Rev. James D. Conley, D.D., S.T.L. | Diocese of Lincoln website

As the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon approaches, the Congregation of Missionary Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Mercy (CMRM) reflects on its history and connection to its homeland. This community will commemorate the occasion with prayers during Mass at the end of the month.

In 1975, as North Vietnam launched its spring offensive, attempts to end the 20-year civil war by capturing Saigon prompted many to flee, including the sisters. On January 31 of that year, Father Bernard Maria Bùi Khải Hoàn, CRM, urged the members of the CMRM to leave Vietnam in anticipation of potential danger.

Sister Angela, CMRM, reached out to a Marist father in Australia, who facilitated their escape. By April, Bishop Ronald A. Mulkearns had arranged for 34 sisters to travel to Australia, facilitated by the Australian Embassy in Vietnam. They departed on the final Royal Australian Air Force flight, just before Saigon's fall on April 30.

Once in Baulkham Hill, New South Wales, they faced challenges adapting to a new culture and language. “After a month, we got a telegram from the motherhouse,” recalled Sister Rosaria, CMRM. “We would no longer be able to go back.”

Assistance from Bishop Mulkearns and the Josephite Sisters helped them secure essential resources and training. After a forest fire destroyed their home in 1979, the Josephites provided a new dwelling for the sisters. They built an extension to accommodate their needs.

Some of the sisters later moved to the United States. In 1985, they responded to a request from Bishop Glennon P. Flavin to work in Lincoln, Nebraska, amid a growing Vietnamese immigrant community. The sisters carried on their mission by running the Little Flowers Child Care Center and teaching theology and catechism classes.

Sister Rosaria said of their Lincoln location, “Bishop (Fabian) Bruskewitz helped to build the convent at the location we have now.” She added that extensions and additional rooms were funded by their savings.

The CMRM sisters have become integral to the diocese, and those born in Vietnam can now visit their homeland, as Sister Rosaria explained, “Since 1992 or so, we are allowed to go back to Vietnam, with the habit.”

The sisters who remained in Vietnam have also seen growth despite the challenges. A bishops' conference was established there in 1980, allowing the community to grow to around 500 sisters who engage in daycare work and serve the poor.

“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,” said Sister Rosaria. The community welcomes visitors and offers contact information for those interested.

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