COMMUNITY
tvc.dsj.org | April 24, 2018
7
Priest Interview – Father Andrew C. Nguyen
Justin Chung ’19
This is the seventh in a series of inter-
views conducted by Justin Chung. Justin is
a junior at Bellarmine College Preparatory
and an active parishioner at Holy Korean
Martyrs Parish.
Father Andrew C. Nguyen was born
and raised in Vietnam and immigrated
to the U.S. as he began high school. Prior
to his departure, his father passed away.
“In high school I was a very studious
guy… I [had] just come from Vietnam
[with] my dad’s desires and intention
[for us] to have a good life and good edu-
cation. We were very poor… we honored
his requests and focused on school all
the time, not having much fun.”
At the age of 11, Father Nguyen at-
tended Mass every day, not as a Christ-
seeking individual, but to avoid doing
house chores. Nevertheless, the routine
significantly impacted his life after a
key moment. “One day after Mass I
was kneeling there looking at the tab-
ernacle and said, ‘God, when I grow up
I promise I’ll be a priest.”’
As he came to America the thought
left his mind amidst the new transition
and a focus on studying. However, at
World Youth Day in Toronto, Canada
in 2002, this memory was rekindled. “I
went with youth from the parish and
I saw Pope John Paul II. He was very
weak, he was dying and he came out for
the young people… that made me think
about the priesthood again and I kept
thinking about it when I came back.”
Father Nguyen continued the search
for his vocation within his community.
“I shared with a priest that I had a
promise when I was younger and he
said ‘No, son. God is the one who calls
you. Let me take that promise away
from you so you don’t have to fulfill
it… you need somebody to guide you.’”
A Franciscan priest volunteered
to help Father Nguyen. They spoke
over the phone on multiple occasions.
One day, he gave a packet of a sermon
retreat held at the local seminary, but
Father Nguyen felt hesitant to attend.
“I thought to myself whether or not I
should go and I asked God for a sign, a
bright cross. I gave God 24 hours. I saw
crosses, but I didn’t see any bright ones
in our house and then in the last of the
24 hours, I turned on the TV and saw
a bright cross on one of those biblical
channels, there was the sign.”
Father Nguyen immediately heard,
‘If anyone wishes to follow me he has
to deny himself, take up the cross, and
follow me.’
At the retreat, Father Nguyen spent
the weekend listening for God’s call
through music, readings, and a series
of activities. Afterwards, he persisted
and read a book given by a member of
the Legion of Mary. This entire process
helped Father Nguyen reaffirm his dis-
cernment and quell his doubts.
Father Andrew C. Nguyen
Currently, Father Nguyen is Paro-
chial Vicar at Our Lady of La Vang
Parish and receives sustenance from
the Eucharist. “The more I am a priest,
the more I can say with conviction the
Eucharist is real. When I visit people
who are dying, people who have can-
cer… you wish you could do something
at the end of the day and that’s what I
do. I do adoration and give them up to
God. Then afterwards I sense peace and
lightweight in my heart.”
He also is sustained by the Sacra-
ments. “What inspired me to become a
priest was the Sacrament of Reconcilia-
tion and the time I met the Franciscan
priest and afterwards I felt peaceful
and joyful. I wanted to serve as an
instrument of God, being a bridge to
connect people back to God.”
“There are many times when I
anoint people and they die right after.
It seems like they’re waiting for it and
it just reminds me that the sacrament is
real and if they needed it, God will al-
low them to receive it. Experiences like
that, though stressful and worrisome,
really console you and give you peace.”
Father Nguyen feels privileged by
the trust shown to him. “What I really
enjoy in the priesthood is that people
trust you. They pour out their heart and
soul to you their problems and strug-
gles. They come to you for advice. They
share with you things they wouldn’t
share with their husband or their wife
or their children or their parents, and
it’s very painful for them to go through
all that. You’re just a stranger and yet
they come… so I feel very honored and
privileged… It’s not a coincidence that
we [priests] are here and there… God
uses us to be there and be His presence
towards people so I really believe in it
and see why God uses us to be there to
comfort and console.”
My conversation with Father Nguy-
en helped me realize the broader pic-
ture in my life. Focusing on day-to-day,
trivial issues blinds my eye from a true
sense of direction in my spiritual life.
To discover the footsteps laid by God,
I ought to seek him, listen, and actively
pursue my faith.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to Him, and He will
make your paths straight.” - Proverbs 3:5-6
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