Nguyen ordained to interim diaconate
By Frank Flegel
REGINA — Answering “I am” in a loud, clear, confident
voice all questions from Archbishop Daniel Bohan, Paul Mau Van Nguyen
began his ordination to the interim diaconate, the next to last step
to priesthood.
“I was seven years old when I told my parish priest that I wanted
to be a priest,” said Mau in an interview.
Born in Vietnam 36 years ago, he is the fifth child in a family of seven. He received his early education in North Vietnam then moved to Ho Chi Min City (Saigon) in the south where he entered university and graduated with a degree in information technology. He then entered the seminary and studied philosophy and theology and made it known he wanted to be a missionary.
“My family did not want me to go out of my country,” he said. “They
were concerned about language and culture.” But he prayed to
God and eventually they were happy in his choice of vocation. But where
to go?
Through friends he heard of the Regina archdiocese in Canada and looked
it up on the Internet. “I liked to see the snow in the trees,” but
didn’t appreciate how cold it is, but he said he liked his first
experience with winter.
He credits Rev. Thomas Nguyen for convincing him to come to Regina. Unlike Rev. Thomas Nguyen and other Vietnamese priests in the archdiocese, he did not have to escape the country by boat after the war. The regime changed, became softer, restrictions eased and once all the necessary papers were filled, he arrived in Regina in March 2011.
Archbishop Daniel Bohan with Paul Mau Van Nguyen
He has been studying English since his arrival and while he still has some difficulty and occasionally has to think for a second for the right words, he has progressed to where ordination to the diaconate was possible.
The Aug. 28 ordination ceremony in Holy Rosary Cathedral was attended
by a large contingent of the local Vietnamese community and several
priests who along the way helped in his journey. Unfortunately, Nguyen’s
family in Vietnam were unable to attend. The program was printed in
English and Vietnamese; the second reading was done in Vietnamese and
the archbishop opened the service with the sign of the cross said in
Vietnamese. A combined choir from Holy Child Parish and Holy Rosary
Cathedral provided the music under the direction of Ken Holzer. A reception
featuring many Vietnamese foods was held following the service.
Nguyen hopes to be ordained to the priesthood sometime in 2013.
 |
|