Photo: Janark Gray
Australian Provincial Fr Quyen Vu SJ delivered this homily at St Ignatius’ Church in Richmond on 7 July to mark the 20th anniversary of his priestly ordination.
“It has been thirty years since I entered the Jesuit novitiate in Pymble, Sydney. This week marks twenty years since my ordination as a priest. While twenty years may seem short to some, it feels like a long time to many of us who are advancing in age.
“Looking back on my Jesuit vocation, God has been an integral part of my journey, and I attribute my presence here today to God’s grace. I am grateful to God for the gift of life and for calling me to follow as a disciple of Jesus.
“When I was ten years old, God saved me twice. The first time was during a perilous journey across the Pacific Ocean on a tiny fishing boat with my younger brother, Anthony. My parents and two younger siblings were left behind. Our survival seemed impossible amid the vast sea and fierce waves. We faced a severe shortage of food and water on our way to Malaysia. Everyone on the boat feared for their lives, but by God’s grace, we were saved. Tragically, one boy my age did not survive. Without God’s intervention, we could not have made it.
“While in the refugee camp, we were allowed to swim at the beach once a month. During one of these swims, I was on a float that drifted out to sea. As I tried to paddle back to shore, a big wave knocked me off the float, and I started to drown, swallowing a lot of seawater. In my desperation to swim back to shore, I found it was too far. Suddenly, out of nowhere, someone grabbed me by the head and brought me to the beach. I never found out who that person was.
“These two miraculous rescues made me believe that God saved me for a reason: perhaps to do His work. I am grateful to God for calling me to become an instrument of His service.”
After Mass ended, members of the congregation did not disperse – they all queued up to congratulate Fr Quyen and to have their photographs taken with him. The first group shots featured his extended family, including nephews and nieces. In this image, his mother, Vu Thi Nga, stands by his left shoulder; his brother Anthony is in the back row, extreme right; his brother Patrick is third from left; and his sister Anne in in the middle row, wearing red. Two of his other siblings, Joseph and Mary, were in Hanoi and could not be present at the Mass. There are three generations of his family in this shot taken in front of the altar at St Ignatius’ Church in Richmond. The three Jesuits in the back row are (from left) Fr Nguyen Viet Huy SJ, Fr Pham Van Ai SJ and Fr Trung Hoang Nguyen SJ. Photo: Janark Gray
Read the whole homily and view the photo feature here: I live to do God’s work
Banner image by congerdesign, Canva.