Thousands of Vietnamese Catholics in Australia brave freezing rain and strong winds to take part in a 3-day Marian festival at Bringelly, Sydney, Australia from October 5 to 7. It was part of the celebration of the 30th year of the canonization of 117 Vietnamese martyrs, and of the 220th year of Marian apparitions in La Vang.

Participants prayed fervently for the Synod of Bishops for Young People, The Faith, and Vocational Discernment being held in Rome during these days; and for the Church in Vietnam which has been persecuted up to now.

They also kept the Church in Australia in the heart of their prayer. The media focus on the Church was unprecedented amidst sexual abuse scandals, and at a time when Australia is in the midst of some landmark discussions.

The Apostolic Nuncio to Australia (the Holy Father’s Representative in Australia), His Excellency Most Reverend Adolfo Tito Yllana, and Auxiliary Bishop Terry Brady of Sydney attended the event and presided over the celebrations of Eucharist with the concebration of Bishop Vincent Nguyễn Văn Bản of Ban Mê Thuột, Diocese, Vietnam, and dozens of Vietnamese priests from Australia and USA.

Archbishop Adolfo Tito Yllana had a very good and interesting meeting with a group of VietCatholic journalists, who were covering the event.

“I am really happy that I could meet you because you are doing a great work for sharing with the Catholics through your network, the VietCatholic, the message of good things that are happening in the Catholic community and I hope that you continue with perseverance what you are doing and I congratulate you,” he said.

The nuncio went on lamenting on the fact that the Church in Australia is unfairly represented in the media: “There are talking, many times, about here the Catholic Church is not doing well. No, it's wrong. Those who say that do not know the Catholic Church in Australia.”

For the nuncio, one of the reasons is that: “There are many, many good things that nobody knows because we don't talk about them.”

“Discover the good things because there are so many, many good things happening in the Church in Australia... And I really congratulate and appreciate what you are doing because you are bringing to Catholic audiences and may be beyond Christian audiences the reality of the Church and I pray for more success in what you are doing”, the prelate encouraged Catholic journalists.

“We are not the prophets, we are the network. We're not the network of doom, we are the network of good news, the Gospel, the blessing, the good things. Let them come out, let them shine,” he concluded.