Fateful homecoming

Fateful homecoming amplifi ed the call

FATHER PAUL CHU, S.D.B.

It was bound to be emotional when Paul Chu returned to Vietnam in his 20s after leaving as a 9-year-old. But he didn’t know it would set him on his life’s course. During an eight-day family trip to Vietnam in 2006, Chu encountered a Salesian priest who made him think: I want to be like that! Priesthood had been at the back of his mind, but that meeting triggered him to act. Today, true to the Salesian mission to work with youth, Chu ticks off 15 ways he’s ministered with young people since entering his community, from leading summer camps to organizing mission trips to Haiti. “The life of total self-giving is ever attractive to me,” he says.

What fi rst drew you to religious life?

I am not sure of the fi rst moment, but I can remember a few powerful religious moments during my college years that oriented me toward religious life.

How has your family responded to your vocation?

My family has been very supportive. Both my father’s and mother’s families were strongly Catholic with priests, nuns, and at least one martyr in the family tree.

What have you enjoyed in your ministry experiences?

I enjoy working with lay teachers, staff , and students to organize events for our school community here at Don Bosco Prep [in Ramsey, New Jersey]. My most memorable experiences have been ministering in summer camps in various U.S. states and working in Palestine with Arab youth and young adults.

What do you do for fun?

I like to fi x IT problems, play board games and cards, read, and have good conversations.

Your favorite way to pray?

Silent meditation.

What’s the most fun you’ve ever had with your community?

I had a blast organizing and participating in a city-wide scavenger hunt with my community in Jerusalem. We shared a lot of holy joy with pilgrims and tourists, praying, talking, and taking group-selfi es.

Any words of wisdom for those considering religious life?

Be not afraid! Embrace it with your whole being and you will experience many blessings and rewards that the world cannot give.

Trappist Cistercian Monks (O.Cist.) Ava, MO—

Assumption Abbey Our monastery is located in the Ozark hills and hollows of southwest Missouri. With 3,400 acres of forest, this is the ideal environment for prayer and solitude. We support ourselves by baking fruitcakes, which is quiet, prayerful work. Our call is to leave all and follow Christ on a desert journey in a community of monks and family brothers. Our guide is the Benedictine monastic way in the contemplative tradition of St. Bernard of Clairvaux and Thomas Merton. Our task is to glorify God and to build up the body of Christ by a life of contemplative and intercessory prayer and sacrifice. We are originally Vietnamese monks from Cistercian Abbey of THIEN-PHUOC (Divine Grace) in Vietnam. Here we live monastic life together with American Trappist monks and family brothers. We welcome any man to join us from any ethnic origin. We are flexible regarding age and education. Contact: Br. Francis Flaherty, O.C.S.O.; 417-683-3515; avavocations@hughes. net; or Fr. Peter L. Vu, O.Cist.; 417-683-5110; lmtpjosephdat@yahoo.com.

See ad on page 130. Code #121. . Trappist Cistercian Monks (O.C.S.O.) Ber-

ryville, VA—Our Lady of the Holy Cross Our community is oriented by the Rule of St. Benedict for monasteries, living a life of prayer, supported by the work of our hands, serving the community and our natural environment. We seek to know the Lord through hospitality, sacred reading and study, the celebration of the liturgy, and our communal life; we seek to spread the Gospel through our contemplative life in the Diocese of Arlington. We cultivate priestly ministry within our Cistercian tradition, in service to our monks and nuns; this formation begins after solemn profession. Catholic men over the age of 24 to age 55 are invited to join us. A high school education is necessary and further education is welcomed but not required. Candidates may apply through our website: virginiatrappists.org on the vocation page under the tab “Join Us.” An inquiry form is available there that will be directly emailed to the Vocations Director. See our online ad at www.VocationNetwork.org.

Code #415.

Trappist Cistercian Monks (O.C.S.O.) Peosta,

IA—Abbey of New Melleray Founded in 1849 by Mount Melleray Abbey in Ireland, our community is located in the heartland of Northeastern Iowa, 12 miles from Dubuque and the Mississippi River. We are a contemplative monastery in the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance. As members of the Cistercian family of monks and nuns founded in 1098 at Citeaux in France, we are wholly ordered to a life of prayer according to the Rule of St. Benedict. We support our way of life by carpentry—Trappist Caskets—supplemented by income from our 1,900 acre farm, our 1,300 acre forest, and a Guest House for 22 retreatants and visitors. The entire Liturgy of the Hours and the Eucharist are celebrated in choir every day. For additional information contact Fr. Stephen Verbest, O.C.S.O., Vocation Director. 6632 Melleray Circle, Peosta, IA 52068; email: frsteve@newmelleray.org or call 563-588-2319 x138; website: newmelleray.org. See our online ad at www.VocationNetwork.org.

Code #415.

Trappist Cistercian Monks (O.C.S.O.) Piffard,

NY—Abbey of Genesee We are a Roman Catholic community of contemplative monks belonging to the Cistercian Order of the Strict Observance, commonly known as Trappists. Our community is dedicated to the worship of God in a hidden life within the monastery following the Rule of St. Benedict, leading a life of solitude and silence, prayer and penance, in a joyful spirit of faith. We support ourselves by the common work baking Monks’ Bread. Guests are received for quiet, private retreats at the retreat house. The monastic day begins with vigils at 2:25 a.m. and ends with compline at 6:40 p.m. Throughout the day there is a good balance between prayer, reading, and work, all lived in fraternal love and support. Contact: Br. M. Anthony Weber, O.C.S.O., Vocation Director, Abbey of the Genesee, Piffard, NY 14533; 585-243-0660 ext. 19; AnthonyWeber@ GeneseeAbbey.org; www.GeneseeAbbey.org. See our online ad at www.VocationNetwork.org.

Code #415.

Trappist Cistercian Monks (O.C.S.O.) Trappist,

KY—Abbey of Gethsemani Our monastery is a school of the Lord’s service where Christ is formed in the hearts of the brothers through the liturgy, the abbot’s teaching, and the fraternal way of life. The monk expresses this love by his desire to share life together at the heart of the Church and to grow into Christ through prayer, work, and sacred reading every day. Located in the beautiful knob country of central Kentucky, we Trappists have lived, prayed, and worked in this house of the Lord for over 165 years. Our mission is the praise of God’s goodness and the proclamation of the Kingdom’s nearness. Living in solitude and silence, the monk aspires to that interior quiet in which wisdom is born. The vows of obedience, stability, and fidelity to the monastic way of life provide our structure, support, and encouragement to persevere in the journey, in the work, in the search. Men between the ages of 22 and 50 may apply. For more information contact Fr. Anton Rusnak, Abbey of Gethsemani, 3642 Monks Road, Trappist KY 40051; 502-549-4116; email: vocations@monks.org; website: www.monks.org. See our online ad at VocationNetwork.org.

Code #415.

Trappist Cistercian Monks (O.C.S.O.) Vina,

CA—Abbey of New Clairvaux Our Lord Jesus came to bring us the Fullness of Life. The Cistercian (Trappists) monks of New Clairvaux Abbey aim to respond to His call in the simplest, most direct and effective way possible! By means of total dedication to obedience, simplicity, solitude and silence, manual labor on our farm, the full Divine Office, following the Rule of St. Benedict, and the 900-year-old Cistercian Monastic tradition. It is a life wholly directed to contemplation, drawing us close to Jesus through Mary. Men between 22 and 40 are invited to reply and arrange a visit. Contact: Br. Christopher, Vocation Director; Abbey of New Clairvaux, 26240 7th Street, Vina, CA 96092; 530839-2161; website: www.newclairvaux.org; email: godseeking@newclairvaux.org; See our online ad at VocationNetwork.org.

Code #415.

Trinitarians (O.SS.T.) Founded in 1198 through the vision of St. John DeMatha, the Trinitarian priests and brothers bring the redemptive love of Christ to those they serve. The earliest Trinitarians, through every possible means available, sought freedom for those held captive for their faith. In modern days, through their work for the poor, those who suffer religious persecution, and in parishes, schools, missions, prisons, and hospitals, they strive for the freedom of all people. Trinitarians live in small, mission-oriented communities and enjoy common prayer. Their purpose is redemptive mission and community life. They number 28 members in the United States and more than 650 worldwide. Candidates, ages 18-40, with a minimum of a high school diploma, are considered. Vocation Office, P.O. Box 5719, Baltimore, MD 21282-5719; 800486-0614 or 410-486-5171; email: vocations@ trinitarians.org; website: www.trinitarians.org.

See ad on page 132. Code #122.

V

Viatorians (C.S.V.) [Clerics of St. Viator] Viatorians are religious brothers and priests, who have lay associates as part of the mission. The spirituality our founder encourages us to live by is, “Adored and loved be Jesus.” We adore and love Jesus through prayer, providing engaging liturgy, catechizing, and living communally. Our mission is to “announce Jesus Christ and His Gospel and to build up communities where faith is lived, deepened, and celebrated.” We typically minister in schools and parishes and view ourselves as catechists. We give special attention to youth and to people who are marginalized. The Province of Chicago includes the U.S. and Colombia, South America. In the U.S. we are located in the Archdiocese of Chicago, the Diocese of Joliet, and the Diocese of Las Vegas, Nevada. Our congregation is present in 13 countries throughout the world. Contact: Br. John Eustace, C.S.V.; 847-637-2129; jeustice@viatorians.com. Learn more at: viatorians.com.

See ad on page 19. Code #094.

Vincentians (C.M.) [Congregation of

the Mission] Confronted by poverty and sickness in France in the 1600´s and the spiritual weariness caused by an uneducated clergy in that same period, St. Vincent de Paul committed his life to championing the needs of the poor. Almost 400 years after founding the Vincentians in 1625, his community of priests and brothers continue to spread God´s message of hope to the poor, and to train priests and laity in service to the poor. We work in 53 international provinces on five continents alongside other members of the Vincentian Family. We welcome you to join us as we follow Jesus Christ, the evangelizer of the poor. Experience the Vincentian charism as a priest or brother in our Congregation! Contact us at Eastern Province: vocations@ stjohns.edu; website: cmeast.org as well as the Western Province: vocations@vincentian.org; website: vincentian.org.

See ad on page 137. Code #178.

X

Xaverian Missionaries (S.X.) Serving in 20 countries around the world, the Xaverian Missionaries are an international, multicultural community of over 1,000 priests, brothers, and sisters. In the spirit of our founder Saint Guido M. Conforti we commit ourselves to live and witness to the Good News of Jesus Christ; the greatest gift we can share with the world; in poverty, chastity, and obedience. We fulfill this mission in and through community. Moved by our passion for Christ and for humanity our mission is directed to those who do not know Christ and among them we choose to work with the poor. It is our desire that our lives and our ministries may always reflect the love of Christ. Through empowerment of local communities, education, inter-religious dialogue, healthcare, social development, justice and peace, we facilitate the transformation of our world into the “ONE FAMILY” our Founder dreamed. Contact: Fr. Rocco Puopolo, s.x., 101 Summer Street, Holliston, MA 01746; 508-4292144; email: frrocco@xaverianmissionaries.org; website: www.xaverianmissionaries.org; blog: www. xaverianmissionaries.blogspot.com/. See our online ad at VocationNetwork.org.

See ad on page 55. Code #137.