SOME MSC CORONAVIRUS UPDATES:  VIETNAM, EUROPE - FRANCE, BELGIUM, SPAIN

A message from Fr. Hoang, MSC Superior in Vietnam on the situation there.

“Greeting from Việt Nam, How are you? And our dear MSC confreres? I hope that all of you are safe there. In this email, I just would like to update you about Covid-19 situation here in Saigon, where our houses are located.

Till now the total number of those affected by Corona virus is slightly increasing every day, 153 persons. Most of them are in Saigon. The situation becomes worse day by day. And the government is more strict and careful. Till now all flights to Saigon and Hanoi are banned. No more Vietnamese from abroad go back to Viet Nam. Many areas in the city are locked down. Many services in the city are forced to stop working: restaurants, shops, bars, coffee shops, ..., even barber shops. No more gathering from people for any reason.

Above all, all activities of all kinds of religions are banned. So, no more Mass in parishes and in all religious communities. This will go on indefinitely.

So our activities in our community are also affected. At the moment, we would have no more any gathering. We just stay in each house with in-door activities: mass, prayers, ... And off course we limit our going outside.

Till now the construction is still going on well. I am not sure that it would be affected by the virus situation at the moment? Hope that it would be fine.

And in Europe, some information from Abzalon, Superior General.

It is with a heavy heart that we share with you all, the sad news that this morining Br. Robert Ryckebusch, MSC (French MSC Province) has returned home to the Father'.  He is the first MSC who has passed away due to COVID 19. Despite the sadness of this moment we thank God for the living missionary witness of Br. Robert. He spent many years in Senegal and was a deep presence in Issoudun. He was a member of the community at ACCATES, in Marseille.

COVID19 has also affected two confreres in Belgium who are still in hospital. They are: Alfonso de Nijs and René (Renato) Van looy (who is waiting for test results).

But we also communicate the joy that three confrères in Spain have been able to recover from COVID 19: Manolo Barahona, Jose Ramon Gárate and Willy Mendez.  We trust that their recovery process will continue well and we rely on the prayers of all, for our two Belgian confreres who are still in hospital. Both were missionaries in Brazil for many years.