(Saigon, Vietnam) The Redemptorist Province of Vietnam has 8 more newly ordained priests and 11 more deacons. The ordination was carried out by Archbishop Joseph Nguyen Nang, the Archbishop of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Saigon on the 1st July 2022. There are two deacons of the Blessed Sacrament Congregation also joined to be ordained to the priesthood in this celebration.
The Our Lady of Perpetual Help Shrine in Saigon was packed by hundreds of priests and the religious, and thousands of the faithful coming to share this joyful moment.
The Provincial, Joseph Bich, welcomes the archbishop and thanks to him for his acceptance to ordain all 21 candidates today. He also expresses his gratitude to the parents of all the candidates for their willingly offering their children to God.
In the homily, the Archbishop reminds the newly ordained that they are the ones who continue the mission of Jesus to bring peace and reconciliation to the people of God through their ministry. They have to become the presence of Jesus among the Church and the world. Especially, by solemnly celebrating the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation, priests will bring the grace of God to the faithful. He encourages these new priests to put all their hearts in the liturgy. He recalls the words of Mother Teresa of Calcutta that “Priest of God, celebrate this Mass as if it is your first Mass, your last Mass and your only Mass.”
At the end of the Mass, the Archbishop especially thanks to the parents of all candidates for their generosity through offering their children to God. He says that family and the local church hold the most important part of the consecrated life.
Congratulations to the new priests and deacons. We thank God for this moment of joy for the Redemptorist and the Blessed Sacrament Congregation and also for the whole Church.
Fr. Anthony Nam, C.Ss.R.
