“I’m French, but I was born in Vietnam. I am 53. I came to France in 1978, after the Vietnam War.” So begins the testimony of Thai, who attended the pilgrimage of Heaven in 2024. The pain of loss is a prominent characteristic in his story. His parents and brother were lost at sea, their boat never made it to shore.
No grave
His parents and his brothers died at sea. The boat on which they were sailing was never retrieved. “I was told that the boat had been hit by a mine. Their bodies were never found. This is quite painful for my brother and I. There is no grave.”
However, this absence gives focus to his faith and thoughts. “Every morning, every evening, I think of them. And that gives me immense joy. A joy that gives me the strength to get up in the morning and go to work. I live for them. In saying this, Thai confides that every day he lives is a silent offering to their memories.
They are always with me
So why does he come back every year? “I come here every year to pay my respects and to express that they are still with me.” He also recalls his brother, who went back to Vietnam: “We lost our way down that road… I’ve also come for him, to be here, both of us, in communion with our parents and loved ones who have gone to Heaven.”
In this way, prayer becomes a gathering place where the wounded past is transformed into hope. “To be there is to be with them, even if they are gone.”
A spiritual rebirth
Thai, who has a Buddhist background, explains: “I’m a Buddhist by heritage, but I haven’t lived Buddhism in my heart.” This inner distance became an opening thanks to a Christian friend. “Anne-Sophie was the person who really enlightened me. She made me want to become a Catholic. The texts are beautiful; day after day, I feel freer, more at peace with myself.”
He adds: “With Christians around me, I feel more fulfilled. I try to spread this joy on a daily basis, at work.” His conversion, then, is not a simple change, but a spiritual rebirth which he experiences in gratitude.
I am alive
Thai talks about his migrant status when he arrived in France as an orphan: “My brother and I were orphans. I went to boarding school with my brother. Even though we had money and work, we missed our family very much.” This loss had a painful echo until his encounter with the Catholic faith gave his life a new direction.
“Today, I know I’m lucky to be alive,” he confides. These simple yet powerful words sum up the strength of his testimony. Life, in spite of everything, is a precious gift, to be lived with and for those you hold close to your heart.
Life as a offering
Thai’s story is a clear illustration that Pilgrimages of Heaven are much more than mere travel. They are moments of communion, comfort, conversion and living memory.
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