Vietnamese Eucharistic Youth Movement (VEYM)
by Joe Thong Ngo, C.Ss.R.
The VEYM plays a crucial role in my Christian faith. I became a youth leader in Austin, TX in 1993, and I continued to be involved with the VEYM during my college and Redemptorist first formation and priesthood years. In August of 2023, I became the General Chaplain for the VEYM in the United States.
As VEYM General Chaplain, I travel quite a lot to national and regional meetings and conferences. I also work with the other regional Chaplains and youth leader trainers to plan sessions of youth leader and lay assistance training camps, weekly lesson curricula and apostolic campaigns, as well as other VEYM activities. I am invited to lead some youth leader retreats during the Advent and Lenten seasons. During youth leaders training camp or the VEYM Regional Congress, I facilitate and encourage the sacramental life of the youth leaders, including regular participation in the Eucharist, reconciliation and spiritual direction. Furthermore, I collaborate with regional and local chaplains to ensure consistency and unity in the movement’s activities and programs across different chapters. It is a blessing for me as a Redemptorist to accompany and walk with the members of VEYM to deepen our relationship with Jesus Christ, particularly through the Eucharist and to live out the Christian call.
VEYM originated from an organization known as the Apostleship of Prayer, which began in France in 1844. By 1915, it had become the Children’s Eucharistic Crusade in France. It was introduced in Vietnam in 1929 and developed fast and strong. After the Fall of Saigon in April of 1975, chapters were formed in Vietnamese refugee camps. The VEYM can be found today in the United States, as well as in Canada, Australia, France, Germany and Japan. The VEYM mission is dedicated to nurturing and developing the spiritual, educational and social growth of young Vietnamese Americans. Rooted in Catholic Scripture and Church teachings, the VEYM emphasizes the importance of the Eucharistic, moral integrity, community service and spreading the Gospel.
At the present, there are more than 25,000 VEYM-USA members from 7 to 18 years old across 130 chapters (parishes or Vietnamese Catholic communities). Each chapter is shepherded by a clerical chaplain, assisted by a permanent or transitional deacon, religious Brothers and Sisters, or a layperson. There are around 4,000 youth leaders and 1,000 layperson chaplain assistants in the VEYM. With God’s blessing and the support and prayers of many bishops, priests, religious Brothers and Sisters, lay people and parents, the VEYM continues to flourish and grow spectacularly within Vietnamese American Catholic communities.
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