vocations awareness week Priesthood - The way that God has shown me
I
am the second child of a family of five children, with three brothers and one sister. My family lives in a central Vietnamese village called ‘Ru Dat’, which has a population of about 3,000 people. Despite its small size, Ru Dat has produced many priestly vocations. My father works as a building contractor and helps my mother to look after our rice farm. Learning from my great-grandfather, who died for his Christian faith, my parents set us a very good example of faith. We were woken up at 4am every morning and went to daily Mass. They taught me the Catechism, and showed me how to pray. When I was in Y7, I made my first confession and received my first Holy Communion. I realised then that priests are God’s instruments for helping me and others, because I felt a great sense of peace and fulfillment in the sacraments. I was asked to be an Altar boy and developed a love for the Mass and a deep devotion to Mary. Slowly, the idea of becoming a priest began to grow in my mind. However, I kept this to myself during my school years. In 2005, after finishing high school, I moved to the south of Vietnam to attend university, where I majored in Information Technology. Although I liked the study and intended to pursue a career in IT, the idea of becoming a priest was still very much in the back of my mind. After graduating from university, I returned home to visit my family and I often went to pray at the local shrine to St Anthony, to seek his help for discerning my plan for future. Our custom is to write a prayer on a card and put it in a box. In praying for the next step of my life, I simply wrote: “Lord please show me the way”. And then it happened - God answered my prayer through my experience with children. There were many children in my parish who were too poor to go to school, so I began to volunteer to teach them math. I discovered great joy in helping them and it was through this that I realised I had a calling. With more prayer, I finally decided to begin studying to become a priest. My parents were very surprised, but also very proud. However, that isn’t the end of the story. My parish priest, a family friend, introduced me to Bishop Michael McKenna, who was visiting, and I saw him again later at a wedding party where he remembers me because of my singing (although I’m not sure if that is a good thing). I shared with him my story and my deep desire to be a priest. After a few more conversations and a formal interview, Bishop Michael invited me to become a seminarian for the Diocese of Bathurst. My parents were delighted, but also very anxious that I would live so far away. But now I am here, I speak to them regularly and they are able to share my journey and be part of my Australian family. They know I put on a full 10 kilos not long after I arrived. No doubt it was all the Australian steak and chips I was being fed around here!
Thao at the recent ordination of priests in the Diocese of Sale When I arrived, I went straight to St Joseph’s Parish, Gilgandra to improve my English and learn more about the Australian way of life. The parishioners warmly welcomed me, and were very kind, supportive and friendly. They treated me as part of their family. My new friends taught me how to play touch football - essential for any new Australian - and I even scored two tries during my first game. They taught me real Australian slang and how to sing songs such as ‘I am Australian’ and ‘Waltzing Matilda’. For me, Gilgandra is my second home. I then set off to the Seminary of the Good Shepherd in Sydney where I am now in fourth year. I really enjoy life here. The staff and my brother seminarians are wonderful. Through my growing prayer life, and my studies, I know God is calling me to work hard to be formed for priestly service for the people of the Diocese of Bathurst - to find my joy and peace in sharing the love of God, who calls us all to him.
Thao Van Nguyen
C a t h o l i c O B S E RV E R , T h e D i o c e s e o f B a t h u r s t • September 2017 • Page 17