Faith Formation and Children’s Agency in the Context of Vietnamese American Catholic Families

Abstract

AbstractIn light of the history of immigration during and after the Vietnam War, Vietnamese American families are struggling to live between two worlds: their old culture and nation and their new life in the United States. Parents face a dilemma in raising their children, either to maintain the Vietnamese tradition or to adapt to the new American culture. I propose a Family-Centered Faith Formation model to accompany immigrant children on their faith journey by naming false family narratives and rewriting family narratives using a practical theology approach.Keywords: Immigrant familiesidentitychildren’s agencyFamily-Centered Faith Formation Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.Additional informationNotes on contributorsThi An Hoa NguyenThi An Hoa Nguyen is a third-year Ph.D. student in Theology and Education at Boston College. She is a member of the Congregation of The Lovers of the Holy Cross of Đà Lạt, the first women’s religious congregation instituted in Vietnam in 1671. Sr. An Hoa holds an M.A. in Theology from Yale University. Email: thianhoa.nguyen@bc.edu