes others who need our help feel more appreciated.

It’s

important to help others, especially during Lent, because it is the time to reflect on what Jesus did to sacrifice himself to save us from our sins. Since he sacrificed Himself, I think it’s important to sacrifice our time

I recently spent my Saturday morning at a soup kitchen packing food for the homeless. Many people donated canned goods and boxed foods, so I packed them into ziplock bags. It was interesting because a large crowd of volunteers came to help pack food too. There were several stations and each crew at the different station packed a variety of goods into the bags. It was a lot of work, but since there were many volunteers helping out, the packing went by quickly.

While I was packing all of the food, I felt helpful and appreciated what I already have in my life. Food is a basic necessity and it made me realize that many homeless people do not have easy access to get food like I do. Since I did a small amount of charity work, I had my family be involved with helping the community too. We recently donated our clothes to three different organizations in the past few weeks. Besides being active in the community, I have been praying for those who are homeless. I think that praying is another way to help others as well.

NS Anthony Vũ on His Experience Volunteering at the Cup of Joe Charity My Cup of Joe experience was

were in a warehouse with no fancy flooring and shelves of food on the wall. It looked like a mini Costco. We got there and went straight to work, putting food into plastic bags. We finished at 11am, which was earlier then expected. We later came back to church to have pizza for lunch.

fun and surprising. A few weeks before the event, a Huynh Trưởng announced, “We will be cooking food for the poor”. After hearing about the event, I was excited, but also nervous, because I can’t cook anything besides instant noodles and hot pockets. However, I gave my dad the form and he signed it. I turned it in and realized I thought the event would take that most of my friends would up my whole day of being lazy and would involve me burning be in the youth group retreat. food on accident, but it wasn’t When I arrived at the event with like that. Overall the whole the others, I expected a large experience was fun even if room with white tiled floors, many of my friends didn’t go. a large table, huge stoves and ovens, and a deep metal sink. But, when we got there, we

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HS David Nguyễn on What Lent Means to Him Personally

Matthew 6:16-18 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who

HS David pulls off the Jesus look

sees what is done in secret, will we desire. GOD IS WATCHING reward you.“ YOUR EVERY MOVE Y’ALL, so if you guys get tempted, well…. What is lent you ask? Lent is You shouldn’t, because it’s a a season where Jesus fasted sign that Satan trolled us. and prayed in the desert for 40 days. The forty days We also fast on Ash Wednesday represents the time Jesus and Good Friday because spent in the wilderness, it reminds us about Jesus enduring the temptation of sacrifice. On other Fridays, we Satan and preparing to begin abstain from meat. It’s difficult his ministry. He then died for because it’s the wekend where us on the cross and three days everyone wants to go out and later, he resurrected from the eat meat. dead. So what do we do in the Lent is a time of repentance, 40 days of Lent? Ideally, we fasting and preparation for the give up anything we favor or coming of Easter. We reflect desire the most for 40 days ourselves, self-examine our straight because Jesus fasted sins to go to confession, and and prayed in the desert. have our sins be forgiven. To Jesus was hungry and he was me, Lent is a period of time to praying to God to give him give yourself a checkup and see the courage to carry out what how you’re doing. With Lent, I God asked him to do. Satan learn to resist my temptations knew Jesus weakness and that I really desire or enjoy. tried to tempt him with food and power. This relates to us because we are being tempted almost everyday with what

Re-enacting the Stations of the Cross

Veronica AKA HS Xuân wipes Jesus’ face

HS Xuân Nguyễn on How She Aims to Become a Better Person and Better Catholic this Lent Unlike

previous Lenten Seasons, where I would perfunctorily give up junk food and snacking, I decided to give up something a little different this year. Like most teenagers these days, I am addicted to my phone; more specifically, the social apps on my phone. I would catch myself, unconsciously throughout the day, sending Snapchats to my friends and refreshing my Instagram feed. Therefore, I decided that this Lenten Season, I would give up social media. As much as it is challengingnot being able to talk to my friends and check on what they are doing- it has been very helpful. Not only do I not

HS Xuân as Veronica

have to worry over the amount of likes I would get on a picture and the number of Snapchat streaks I have; I am also able to limit the urge to constantly share what I am doing and to just live in the moment. Instead of wasting my time on these social platforms, I am spending that time more wisely by playing with my sister, helping my parents with chores, and spending more time with God. This Lent, I am straying away from the expectations and ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ that social media had set for society. Rather, I am investing more time on my family and friends as well as preparing myself for the Resurrection of Christ.

Finally getting their HS scarves!

HS Xuân receives her Spiritual Bouquet gift

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Last

month, my fellow Hiệp Sĩ and I planned a Bake Sale for Lent. This fundraiser was to raise money for the Sisters at our Church and their organization. First, we figured what we would make and sell. We thought of cookies and

HS Judy Reflects on the Hiệp Sĩ Bake Sale Fundraiser for the Daughters of Mary Immaculate Charity

brownies, but decided that we needed something that would catch everyone’s attention. Tr. Tina suggested that we do cake pops because you don’t see them often. Besides, who really wants to go into Starbucks and pay 5 dollars for ONE cake pop? During that week, we planned what we needed to buy and who was getting the supplies. Shout out to Cameron for letting us use his house to bake the sweets. On Saturday afternoon, we all met up at Cameron’s house. Actually, only 3 of us showed up on time. The rest of the group had some difficulty meeting up. David texted us with, “uh our car died….”. Even though the situation was funny, we were still waiting because he and his brother had the ingredients. Luckily, they were nearby and one of our old TNTT members came to help them out. When everyone finally met

up, we started to bake right away. We struggled for a while, but Tr. Tracey, aka Cake Pop Queen, came with the rest of our materials and helped us out. When we were in the process of rolling the cake crumbs into balls, Tr. Tracey checked the oven and realized that someone turned the oven off and the brownies were just sitting in there for 20 minutes. After all of our complications and struggles, everything was finally running smoothly. In total, we spent over 5 hours baking and decorating. It was fun and it really pushed us to make these cake pops look nice so that we can raise a lot of money. On the day of the cafe sale, we sold all of the bake treats as well as the the food and drinks other Huynh Trưởng and parents donated to the cafe. We raised a total of $530.50! It was a pretty successful fundraiser and it was a lot of fun to do!

Every

week, TNTT holds a cafe fundraiser to help with our chapter’s expenses like camp, events, supplies, etc. Last month, we decided to do something different because it was during the lenten season. The Hiệp Sĩ wanted to sacrifice their time and work together to create something meaningful for others. We came up with the idea of a bake sale to donate the money to people who needed it more than we do. On March 25th, the Hiệp Sĩ met up at one house, brainstormed what baked goods we should sell, set the prices for each item, and designed a poster of this fundraiser. We also baked a bunch of goodies like cake pops, sugar cookies, and brownies. We jammed to our favorite music while making endless batches of these sweet treats. My favorite part of the baking process

was coating each cake pops with candy melt. The cake ball would always fall off the stick whenever I dipped it while everyone else’s was perfect with cute sprinkles on top. The bake sale event allowed the Hiệp Sĩ to bond and become closer together because we were working to make one finished product. We also had a lot of fun as well. The following day, the Hiệp Sĩ took charge of the morning TNTT cafe and sold cà phê sữa đá, trà thái, bánh da lợn, cake pops, cookies, and brownies. With great teamwork and help from the Huynh Trưởng, we raised a total of $530.50. All the proceeds went to the Sisters of our church, The Daughters of Mary Immaculate. I’m really looking forward for our next project because I enjoy doing things that will benefit others in the long run.

HS Bryanna Shares Her Experience Fundraising for the Daughters of Mary Immaculate Charity

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Tr. Tracey on Living Lent Effectively

Often

times we, as Huynh Trưởng, get caught up in the hustle and bustle of all the activities in the TNTT year. We want to plan an event that is as fun as possible, as meaningful as possible, and as well executed as possible so that our kids will have a good time and keep participating in TNTT. In the midst of all these lessons, games, and events, we may sometimes forget about our purpose in Thiêú Nhi. As a long time Catechist and Huynh Trưởng, I often think about the difference in my role in each of these positions, and here is what I’ve come up with. In Catechism, we help the kids to know God. In Thiêú Nhi, we help the kids to love God. What is a better way to fulfill our ultimate goal of “Helping the youth to become more holy”? By showing them how to love God. I don’t mean the superficial, “hey friend, love you” now and then forget about them the moment life gets busy kind of love. I mean

the real, passionate, burning your heart, filling you up with happiness, and joy you didn’t know you could experience kind of love. You may be thinking “woah, that’s intense love. I don’t know if I’ve ever even experienced that, let alone teach that to my kids.” Yet, this is the kind of love that God calls us all to, and this is the kind of love that we are meant for. But of course, it is not as simple as flipping a switch in our hearts and make ourselves love God in this way. Just as the saints that came before us, we have to train our will, our body, and our spirit. It is not easy, so here is where the season of Lent comes in. From the outside, Lent may seem like a time of year when Catholics randomly stop eating meat, give up yummy foods, smear dirt on their heads, and deprive themselves of the things they like most. Even to us Catholics, Lent may seem like a season solely based on sacrifice. We forget that these sacrifices are meant to bring us closer to God. Through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, Lent helps us to focus on loving God. We are encouraged to deepen our relationship with God by talking to Him in prayer. We train ourselves to freely choose God by fasting from the temptations that pull us away from Him. And we share the love of God by giving alms to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Sometimes, this may seem like a lot of work and effort, but if we look at these actions in the perspective of

love, it is not much at all. A priest once put it to me this way: think about two people who are in love with each other. They stay up all night to talk on the phone. They drive long distances to be together. They spend money to go out together. They give each other gifts and put in the effort to get to know one another. The relationship is a lot of work, time, and money spent, but they do not think about all of those sacrifices because they are in love. In the same way, if we are truly in love with God, we should not focus so much on the things we give up but rather on the things we do out of love for God. St. Augustine once said, “Love God and do as you please.” Once we train ourselves and get the “love God” part down, the “do as you please” part should naturally fall in the will of God. Now, how do we love God? Start with the same way you would love anyone else. Spend time with Him in prayer, get to know Him in scripture, be present with Him in mass and adoration, follow His wishes, and incorporate Him into your daily life. Take these small steps toward God, not just during Lent, but year round, and see how your love for God will grow and in turn, how our kids’ love for God will grow as well. So as a Huynh Trưởng, if we truly want to “live a holy life and help our Đôàn Sinh to live a holy life,” we should ask ourselves: what are we doing to love God? What are we doing to help our kids love God?

Tr. Ann Shares How She Strives to Improve Herself During Lent Over the past few years, I have

This Lenten season, I decided to not give up anything but

write letters instead. There was a shared post online called, “40 Letter in 40 Days... For Lent”. I think of 40 people who have made an impact on my life, and write a letter to each to show how much I appreciate them. After I write the letter, I keep them in my thoughts and prayers for that day. I like to write letters, but I love receiving letters more. It’s something personal and I can cherish it for a long time. I thought, let’s reverse this, and write something personal to others instead, so they can cherish the memory. To be honest, there were only 4 people who I wanted to write to. The other 36 people in my life was more challenging. Writing to them is an improvement to me because one, I take many people in my life for granted, and I wanted to let those 36 people know how much I truly appreciate them. Two, this forces me to go reconnect with them, because it’s hard for me to open up to others easily.

There have been several days where I have not written or sent a letter to the people on the list. It’s challenging to write these types of letters, but it was worth it in the end. I have gotten several letters and responses back and most were surprised to receive a letter from me. They were also grateful to know that they have made an impact on my life because they never knew I felt that way towards them. Although it has been hard, I am still trying to keep in touch with many of my friends and family members I have written to today and pray for them. I think that is one of my greatest improvements during Lent.

Tr. Tracey frolicking with Ấu Nhi

Tr. Ann doing stuff with Ấu Nhi

Tr. Ann posts her picture on the Lenten Journey Wall

always given up bad habits, praying more, or stopped eating my favorite food during Lent. It becomes a common routine for many people; choose something that you really like, give it up for 40 days, and hope for the best that you don’t give in to temptation. Of course, many of us feel great after accomplishing a difficult task. However, once Lent is over, we go back to our old routine. It is not a big problem, but Lent is a time to improve ourselves and become closer to God. It really does not mean much when you decided to give something up and there is no significant changes, whether it is in your personal life or spiritual life. I’ve noticed after Lent was over, I would slip back into old habits. Nothing important was changed and I was not satisfied with the results.

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HUYNH TRƯỞNG Share Their Favorite Moments From Lent

My favorite moment is Ash Wednesday because it is the start of Lent season. Tr. Christina I don’t have a favorite moment, but I am proud of the fact that I successfully gave up going out to eat for Lent. Tr. Cindy The live action Stations of the Cross during our Lenten Retreat was my favorite. Tr. Lập I would have to pick Ash Wednesday because it was on the day of my birthday. Tr. Mandy I pick Ash Wednesday as my favorite moment because when I have the ash mark on my forehead, it reminds me that I am Catholic. It is also a sign to repent during the season. Tr. Mai Anh I don’t have a single favorite moment. The entirety of Lent was my favorite because I saw our members sacrificing, volunteering, doing their best with spiritual bouquet, writing letters for Lent, attending Mass together, and striving to be closer to God. Tr. Việt

Trợ Tá Thiết on His Experience Volunteering at Cup of Joe Charity Mùa

Chay vừa qua tôi được tháp tùng với các em Nghĩa sĩ của đoàn Thiếu Nhi Thánh Thể Anrê Dũng-Lạc, tiếp tay với tổ chức Bác ái Công Giáo (Catholic Charity) của tổng Giáo phận Washington DC trong công việc sửa soạn những phần ăn sáng cho những người vô gia cư. Cup of Joe là tên mà tổ chức Bác ái đã đặt cho chương trình hỗ trợ bữa ăn sáng cho 8 khu vực giúp đỡ các người vô gia cư trong tổng giáo phận. 8 khu vực này đã và đang cung cấp chỗ ăn ở cho hơn 1,000 người nghèo khó trong vùng. Hôm 18 tháng 3 vừa qua, các em Thiếu Nhi Thánh Thể ngành Nghĩa Sĩ và một số Huynh Trưởng, phụ huynh cùng với một số em ngành Ấu và Thiếu, đã thực hiện công tác tông đồ bác ái bằng cách tham gia vào

công việc sửa soạn các bữa ăn sáng cho những người vô gia cư, đang được tổ chức bác ái của Tống Giáo Phận giúp đỡ. Nhìn các em hăng say trong công tác bác ái tôi thầm tạ ơn Chúa và cám ơn các phụ huynh đã không quảng ngại hy sinh thời giờ đưa các em đến sinh hoạt hằng tuần và tham gia các công tác tông đồ như trên. Đây là dịp để các em thực hiện một trong bốn điều căn bản của Phong Trào Thiếu Nhi Thánh Thể là: “Cầu Nguyện, Rước Lễ, Hy Sinh, và Làm Việc Tông Đồ”. Đây cũng là dịp để các em học hỏi và nhận thức được những chia sẻ của những người may mắn cho những người kém may mắn. Đây cũng là cách để tập cho các em biết sống chia sẻ và quan tâm đến những người chung quanh, những

người kém may mắn hơn mình. Nguyện xin Chúa Kitô Huynh Trưởng Từ Bi luôn soi sáng và chúc lành cho các em trong mọi sinh hoạt hằng ngày để các em luôn luôn là những chiến sĩ gương mẫn dưới bóng cờ Thiếu Nhi Thánh Thể. Quí vị có thể vào catholiccharitiesdc.org/ cupofjoe để biết thêm về chương trình Cup of Joe. - Trợ Tá Phêrô Vũ Văn Thiết

VƯƠN LÊN 2017

ADL TEam Leade

At the beginning of the training

camp, I was shy because I did not know anyone well. After a while, my team was very welcoming and they did not exclude me out in all of the activities. I remember on the first night, many of the Nghĩa Sĩ were sitting at the table eating together, and they invited me to come over and join them. There were several Nghĩa Sĩ that were out of state who visited the training camp and we got along well. During the lessons, my team members and I learned that teamwork is important. If one member was lacking, we should all help each other or the team would fall apart. Since this is my first training camp, it allowed me to have a better understanding of what Thiếu Nhi Thánh Thể is really about. The camp has taught me how to become a better leader and

care for everyone to make a good team. One of the most challenging aspects of the camp was participating in the activities. Since I am a new member, I do not really know or understand what other people are doing. It got confusing, but I had other youth leaders and members guiding me. Even though the training itself was challenging, it was enjoyable as well. For an activity, I had to restack multiple cups until a pink cup reached the top of the stack. It was a tough competition, but I had my teammates cheering me on and encouraging me to do my best. The training camp was fun and there was nothing that I disliked. I’m not sure if I’m ready to be a leader yet, but I did learn the basics on how to effectively work together as

a team. I would go to another training camp again because it’s fun, I get to meet new and old people, and it can help raise my confidence to be a better leader. I definitely recommend everyone should go to the leadership training camp because I’m now interested in going to different conventions and workshops to improve my skills as a Thiếu Nhi member.

NS Ân Shares His First Impressions

r Training 2017 Greetings,

team leaders and assistant team leaders training participants from 40,000 feet in the air! Peace and love of our Risen Lord be with you and your families. Our training session has come and gone, but the love and knowledge gained remains with us always. In reflecting upon the training, many of you came with a heart to help improve your chapter, your team, and yourself. In a way, you have left behind your old self, and became selfless to answer the call of becoming a team leader and assistant team leader. The sacrifices you made to attend the training resonates in your passion to learn during the training. The training committee extends our deepest gratitude towards your families; for allowing us the opportunity to share and arm you with the knowledge to take up your cross to be the light and salt for the world. With the knowledge you have gained, you will be able to lead your team and other children closer to Christ. This knowledge will also help you to marinate the world and enrich the minds of youths around.

upon which I encourage all of you to build upon. Continue to read the bible or start to read the bible. Ask, listen, and understand the messages and plan that God has for you in your call to become a team leader and assistant team leader. I wish each and every one of you all the best in your new roles. May the blessings of the Holy Spirit be with you always. I pray that Jesus, through the intercession of Mother Mary, reward you with an abundance of strength to move forward in the face of difficulties. With that, I leave you with one last reminder, you must remember, as a team leader and assistant team leader, you are here to serve, rather than be served. In Christ, Tr. Tôma Dương Hữu Đức Sa Mạc Trưởng Dấn Thân VIII

The knowledge you have gained is only a foundation

Tr. Đức reflects on His Experience as Camp Master of Khoá Huấn Luyện Tông Đồ Đội Trưởng & Đội Phó “Dấn Thân VIII”

VƯƠN LÊN 2017

HUẤN LUYỆN ĐỘI TRƯỞNG & ĐỘI PHÓ “DẤN THÂN VIII” TEAM LEADERSHIP TRAINING

Đoàn Anrê Dũng Lạc held its first ever overnight

Team Leadership Training Event. To start off the training, we were fortunate enough to have Cha Tổng Tuyên Úy Phong Trào Thiếu Nhi Thánh Thể Việt Nam Tại Hoa Kỳ, Cha Phanxicô Xaviê Nguyễn Thanh Bình, give us inspirational opening words. The event was a tremendous success thanks to the efforts of Huynh Trưởng, Trợ Tá, phụ huynh, guest Huấn Luyện Viên and especially the kids with a thirst for knowledge and a desire to serve. What made the event even more special was the participation of our two sister chapters: Đoàn Lê Bảo Tịnh and Đoàn Don Bosco!

FOR THE SON OF MAN DID NOT COME TO BE SERVED BUT TO SERVE MARK 10:45

Huynh Trưởng, Trợ Tá, new scarf recipients and Đội Trưởng & Đội Phó get a photo oppurtunity with their Chaplain Cha Trần Xuân Tâm and General Chaplain of the Vietnamese Eucharistic Youth Movement in the USA, Cha Nguyễn Thanh Bình

VƯƠN LÊN 2017

ĐỘI TRƯỞNG Share Their Thoughts on Being a Team Leader I feel it is important to help people and I like being a role models for others. TN Vy I like knowing someone looks up to you and depends on you to help them out. I also get to help others as well. TN Emily The little kids are inspired by you as a Đội Trưởng, you get to help others out, and it’s fun! TN Diana Being a Đội Trưởng means helping others and leading others to become a leader. TN Văn It feels like I have the responsibility to lead my teammates and guide them to stay true to their sacrifices. NS Michael I feel that it is an honor to guide my teammates to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, teach my peers to improve on their apostolic works, and continue to sacrifice for my team. NS Lilian

WISHING EVERY BUNNY AN EASTER SEASON FILLED WITH PEACE, HAPPINESS, AND LOVE

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