At 15:00 on 23/3, the farewell mass for Cardinal Jean-Baptiste Pham Minh Man took place at the Traditional House within the Pastoral Center of the Saigon archdiocese. This prayer rite, a customary part of Catholic funerals performed after embalming, seeks to pray for the soul of the deceased to soon behold the face of God. It also symbolizes the communion between the living and the departed. Cardinal Pham Minh Man – the fifth cardinal of the Catholic church in Vietnam and former archbishop of the TP HCM archdiocese – passed away on the afternoon of 22/3, at the age of 92.

The rite was presided over by Archbishop Giuse Nguyen Nang.

In the hallway of the Traditional House, the choir of Saint Joseph Saigon major seminary sang "This life will change but not perish". Below, sisters and priests performed the embalming ceremony.

After proclaiming and sharing the word of God, Archbishop Giuse Nguyen Nang blessed the mourning cloths and distributed them to the priests, sisters, and the faithful community.

Following the distribution of the mourning cloths, the late cardinal's remains were placed in a coffin and transferred to a nearby old chapel. This old chapel, located within the pastoral center grounds, serves as his final resting place.

The faithful community, including sisters, brothers, laypeople, concelebrating priests, and bishops, moved to the chapel for the farewell mass rite.

At the start of the mass, the archbishop invited the liturgical community to lift their hearts and minds to participate in the mass for the late cardinal. This was followed by readings, the gospel, and a homily lasting approximately 10 minutes.

Inside the old chapel, the liturgical community reverently participated in the mass. Some priests and faithful could not hold back their emotions during the ceremony.

At 16:30, the farewell mass concluded, and everyone walked around the coffin, sprinkling holy water on it.

Many who could not enter the chapel prayed outside. "My house is nearby, so I took the opportunity to pay my respects," said Ms. Xuan Hoa, 70. "I was deeply moved to hear of his passing; I feel he was like a family member."

Quynh Tran - Thanh Tung