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 May 27, 2007 Pastor's PerspectiveHoan’s journey to priesthood has been a unique one and reminds us of the marvelous ways God’s grace works. You may have read his story in the Catholic Courier this month (by Amy Kotlarz). Let me share it with you here: In Deacon Dinh’s devout Catholic Vietnamese family, daily Mass was at 4:00am and evening prayer was at 8:00pm. Growing up in a family with five sisters and two brothers, Deacon Dinh also spent time at Sunday Mass, participated in Eucharistic Adoration and Marian devotions at the homes of various neighbors, and served as a catechist for four years. He split his time as a student in the mornings and on the family farm in Vietnam in the afternoons, helping grow rice and tropical fruits. At 19, he entered college with the intention of becoming a secondary-school teacher of English as a Second Language. Continuing to attend Masses and personal devotions each day during college, he searched for a teacher after which he could pattern his life. “During my second year of college, at a Sunday Mass in my college’s town, the homilist spoke about Jesus as a compassionate and understanding teacher to his disciples,” Deacon Dinh, 37, said in an e-mail from the American College of the Immaculate Conception at the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium, where he attends seminary. “I meditated upon such a powerful message.” After emigrating to the United States with an adoptive family, Deacon Dinh applied to a doctoral program in education at the University of California at Santa Barbara, but the application was denied. He turned to a mentor who had previously suggested he try seminary. “While searching for a new direction in life, a ‘dark night’ moment came,” Deacon Dinh said. “Again, my mentor asked me to answer God’s call and try a diocese.” In 1999, he entered Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., for a graduate-level course in religious education/catechetics. While there, he met Father Daniel Condon, chancellor of the Rochester Diocese, who invited him in 2001 to make a weeklong visit to Rochester’s Becket Hall, a residential program for young men discerning a call to priesthood. There, Deacon Dinh decided to continue his priestly formation and applied to be a seminarian for the Rochester Diocese. He said he faced many linguistic and cultural challenges while in seminary. “Yet these have taught me how to respect all and live with them day by day as Jesus accompanied his Apostles during his life and ministry,” Deacon Dinh said. “Accepting and respecting diversity prepares me to grow in my human formation and the current collaborative ministry of the church.” He said he has fallen in love with the Rochester area’s landscapes and diverse cultural scene. “It is a colorful area surrounded by so many lakes, hills and farms,” said Deacon Dinh, who enjoys photography, music, poetry, bicycling and gardening. He said he is grateful to the many people who have helped him in his journey to priesthood. “Finally, I am blessed to have a devout mother who has constantly prayed for me every day,” Deacon Dinh said. I have been in conversation with Hoan in Belgium where he has done his theological studies. He is excited to be coming here to St. Rita’s and anxious to meet all of you. He will begin his assignment here the end of July. With you, I look forward to his arrival and know that we are privileged to receive a newly ordained priest to serve with us. Easter Peace, Fr. Chuck
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