By S.L. Hansen
for the Register
As they come to the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon (Ngày vong quốc) at the end of this month, the Congregation of Missionary Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Mercy (CMRM) will be praying for their homeland during Mass.
In 1975, North Vietnam launched its spring offensive with the goal of ending the 20-year Vietnamese civil war by capturing South Vietnam’s capital city, Saigon. Tens of thousands of refugees who had ties to the South Vietnamese government were evacuated by allied countries, but many had to find their own solution.
On Jan. 31, 1975, Father Bernard Maria Bùi Khải Hoàn, CRM, instructed the community of sisters he founded to leave the country as quickly as possible. He knew the Congregation of Missionary Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Mercy (CMRM) could be in real danger because of what had happened in other cities.
Sister Angela, CMRM, contacted a Marist father she knew in Australia. On April 23, 1975, the sisters learned that Bishop Ronald A. Mulkearns of the Diocese of Ballarat had arranged for 34 of the sisters to travel to Australia. Days later, the Australian Embassy in Vietnam had secured the proper paperwork and brought the sisters to Tan Son Nhut airport. They were on the last Royal Australian Air Force plane to depart Vietnam, just four days before the fall of Saigon April 30.
Though warmly welcomed in Baulkham Hill, New South Wales, by the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart, the CMRM sisters faced many challenges. The language, culture and customs of Australia were new to all of them.
“After a month, we got a telegram from the motherhouse,” recalled Sister Rosaria, CMRM. “We would no longer be able to go back.”
Through the generosity of Bishop Mulkearns and the Josephite Sisters, the CMRM Sisters received financial support, English classes, and basic skills classes to help them adapt and eventually earn their own living. They lived in a house donated to them by the Josephites in Blue Mountain and took a 90-minute train ride to Sidney for work and classes.
In 1979, a forest fire broke out in Blue Mountain, raging toward the sisters’ home. Some of the sisters rescued the chalice from their chapel, filled with consecrated hosts, and fled in the only car they had. The others scattered to safety on foot. All their belongings were lost.
Once reunited, the sisters were again blessed by the Josephites, who donated another house to them. But the dwelling was so small, beds were made up in the hallway. Eventually, the sisters built an addition, just so they could dine together.
Later that year, two CRM sisters were invited to the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, Mo. Bishop Bernard Law wanted their help in ministering to Vietnamese refugees in his area. Five years later, 10 more sisters moved from Australia to join them.
In 1985, Lincoln was experiencing a large influx of Vietnamese immigrants. Bishop Glennon P. Flavin asked for help, and soon, Sister Consolata, Sister Jacinta, and Sister Rosaria moved to Lincoln to work for Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska. (Sister Jacinta later returned to Missouri.)
At first, the sisters lived with Blessed Virgin Mary sisters at the convent at Sacred Heart Parish in Lincoln. They moved several times and even took up residence in the former Clark Gerry retirement home next to Pius X High School while a new motherhouse and daycare facility was built near the southeast edge of Lincoln.
“Bishop (Fabian) Bruskewitz helped to build the convent at the location we have now,” Sister Rosaria said. “We extended the building to have a hall, and we added more rooms upstairs. For that, we take the money from our savings.”
Now numbering 14, the CMRM sisters have become a vital part of the diocese. They run the Little Flowers Child Care Center. Sisters also teach theology at Pius X High School and catechism classes at Immaculate Heart of Mary and St. Andrew Dung Lac, the two Vietnamese parishes in Lincoln. Once a month, a group called the Family of Mary, Queen of Mercy gathers with the sisters at their convent to pray together in Vietnamese and enjoy socializing afterward.
Though at one time, they thought they would never see their homeland again, the 13 sisters who were born in Vietnam are now able to visit.
“Since 1992 or so, we are allowed to go back to Vietnam, with the habit,” Sister Rosaria said. “We take turns. About every three years, if we have a parent still living in Vietnam, we have permission to go back.”
As for the sisters who remained in Saigon, the worst days are over. A bishops’ conference was established in Vietnam in 1980. Though it is still a difficult country in which to be a Christian, the community has grown to a population of roughly 500 sisters.
“They opened many houses,” Sister Rosaria reported. “They serve the poor, and most of the sisters work in the daycare, the same as our congregation.”
She expressed gratitude on behalf of the Lincoln motherhouse, first to the Lord, Mary and Joseph but also to Lincoln people who have helped them.
“We want to express our appreciation for the bishops in the Diocese of Lincoln to sponsor us, to help us to start this congregation in Lincoln, and to all the diocese who support us,” Sister Rosaria said. “We are open to welcome the people in Lincoln for Mass. Or for a tour, just let us know.”
The motherhouse is located at 9141 S. 78th St., Lincoln; contact 402-421-1704 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Courtesy photos
