More than a Trip

If you ask each of us what the most memorable part of our formation was, I think most of us would answer, the novitiate.

Those two years were very important in our journey. It became the foundation of our prayer life and our identity as Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. It was also where we learned to live together, pray together, laugh together, and become brothers.

What made our novitiate more special was having our Vietnamese brothers with us. We shared the same house, the same formation, the same struggles, and many memories that we still carry until today.

After novitiate, however, we went our separate ways. We had different communities, different assignments, and different experiences. We did not really have the chance to meet again. Most of the time, we only saw each other through social media.

That is why our trip to Vietnam became more than just a trip.

Our annual gathering of MSC Young Religious was supposed to be held in the Philippines, as usual. We are grateful to our Provincial Council for approving our trip to Vietnam. For us, it was not simply about recreation or visiting another country. More than anything, it was a chance to reconnect with our brothers and remember the years we shared in the novitiate.

For many of us, it was also our first time traveling outside the Philippines. I realized that there is some truth in the saying, “If you want to know someone, travel with them.”

When you travel together, you begin to see each other differently. You discover who snores the loudest, who is always late, who eats the most, who becomes talkative instantly, and who is always ready to lend a hand. You also create those little jokes and stories that only the group can understand, like our now-iconic “I rabbit,” a line that was born in Vietnam and will probably stay with us for a long time. Somehow, the trip brought us closer.

One of the highlights was being welcomed by our MSC Vietnamese brothers. Seeing our batchmates again after so many years was something special. It felt good to be together again.

Of course, we also enjoyed Vietnam itself. The many motorbikes, the busy streets, the culture, and especially the food. We enjoyed bánh mì, phở, and many other dishes. We even became “millionaires” for a while because of the Vietnamese currency!

But beyond the places we visited and the food we enjoyed, what made the trip meaningful was the brotherhood we rediscovered. The trip reminded me that our vocation is not a journey we make alone. We belong to one MSC family, even when we live in different countries and communities. We came to Vietnam to travel. We came to rest. We came to reconnect. But most of all, we came to see our brothers again.

And after all these years, we realized that some bonds formed in the novitiate never really disappear. Sometimes, they simply need a journey to be rekindled. Thank you, MSC Vietnam, for welcoming us home.

Franz Kim D. Pelare, MSC. Philippines Province