A Seminarian&#039;s Tale-- From Summer Work to Philosophy School

A Seminarian's Tale-- From Summer Work to Philosophy School

August 23, 2022

by John Nguyen

“When God pushes you to the edge, trust Him fully, because only two things can happen. Either He will catch you when you fall, or He will teach you how to fly.”

In a few days, I will be back in formation and discernment towards the priesthood. My summer experiences were filled with eye opening experiences, and the priests I lived with during my summer ministry helped me to grow as a person spiritually. They also helped me to be more confident.

In other words, Fr. Kevin and Fr. Tat taught me what it takes to be a leader, and these lessons are reminiscent of what Fr. Chung has always taught me: to entrust our worries and weaknesses into God’s hand-- and then do what He calls us to do. I have learned to stop caring about what other people think about me and to focus on only pleasing God. There will always be people who disapprove of us, and we don’t have to care about what they think.

I was blessed to spend time with family in New Mexico. We visited the St. Joseph’s miraculous staircase, and the experience deepened my faith in God. I am so blessed and cannot thank God enough for giving me the opportunity to witness his marvelous works.

The visit also helped me to slow down. I often live in a whirlwind of events-- from seminary formation to summer ministry, to seeing my family and friends in my hometown. I have learned that God will never give me anything that I cannot handle, but sometimes he will give me a lot of things in life to help me grow above my comfort zone.

I am also blessed to travel to Hawaii with my family and to see God’s wonderful creation. As a child, I was taught that everything we have comes from God. Being in Hawaii was such an eye-opening experience-- the food was delicious, the views were beautiful, spending time with family was great and seeing some of God’s spectacular creations, such as the ocean, was unforgettable.

I can’t wait to be back in formation and continue my fourth year of discernment process towards the priesthood. I feel more prepared after my summer experiences, and I have learned to let go of caring about what other people think of me. I’ll just keep being myself and will continue to love God. I’m going to live to please God and no one else, to be authentically me.

North American Conference of Redemptorists

Washington, DC

A Seminarian's Tale-- From Summer Work to Philosophy School