At 7:30 a.m., at Ho Chi Minh City’s No. 16 Field Hospital, religious brothers and sisters began their shift with prayers for patients who had just died from the coronavirus.
These frontline workers are members of different congregations in the southern city who volunteer to help medical staff take care of Covid-19 patients as well as carry out logistical work.
In July, the Vietnam Fatherland Front standing committee called for the voluntary participation of dignitaries and religious followers in Ho Chi Minh City to stem the contagion.
Soon after, around 700 volunteers from religious organizations joined the field hospitals.
In addition to taking care of the sick and logistics, they also perform a special task: praying in front of the cold room of those who have succumbed to Covid-19 every day.
“All medical staff and volunteers are aware of their role as a member of the patient’s family because patients have come here on their own. If the patient dies, even the family cannot be present. Therefore, I always want to do something for them. We also pray for all the patients here, â€said Sister Thuy Linh, member of the Sisters of Saint-Paul de Chartres.
I am surrounded by people who need to breathe. While I can still breathe, I have to help them
She compared this pandemic to a war no one had imagined: “It is indeed a very fierce battle. Aware of such ferocity, we have a duty to partner with doctors and nurses. We came here to help and work with the medical staff.
Brother Quang Phung, a Redemptorist seminarian, explains what volunteers at the field hospital actually do: “Caring for patients is a general term. In particular, we change diapers, change beds, bring food to patients, visit them and encourage them. . If the patient needs anything, we will go get it for it. “
Sister Thuy Link says it is not an easy job, especially since she has to wear a disposable medical protective suit.
“I never thought about giving up,†she says. “I am surrounded by people who need to breathe. Although I can still breathe, I have to help them.”
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It is a joy to the volunteers when a patient recovers. Brother Quang Phung says they serve everyone, whether the patients are Catholics or non-Catholics: “The Vietnamese people are a united nation. We serve and care for every patient, regardless of religion.
After watching this video, Redemptorist Father Alphonsus Tran Ngoc Huong felt touched by the volunteers and wrote this reflection: I saw the religious brothers and sisters standing in front of the containers, praying for those who had died because of Covid-19 so that their souls are at peace and they can leave slowly and peacefully. I also saw the sign of the cross being lifted. My heart feels really touched. I ask myself: each day, how often do I wave out of habit and how many times do I do it with a sense of conviction as volunteers? “
Thanks to the sign of the cross, men and women religious become “parents” of the sick and offer daily prayers for those who have died. Relatives of the deceased may not immediately experience sadness.
In addition to acting as servants, religious brothers and sisters become spiritual bridges allowing the deceased to enter the world peacefully beyond death.
