Vietnamese seminarians follow Christ’s path
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CROMWELL — Some students of the priesthood, immersing themselves in prayer during the holiest week of the Catholic faith, follow very closely in the footsteps of Christ.
According to the the Rev. Douglas Mosey — who spoke during a break from writing his homily for Holy Thursday Mass — several of his students at the Holy Apostles College and Seminary in the United States from Vietnam risk persecution in their homeland — much, he said, like that which Christ faced.
Holy Thursday honors Jesus’ last supper with his apostles, Good Friday is the day of his death by crucifixion and Easter Sunday commemorates, for believers, the day of his resurrection.
"Good Friday commemorates the willingness of Jesus Christ to submit to death on the cross, he didn’t have to do it, he is the Son of God," Mosey said. "They, too, will be persecuted, they, too, will be challenged. Many Vietnamese priests have been imprisoned. ... Nevertheless, they’re preparing to lead a minority."
According to three of the students from the communist country, there are approximately 8 or 9 million Catholics there — about 8 percent of the entire population.
Sau Vin Phung, of the Thanh Hoa diocese in Vietnam, Dinh Phan of the same diocese and Hui Nguin, of the Hai Phong diocese, along with four other prospective priests, have been studying at Holy Apostles for two years. They hope to be ordained when they return home.
The men, who are sponsored by Holy Apostles for room, board and tuition and by the Vietnamese-American Catholic community for other needs, including travel, would not speak of the persecution Mosey described, but rather discussed their lives at the seminary and spoke of reasons for choosing the priesthood.
"Even now I don’t know exactly why," Phan frankly admitted. "You know, God calls you by many reasons. I think we are a work in progress, so I try to follow Jesus to serve the people in my country, especially the Christians, and because of love. Jesus loves people."
Nguin, for a while, resisted the priesthood, which his parents wanted him to pursue, but in time decided on his own to heed the call.
"I didn’t want to be a priest at first, to tell you the truth," he said. "I am [the] youngest in the family, so I had no choice, I just obeyed my parents."
While studying with his pastor in Vietnam, he decided he wanted to become a doctor and returned home, but it did not work out the way he had hoped.
"I was not happy when I came home. ‘I want to be happy,’ I told the pastor," Nguin said. "‘If you really want to study to be a doctor,’ [the pastor said], ‘you can, but if you are not happy you can come back.’"
And so he returned.
"For me, that is why I wanted to be a priest, just because I am happy," he smiled. "I am; I am happy."
For Phung, the priesthood was a natural evolution after being raised Catholic and serving as an altar boy in his local church.
"I love the life of working and serving a church," he said. "I love the altar, I love the sanctuary, I love working with holy people, the life of priesthood. I love priesthood."
Daily life at the seminary begins with prayer, the men said. As a matter of fact, most, if not all things for the future priests begin in that manner.
"For a priest, intellect is important, but a spiritual life is more important," Nguin said. "Before we begin our day, it is good to pray. And then, when we finish the day, we also need to pray because we need to thank God for the day and offer the night to God."
But life is not solely about prayer. A typical day at the seminary is broken into five parts. Eight hours are given to studies, three to prayer, eight to sleep and two to physical exercise.
The Vietnamese seminarians are extremely athletic, Mosey said. They have improved the college’s reputation in soccer competitions with other seminaries. But they bring more to the college than the skill to kick around a ball; they also deliver perspective.
"In the United States, we’ve taken our Catholic faith pretty much for granted; since 1960, Catholics in the United States have made tremendous progress in the political, the social, the economic life of the United States and are well-integrated into American life," Mosey said. "So we have these seven men coming out of a country that is basically atheistic — a communist country — so living their faith has more implications in their place in society. By being Catholic, they are very much countercultural in Vietnam."
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